Obama gave Jay Leno biggest ratings since 1998

[DavidS]

Z on TV: Nielsen: Obama visit a big boost for Leno ratings - Sun critic David Zurawik writes about the business, culture and craziness of television - baltimoresun.com

Last night's appearance by President Barack Obama was a ratings boon for The Tonight Show. The audience in metered overnight cities like Baltimore was the highest since Jan. 24, 2005, when the show featured a tribute to Johnny Carson, according to Nielsen figures released by NBC.
The last time Tonight scored a higher overnight rating was on May 14, 1998 -- the night of the finale of Seinfeld when the cast appeared on Leno's program. Overnight ratings for last night's show were the fourth-highest in the 16-year history of Leno's show.
Bottom line, one out of every four TVs in use last night was tuned to The Tonight Show. The overnight ratings from metered markets are not conclusive or final. But they generally match up when final figures are released.

Here is the release from NBC:

Last night's historic edition of "Tonight" matched the fourth highest metered-market household rating in the more than 16 years Jay Leno has been hosting "Tonight."
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President Obama's appearance last night is the first for a sitting U.S. President on a late-night talk show. Also appearing on last night's show was music superstar Garth Brooks.
Last night's telecast of "Tonight" improved on the show's season-average 3.9 household rating in the metered markets by 187 percent.
The other higher rated nights in the metered markets for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" are May 20, 1993, the night of the "Cheers" finale; May 25, 1992, the debut of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"; and May 14, 1998, the night of the "Seinfeld" finale.
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[Yurt]

obama is only 4th hightest

 

[driveby]

I live 20 minutes from Baltimore and didn't watch it.....

 

[xsited1]

The last time Tonight scored a higher overnight rating was on May 14, 1998 -- the night of the finale of Seinfeld when the cast appeared on Leno's program.

We all like comedy. Obama made America laugh. It was great.

 

[driveby]

The last time Tonight scored a higher overnight rating was on May 14, 1998 -- the night of the finale of Seinfeld when the cast appeared on Leno's program.

We all like comedy. Obama made America laugh. It was great.

Yep, looks like Seinfeld is a slighly better sitcom than the Obama administration....

 

[ScreamingEagle]

The last time Tonight scored a higher overnight rating was on May 14, 1998 -- the night of the finale of Seinfeld when the cast appeared on Leno's program.

We all like comedy. Obama made America laugh. It was great.

Yeah, a laugh a minute...Obama makes funny jokes about loser Special Olympics folks...whatta comedian....

....of course all the "caring" liberal hypocrits laughed at the joke...

 

[xsited1]

The last time Tonight scored a higher overnight rating was on May 14, 1998 -- the night of the finale of Seinfeld when the cast appeared on Leno's program.

We all like comedy. Obama made America laugh. It was great.

Yep, looks like Seinfeld is a slighly better sitcom than the Obama administration....

Obama is a joke. No doubt about that! And he doesn't even try to hide it because he went on the Leno show. Who knew the President was really a comedian? Wasn't there a movie like this?

 

[del]

this guy's wedding got an 85 share on the tonight show, and he's a better bowler too. an 85 share means that out of 100 households, only 15 were watching anything else.

Between 35 and 40 million people watched to give Tiny and his child-bride Miss Vicki, the biggest rating for a variety show in television history.

Tiny Tim Tip Toe to the alter

 

[American Horse]

Z on TV: Nielsen: Obama visit a big boost for Leno ratings - Sun critic David Zurawik writes about the business, culture and craziness of television - baltimoresun.com

I'm sure a lot of people just like me tuned in to see the president, and not because we like him (or Leno). More because it's important to actually see him rather than just read other people's opinions about him, so it's a duty and not a pleasure.

 

[oreo]

All the American outrage centered around these AIG retention bonuse's that Barack Obama signed off on last month--as they were included in the 787 BILLION dollar stimulus bill--has made him go off the deep end. And he did go off the deep end on the Jay Leno late night comedy show by insulting parents of special needs children. Anything to distract & entertain his "sheep herd" & keep them in the flock.

In fact, the Presidential teleprompter has announced that "Dancing with the Stars" will be interruped for a Presidential teleprompter news conference addressing Obama's proposed 4 TRILLION dollar budget.

Since-we're all getting used to being entertained by this President, why not dance with one of the stars while answering the Presidential teleprompter's pre-selected questions from the media? In that way, no Obama voter will be upset over missing "Dancing with the Stars." We can be entertained & Obama can handle his business at the same time.

 

[oreo]

Z on TV: Nielsen: Obama visit a big boost for Leno ratings - Sun critic David Zurawik writes about the business, culture and craziness of television - baltimoresun.com

I'm sure a lot of people just like me tuned in to see the president, and not because we like him (or Leno). More because it's important to actually see him rather than just read other people's opinions about him, so it's a duty and not a pleasure.

I don't think how many Americans tuned in to watch our President on a late night comedy show-is the question here.

I think the question should be how many turned it off--after they watched our most intelligent, the most articulate chief & speecher-open mouth & insert FOOT. This with his insult to the parents of special needs children. Maybe--they should poll that number?

I guess we all got a good look at our leader without the Presidential teleprompter. This in a comical attempt to distract the "sheep herd" & keep them in their flock--over the AIG retention bonus'es that he signed off on last month in the 787 Billion dollar stimulus bill.

 

[Ravi]

I wish I could bowl as well as someone in the Special Olympics.

 

[American Horse]

Z on TV: Nielsen: Obama visit a big boost for Leno ratings - Sun critic David Zurawik writes about the business, culture and craziness of television - baltimoresun.com

The "craziness of television" ?
Being one who watched the show, what I saw went to the shame of our Mainstream Media and to the credit of Jay (The Chin) Leno. Did anyone else not think that Jay asked tougher questions about AIG, the bonuses, and the Financial Crisis than any ever put to Obama or his mouthpiece Gibbs by the White House Press Corps?
Is this for REAL? So art imitates life and actually improves on it.
And Obama spent the entire time laughing cheerfully....
This in itself raises a question about how seriously he takes his job.

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