Meet the Press dominates competition

NEW YORK - May 3, 2007 - According to Nielsen Media Research data, "Meet the Press with Tim Russert" was the top-rated Sunday morning public affairs program, placing first in all categories both nationally and in Washington, D.C. for the week ending April 29, 2007. On Sunday, the Russert-moderated program attracted 3.269 million total viewers, 18 percent more (+498,000) than CBS "Face the Nation's 2.771 million, a 26 percent lead (+682,000) over ABC "This Week's" 2.587 million, and a 165 percent advantage (+2,036,000) over FOX "News Sunday's" 1.233 million. The rebroadcasts on MSNBC delivered an additional 298,000 viewers.

In Washington, D.C., the NBC program was also No. 1 averaging 79,000 viewers (2.6/8), 103 percent more than FOX's and CBS' 39,000 viewers (1.5/5 and 1.3/4 respectively) and a whopping 216 percent lead over ABC's 25,000 viewers (1.3/4).

In homes nationally, "Meet the Press" posted a 2.5 rating and an eight share. CBS placed second with a 2.0/6, ABC was third with a 1.9/6 and FOX was fourth with a 1.0/3.

Among women, men and adults 25-54, the NBC broadcast placed first in each category. In the key demographic adults 25-54, "Meet the Press" was No. 1 with a 0.9 rating, 13 percent more than CBS' and ABC's 0.8 rating, and an 80 percent advantage over FOX's 0.5 rating.

As part of the program's "Meet the Candidates," series, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, appeared for the full hour last Sunday.

On its digital platforms, "Meet the Press" continued its strong performance during the week ending April 28, with more than 124,000 online streams and more than 295,000 downloads. The "Meet the Press" video podcast (available at

) remains the top ranked network Sunday morning program podcast on iTunes.

Tim Russert is the moderator and managing editor of "Meet the Press." Betsy Fischer is the executive producer and Michelle Jaconi and Rebecca Samuels are the producers.

MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS

Meet the Press Section Front

Nov. 22: Senate roundtable, Brinker, Snyderman Nov. 15: Clinton, Duncan, Gingrich, Sharpton Nov. 8: Casey, Barbour, Rendell, roundtable, Brokaw Nov. 1: Tim Geithner, David Plouffe, roundtable Oct. 25: Cornyn, Schumer, Burnett, Sorkin, roundtable Oct. 18: Jarrett, Dodd, Kyl, Shriver, Podesta Oct. 11: Levin, Graham, McCaffrey, Myers, roundtable Oct. 4: Ambassador Susan Rice, roundtable Sept. 27: Bill Clinton, Paterson, Kyl, Webb Sept. 20: President Obama, Sen. Graham, Rep. Boehner, roundtable Meet the Press Section Front   Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: