CBS News Viewship Plummets 23% Since MAGA Takeover | Drudge Retort

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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

CBS News Viewship Plummets 23% Since MAGA Takeover

Tony Dokoupil's makeover of the "CBS Evening News" landed with a thud in its first week. According to Nielson, viewership has plummeted 23% compared to a year ago.

Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 12:31 PM | 53 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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CBS Evening News' MAGA-coded freshman anchor Tony Dokoupil made a pointed appeal to viewers after his first week on the job ended in a ratings bloodbath.

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-- The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) Jan 13, 2026 at 11:00 PM

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MAGA-fication of a once revered and storied CBS News division isn't going over well ... at all.

How's it going at home with Roger's "sweet, clean Katy (Tur)?" Must be embarrassing to watch him kowtow to Trump and Rubio.

#1 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-01-14 11:19 AM | Reply

PS - the changes at CBS brought to you by the nepo-child of Trump acolyte, multi-billionaire Larry Ellison. His son wants to buy Warner Bros so he can turn other cable networks into Trump mouthpieces.

#2 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-01-14 11:21 AM | Reply

#3 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-01-14 11:27 AM | Reply

I've turned to the CBC and BBC more and more. Domestic networks were always a bit sketchy, but have become completely unreliable.

#4 | Posted by morris at 2026-01-14 12:20 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 4

a good beginning.

#5 | Posted by e1g1 at 2026-01-14 12:43 PM | Reply

Hey Ballwasher, remember when you constantly blathered on about Pravda media and duhhhhh LeFtZ!??!?!

What's your ballwashing take on this?

www.foxnews.com

#6 | Posted by jpw at 2026-01-14 12:52 PM | Reply

I still watch Colbert sometimes. Otherwise, the only reason I currently even keep my basic cable package is for football. I dropped my Paramount subscription when the Ellison's took over. Trouble is, the Ellison's really don't gaf about the ratings. Their living and wealth doesn't rely heavily on revenue from CBS/Paramount. They simply want to kill anything that may be perceive as biased against the fascist agenda.

#7 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2026-01-14 01:31 PM | Reply

#7 It's the "Embrace Extend Extinguish" model that Microsoft did so well with in the 90s.

#8 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-14 01:35 PM | Reply

#7 | Posted by Whatsleft
I catch Colbert, etc clips on Youtube. I've given up on Sports, in general. NIL has ruined college hoops and the pros seem to be there more for the benefit of the gamblers and fantasy sports crowds than even the athletes involved.
I just plain ol' quit. Just punted FB, as well, since Zuck just put the former mouth of the cheeto in charge of Meta.

#9 | Posted by morris at 2026-01-14 01:58 PM | Reply

CBS's downfall is now Trump's fault? Maybe because their shows suck and 60 minutes turned into a TDS platform they lost their viewers.

#10 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-01-14 02:01 PM | Reply

Hey Ballwasher, remember when you constantly blathered on about Pravda media and duhhhhh LeFtZ!??!?!
What's your ballwashing take on this?
www.foxnews.com

#6 | Posted by jpw at 2026-01-14 12:52 PM | Reply | Flag:
(Choose)

Hey dumb-ass, Trump said if Harris won the country would be dead (and because the country would be dead we wouldn't have TV networks) So stupid, if we didn't have networks would Dokoupil have a job? Think about it over night and get back to us. If you need to you can ask your Mommy.

#11 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-01-14 02:08 PM | Reply

CBS's downfall is now Trump's fault? Maybe because their shows suck and 60 minutes turned into a TDS platform they lost their viewers.

#10 | Posted by fishpaw

CBS news got ratings through credibility. Now that trump is censoring their news, that credibility is gone, therefore their audience is leaving. If they wanted trump propaganda they'd be watching fox.

#12 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-01-14 02:12 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

#12 Like MSNBC? Like CBS News, they were proven wrong so many times that viewers said why the hell should I watch them? You not so much.

#13 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-01-14 02:17 PM | Reply

#13 When were they proven wrong, fishbrain?

Or are you attempting to deploy the "many people say" defense?

#14 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-14 02:22 PM | Reply

#14 Russia gate, Suckers and losers, tariffs would send us into hyper inflation, Joe Biden was sharp as a tack, you want more? Actually you still believe all of them so never mind.

#15 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-01-14 02:27 PM | Reply

#14 All true.

Wanna try again?

#16 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-14 02:27 PM | Reply

The disgusting orange chomo is crushing CBS Newsmax and the Kennedy Center.

#17 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-01-14 02:29 PM | Reply

#12 Like MSNBC? Like CBS News, they were proven wrong so many times that viewers said why the hell should I watch them? You not so much.

#13 | Posted by fishpaw

Was it MSNBC that paid out nearly a billion dollars in damages for knowingly and intentionally lying to their viewers about an election being stolen when the hosts were privately texting saying they knew it wasn't true?

#18 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-01-14 02:42 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

#14 Russia gate

#15 | Posted by fishpaw

Trump told you he was exonerated in russiagate and you just swallowed it. Pathetic.

Every time I ask you how trump ended up with Russian asset Paul Manafort as his campaign manager you just run away. I'm sure this time will be no different.

#19 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-01-14 02:43 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 3

Democrats don't want to be presented with facts that don't reinforce their world view. It upsets their confirmation bias feedback loop.

#20 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-01-14 02:56 PM | Reply

Yo, boneheads: responding to fish-brain is an exercise in futility.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

#21 | Posted by Angrydad at 2026-01-14 02:57 PM | Reply

Democrats don't want to be presented with facts that don't reinforce their world view. It upsets their confirmation bias feedback loop.

#20 | Posted by visitor_

Who won the 2020 election?

#22 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-01-14 03:22 PM | Reply

MAGATS don't want to be presented with FACTS, period. Just AI slop and Pedo Donnie's lasted gurglings.

#23 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-01-14 03:48 PM | Reply

I've turned to the CBC and BBC more and more. Domestic networks were always a bit sketchy, but have become completely unreliable.

#4 | Posted by morris

I watch ABC and BBC for network news. BBC also has some interesting and informational programs on various topics.

Mostly, I read a lot. I read the paper cover to cover most days from the time I was 10 or so. Gullible Trump rubes don't understand the meaning of "journalism." Journalism has a set of standards and rare liable for libel suits, so their facts are checked and double checked for authenticity.

The internet made if possible for any shlub to write and publish anything they want to, with no consequences.

My news comes from journalists with verified sources and content.

#24 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-01-14 04:01 PM | Reply | Funny: 1 | Newsworthy 2

The 2020 election was stolen. Find the missing 7 million Biden voters.

#25 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-01-14 04:16 PM | Reply

The 2020 election was stolen. Find the missing 7 million Biden voters.

#26 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-01-14 04:18 PM | Reply

Crunchyroll is far better.

#27 | Posted by Petrous at 2026-01-14 04:26 PM | Reply

Crunchyroll is far better.

#28 | Posted by Petrous at 2026-01-14 04:26 PM | Reply

I've turned to the CBC and BBC more and more. Domestic networks were always a bit sketchy, but have become completely unreliable.
#4 | Posted by morris at 2026-01-14 12:20 PM | Reply | Flag:| Newsworthy 3

Then I recommend Democracy Now! and Kyle Kulinski at minimum.

My favorite, The Young Turks starts in 30 minutes, you should really check it out.

#29 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-01-14 05:25 PM | Reply

Oh, and Meidas Touch and Status Coup are both excellent.

#30 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-01-14 05:26 PM | Reply

A MAGA takeover? You people are hilarious. Bari Weiss is center-left with old school journalism running through her veins.

You want propaganda. Most on the right have eschewed the entirety of the MSM due to the left wing propaganda. Since most of their remaining audience wants an information bubble, it looks like the move toward more traditional journalism is alienating that part of their audience. The issue is can they regain the trust of independents and conservatives quickly enough hot weather this storm? Trust is easy to lose and hard to regain. They have an uphill battle. The other issue is can they truly revert back to old school journalism. They surely have a bunch of hack left wing advocates still employed.

#31 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 05:47 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

"Bari Weiss is center-left"

Perhaps she was, once upon a time, like Nullifidian supposedly was.
Not anymore she ain't.

#32 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-14 05:51 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

A MAGA takeover? You people are hilarious.

Shut up stupid, CBS News canceled two segments that were negative about the Trump administration and has been doing puff pieces about the members of the Trump administration ever since they got bought by David Ellison.

You know, David Ellison, the loser who inherited his wealth and is Trump's butt buddy.

Save your Russian propaganda for the idiots you hang out with in real life.

#33 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-01-14 05:52 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

#31 Flag: Gaslighting

#34 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-14 05:54 PM | Reply

A MAGA takeover? You people are hilarious. Bari Weiss is center-left with old school journalism running through her veins.
You want propaganda. Most on the right have eschewed the entirety of the MSM due to the left wing propaganda. Since most of their remaining audience wants an information bubble, it looks like the move toward more traditional journalism is alienating that part of their audience. The issue is can they regain the trust of independents and conservatives quickly enough hot weather this storm? Trust is easy to lose and hard to regain. They have an uphill battle. The other issue is can they truly revert back to old school journalism. They surely have a bunch of hack left wing advocates still employed.
#31 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 05:47 PM

According to whom? MSM?

Bari Weiss is a hard-core Zionist and anti-#MeToo movement, even fighting Blasey Ford's case against Kavanaugh.

She is pro-genocide and opposes, lies and distorts regarding students protesting that, getting several expelled.

Her garbage The Free Press is blatant hasbara.

#35 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-01-14 05:56 PM | Reply

" CBS News canceled two segments that were negative about the Trump administration"

I'm aware of the 60 minutes piece. And it wasn't cancelled. It was delayed until it meets journalistic standards.

Trust in the news media is at historic all time lows. It's self inflicted. Doing more of the same isn't going to restore trust, it's going to further erode trust. So Weiss appears to be applying established journalistic standards to their reporting. It will be an uphill battle and she has a ton of entrenched headwinds to fight against.

#36 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 05:58 PM | Reply

Bari Weiss is right-wing, period

#37 | Posted by hamburglar at 2026-01-14 06:00 PM | Reply

Democrats don't want to be presented with facts that don't reinforce their world view. It upsets their confirmation bias feedback loop.

#20 | Posted by visitor_

The 2020 election was stolen. Find the missing 7 million Biden voters.

#25 | Posted by visitor_

Literally back to back posts LOL

#38 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-01-14 06:02 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

#36 Flag: Gaslighting

#39 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-14 06:03 PM | Reply

I'm aware of the 60 minutes piece. And it wasn't cancelled. It was delayed until it meets journalistic standards.

Trust in the news media is at historic all time lows. It's self inflicted. Doing more of the same isn't going to restore trust, it's going to further erode trust. So Weiss appears to be applying established journalistic standards to their reporting. It will be an uphill battle and she has a ton of entrenched headwinds to fight against.

#36 | Posted by BellRinger

"journalistic standards" now means APPROVED BY THE ADMINISTRATION

Trust in the media is at all time lows because the media is always one of the first things fascists target when they're planning on taking over a country.

First they attack the media, then they demonize minority groups, then they promise to return the nation to its former glory, then they attack education and intellectuals... tale as old as time.

#40 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-01-14 06:05 PM | Reply

"Trust in the news media is at historic all time lows."

Trust in the news media owners is why.
Remind us, who owns CBS? What are their politics?

#41 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-14 06:06 PM | Reply

Can Lying Jeff provide a summary of Bari Weiss' history of journalism that makes her an expert of "...applying established journalistic standards..."

#42 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-01-14 06:06 PM | Reply

A MAGA takeover? You people are hilarious. Bari Weiss is center-left with old school journalism running through her veins.

#31 | Posted by BellRinger

Center-Left? You people are stupid. Bari Weiss DESCRIBES HERSELF as Center-Left with insanely strong right leaning views.

Weiss has been described as conservative by Haaretz, The Times of Israel, The Daily Dot, Business Insider, and Al Jazeera.

She opposes DEI, gender confirming care, and has often supported censoring free speech.

She also supports Israel doing whatever they want to Palestinians.

She opposes #MeToo. She believed Kavanaugh sexual assault allegations but didn't believe his actions towards women should disqualify him from the Supreme Court.

She kills stories Trump doesn't like.

She ran the Free Press which did investigative work for Trump in the early days of his second term and put out numerous puff pieces for the administration. It's a rightwing rag that puts out opinion pieces as fact journalism.

Jeff, you're really too stupid to do basic research and have an opinion, aren't you?

The result of Barri Weiss: CBS has lost over a milion viewers or 1/4 of his viewership.

#43 | Posted by Sycophant at 2026-01-14 06:06 PM | Reply

"Weiss has been described as conservative by Haaretz, The Times of Israel, The Daily Dot, Business Insider, and Al Jazeera.
She opposes DEI, gender confirming care, and has often supported censoring free speech.
She also supports Israel doing whatever they want to Palestinians."

Oh so she's a Centrist.
--Republicans

#44 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-14 06:08 PM | Reply

" CBS News canceled two segments that were negative about the Trump administration"
I'm aware of the 60 minutes piece. And it wasn't cancelled. It was delayed until it meets journalistic standards.
Trust in the news media is at historic all time lows. It's self inflicted. Doing more of the same isn't going to restore trust, it's going to further erode trust. So Weiss appears to be applying established journalistic standards to their reporting. It will be an uphill battle and she has a ton of entrenched headwinds to fight against.
#36 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 05:58 PM

She's into felching, believable.

The fact that the White House refuses to comment is responsible journalism, rather than admit the administration is afraid of exposure?

#45 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-01-14 06:10 PM | Reply

"Trust in the news media is at historic all time lows."

That's somewhat beside the point, or rather, deliberately obscures the point.
I suspect trust in the venerable "60 Minutes" was pretty high.
Until Bari Weiss came along and started micromanaging.

#46 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-14 06:12 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

" #43 | POSTED BY SYCOPHANT AT 2026-01-14 06:06 PM | FLAG: "

You literally just make shit up.

#47 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 06:35 PM | Reply

" #43 | POSTED BY SYCOPHANT AT 2026-01-14 06:06 PM | FLAG: "
You literally just make shit up.
#47 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 06:35 PM

Can you be more specific?

#48 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-01-14 06:39 PM | Reply

" Can you be more specific?

#48 | POSTED BY REDLIGHTROBOT AT 2026-01-14 06:39 PM | FLAG: "

Sure.

#49 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 06:55 PM | Reply

#47 You make sh*t up, too, bell boi, ** to wit:

And it wasn't cancelled. It was delayed until it meets journalistic standards.

Here's the sh*t you're carrying water for:

And this is 60 Minutes. We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera. - Bari Weiss

It is also not remotely believable that the White House was not asked to comment, or to have someone sit for an interview. There is no doubt that if Donald Trump, or Steven Miller, or DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had been made available, the 60 Minutes staff would have been on that like white on rice. (Z) worked for a newspaper for many years, and the moment he heard Weiss' claims, he had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the White House refused requests for comment. It is Journalism 101 that you ask, and it is Journalism 101 that the answer is often "no." That is, itself, a form of comment.

source

So, according to bell boi, his bullsh*t idea of journalistic standards means that the WH (or any other entity) can automatically kill a story simply by refusing to comment on it.

Heck of a "standard" you got there, ~~bell boi~~ liar.

** - carrying the Trumpf's water must be tiring.

#50 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-14 07:00 PM | Reply

More from the cited article ...

... All the buzz around Dokoupil's takeover of the storied show hasn't translated into ratings gold, Vanity Fair reported Tuesday, citing data from Nielsen. In the anchor's first week, viewership plummeted 23% compared to a year ago, pulling in just 4.17 million viewers versus the 5.4 million who tuned in to Norah O'Donnell's coverage of California wildfires and Trump's inauguration.

The advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic tanked 23%, dropping from 690,000 to 533,000 viewers, according to the report. ...

ALSO READ: Bill and Hillary Clinton should testify over Epstein, top Dem says

Dokoupil's numbers look even worse compared to his competition.

ABC's "World News Tonight" saw 8.1 million viewers, while NBC's "Nightly News" grabbed 6.73 million. ...

#51 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-14 07:12 PM | Reply

Another network that underwent an ownership change, sees different results ...

MS WOW: Rebranded Network Sees Double-Digit Growth Since Shedding The MSNBC Name (December 2025)
www.forbes.com

... Whether viewers like MSNBC's new name or not, it seems they're sticking with the cable news network now known as MS NOW, for My Source: News, Opinion, World.

As media divorces go, this one has been surprisingly smooth and uneventful. NBC, by spinning off its cable properties, walked away from its nearly 30-year relationship with MSNBC. The settlement gave NBC full custody of the peacock, the NBC name and news legacy dating to the earliest days of television, and it kept the house"the network's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, where MSNBC moved its studio operations about 20 years ago. ...

In the news business, change carries enormous risk, as viewers tend to fall into habits and don't often like being forced to adjust to new anchors, new programming lineups, or having to search for their favorite programs on new channels. So, it's noteworthy that MSNBC's highest-rated show, The Rachel Maddow Show, has gained viewers on MS NOW.

According to ratings data compiled by Nielsen, Maddow has gained on Fox News Channel's Hannity and won the 9 p.m. ET hour (Maddow airs weekly on Monday nights) among viewers 25-54, the key demographic valued by advertisers"for five consecutive weeks since the launch of MS NOW. Among total viewers, Maddow ended 2025 with an average audience of 1.9 million viewers, trailing Fox but tripling the viewership of CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins (600,000 viewers). ...

#52 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-14 07:15 PM | Reply

#43 | POSTED BY SYCOPHANT AT 2026-01-14 06:06 PM | FLAG: "
You literally just make shit up.

#47 | Posted by BellRinger

You mean I literally repeat what SHE says she supports?

And you make a pithy "I don't believe it" response and run away rather than saying what you disagree with.

Typical MAGAt Pedo Lover.

#53 | Posted by Sycophant at 2026-01-14 07:30 PM | Reply

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