July Was Olbermann’s Worst Month in Over 2 Years

Summer slump hits “Countdown,” CNN hard

Keith Olbermann had a rough July – and not just because of that pesky Tucker Carlson’s cybersquatting stunt.

“Countdown With Keith Olbermann” had its lowest-rated month in terms of total viewers in over two years.

According to Nielsen figures, the show averaged 949,000 viewers a night, the lowest monthly average since April 2008, when Olbermann averaged 948,000.

Among the 25-tp-54-year-old set, Olbermann averaged 252,000, its lowest total since December. Summer – and Olbermann vacation – are obviously contributors, but consider that in the lead-up to the 2008 election, in October, Olbermann averaged 2,175,000 total viewers, and 784,000 in the 25-54-year-old demo.

Olbermann wasn’t the only high-profile cable news talent to take a hit in July.

Anderson Cooper, who spent the month bouncing between the oil spill and Haiti, averaged 575,000 total viewers in July – the second least-watched month for Cooper ever, down 56 percent over 2009.

CNN’s “John King, USA,” meanwhile, was down 42 percent in total viewers compared to last year, when Lou Dobbs was barking.

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