1988 Democratic National Convention : TV Coverage Draws Fewer Viewers
According to overnight Nielsen ratings from the 16 biggest television markets, significantly fewer Americans watched live network coverage of the first night of the Democratic National Convention compared with 1984.
That continues the downward trend that began in 1980.
ABC and NBC tied for Monday with a rating of 6.7 and a 12 share. The rating does not include the 30-minute early start for NBC, only the 9-11 p.m. EDT period when all three major networks were on the air simultaneously. CBS had a 5.8 rating and a 10 share.
The rating is a percentage of the nation’s estimated 88.6 million households with televisions. The share is a percentage of sets in use.
In 1984, the Democratic convention had a rating of 8.4 on CBS, 7.7 on ABC and 7.1 on NBC. The 1980 convention rated a 9.6 on NBC, 9.5 on CBS and 8.0 on ABC.
The highest-rated Democratic convention since the events have been televised was the tumultuous 1968 convention in Chicago. It had a rating of 16.1 on NBC, 14.1 on CBS and 8.5 on ABC.
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