THE CULTURE – AT 11:43 A.M. ET:   Stephen Colbert took over for David Letterman this week as host of CBS's Late Show.  Colbert immediately made it clear that his show would have a political bent, and that means it will go left.  How well is Colbert doing in his first week?  From Hollywood Reporter:   

After a strong debut Tuesday, Stephen Colbert earned a less overwhelming win on Wednesday. Shedding 35 percent in the overnight metered market ratings, CBS' Late Show was virtually tied with NBC's Tonight.

Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show, bolstered by a visit from the comedian's pal and frequent viral video partner Justin Timberlake, also jumped in key demo of adults 18-49 — easily topping Colbert in Local People Meters. Final ratings later Thursday will likely find Colbert and Fallon evenly matched with audiences, with a slight advantage to Colbert, and the key demo in clear favor of Fallon.

Looking at the raw numbers, Colbert's overnight rating dropped from a 4.9 to a 3.2 in households. Fallon's jumped from a 2.4 to a 3.1 rating. In Local People Meters' demo measurement, Colbert lost half of his 18-49 showing. The episode was off by nearly half, from a 1.5 to a 0.8 rating.

COMMENT:  That is the usual pattern.  People tune in to a new host just out of curiosity.  Some will stay.  Some will go back to old favorites.  The fact that Colbert lost half his 18-49 demographic so quickly will be troubling to CBS.  If there's a turning away from the decidedly liberal Colbert by the young audience, that could have some political implications.  Or, it could simply mean that Colbert isn't funny enough.  We'll watch it.

September 10, 2015