GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- As hard-core news junkies decry the potential cancellation of ABC's "Nightline" to make way for some form of late-night entertainment show, a new Gallup poll shows "Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel scores favorably with many Americans. ABC is wooing CBS late-night fixture David Letterman to take over the "Nightline" time slot, and the poll's findings show a dead heat between Koppel and Letterman for the eyes of one key demographic group coveted by advertisers: men between the ages of 18 and 49.
The poll, conducted March 4-7, 2002, shows 77% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Koppel, compared with 67% for Letterman and just 59% for Jay Leno of NBC's "Tonight Show." Koppel also has the lowest unfavorable opinion rating -- just 9%, compared to 21% for Letterman and 30% for Leno.
Ratings of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 differ little from the ratings of the general public: Koppel's favorable rating among the younger group is at 81%, compared with 75% for Letterman and 63% for Leno.
Which Would You Rather Watch: "Nightline" or "The Late Show"?
It should be noted that in the Nielsen ratings, Leno has won the battle for late-night supremacy, with Koppel's "Nightline" and Letterman's "Late Show" battling for second place on many nights. What if the choice came down to just "Late Show" on CBS and "Nightline" on ABC? Fifty percent of Americans pick "Nightline" and just 35% select "Late Show."
A breakdown of the demographics for this question confirms the reported concern of ABC executives about "Nightline's" audience, which is that it skews old. Among men 18-49, the two shows break even at 45%; however, "Nightline" leads among men 50 and older (46% to 29%), women 18 to 49 (49% to 41%), and especially among women 50 and older (63% to 16%). Media reports on the Letterman/ABC talks indicate that ABC wants to draw younger viewers because of their attractiveness to advertisers and the potential revenue that increased ratings among that group could generate.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,006 adults, 18 years and older, conducted March 4-7, 2002. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
If you personally were watching television late at night after the late local news, which would you prefer to watch -- [ROTATED: the Late Show with David Letterman, (or) Nightline with Ted Koppel]?
|
Late Show With David Letterman |
Nightline With |
OTHER |
No |
|
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
35% |
50 |
9 |
6 |
|
(vol.) Volunteered response |
||||
We'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you have never heard of him. First, ... . How about ... [INSERT ITEMS A-C]?
A. David Letterman, the host of the Late Show on CBS
|
|
|
Never heard of |
No |
|
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
67% |
21 |
2 |
10 |
B. Ted Koppel, the host of Nightline on ABC
|
|
|
Never heard of |
No |
|
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
77% |
9 |
4 |
10 |
C. Jay Leno, the host of the Tonight Show on NBC
|
|
|
Never heard of |
No |
|
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
59% |
30 |
3 |
8 |
