Shep Smith’s CNBC show is struggling

Lachlan Cartwright and Maxwell Tani of The Daily Beast report about low ratings and other issues at CNBC’s nightly news show anchored by Shepard Smith.

Cartwright and Tani report, “According to Nielsen Media Research, the show averaged just 197,000 total viewers in June, losing a third of its viewers since the show’s peak in February, which saw an average of 296,000 nightly viewers. The show is currently the seventh-highest rated program on CNBC and 11th in the key demographic of viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 years old.

“‘There’s no question Shep is a talented news anchor with a well-defined persona,’ Jon Klein, former president of CNN/US and current chairman of TAPP Media, told The Daily Beast. ‘The show’s struggles indicate how important it is that a program fit the overall identity of its network, because viewers almost never tune into a specific show at a specific time anymore—they go to particular networks for a certain kind of experience.’

“And the show has faced its fair share of internal friction, some of which has centered on the host himself. Smith is seen as a pro with high news standards prone to generous gestures—he famously sends his employees several hundred dollars every year as a holiday bonus—but amid a wider re-evaluation of bullying in media workplaces, some staffers have complained that he is difficult to deal with.”

Read more here.