Tom Hanks Was Great On Morning Schmo

[Me.]

I loved how he characterized Blanche Lincoln's ad by saying she was basically telling the people of her state what she didn't/wouldn't do for them.

[DrDan]

1. yes he was - once again, Morning Joe has the best guest lineup of all morning shows

[Me.]

2. Too Many Cons For My Taste

And Friedman was a big uug. Also was delighted by Hank's impersonation of Brokaw and the graceful way he handled Brokaw being there.

[DrDan]

5. yet you watched it

rating are based on simply how many watch - not their likes/dislikes as they watch

[truebrit71]

11. That only counts if they're a Neilsen household.

..if they're not it won't impact the ratings at all..

[DrDan]

12. of course . . . but Neilsen only measures how many are watching it

not those that are watching it but really don't like it

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Neilsen measures a representative portion of viewers

from which they extrapolate viewer numbers. They do not measure how many are actually watching. If a set is not part of the Neilsen program, it is not counted at all. Period.
Of course, I still don't watch Joe, as he's untalented and grating, but if I did, Neilsen would not know it.

[Me.]

17. Not Quite

While Nielsen's are the only ratings referenced, if you have cable they know exactly what you're watching and when. That how networks know what shows are being tivo'ed and how much. Take that show Harper's Island for example. The ratings were terrible but it was being tivo'ed a lot. So instead of canceling it and removing it from a prime time spot, they moved it to a bad time slot and still kept what was a considerable tivo viewership.

[DrDan]

18. my point is . . .

there is no differentiation between people who watch a show and hate the hosts . . . and people who watch a show and appreciate a great guest lineup

sorry that point has been lost.

[unblock]

20. not quite true, because nielson viewers surely behave differently from non-neilson viewers.

to the earlier point, non-nielson viewers can watch shows that are pissing them off because there's on impact beyond that household.

but nielson families know that their viewing affects the viability of certain shows, and they can be expected to change their viewing accordingly. nielson families are notorious for watching shows they believe they're "supposed" to watch, like more educational/nature shows that would ordinarily not capture their interest, or for avoiding shows they'd be embarassed to be recorded as having viewed (guilty pleasures, frivolity, or raunch).

certainly, politically aware nielson families might do that as well. liberals who watch foxnews as "opposition research" would be loathe to do so while they were a nielson family, etc.

[Me.]

22. Your Point Wasn't Lost

But because I don't care for the hosts I will often ignore the line-up because the hosts have a tendency to slant the interview to their ideology. The Hanks spot was unique to that show in that they gave him a wide berth and he was able to be conversational while staying true to his point of view.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. Not quite

That which is Tivo'd produces data that could be collected. But the majority of viewers do not tivo or dvr at this time, they watch what is on, and frankly, the ratings are misunderstood by viewers. The ratings are there to compare competitive segments on various outlets. It is the relative number that matters more than the actual count. The Neilsens exist to set prices for ad time. Those prices as set using comparisons to the competition in each slot. Tivo viewers skip commercials, which means they are not as valuable as viewers as the live watchers are.
As per your example, they could count the tivos, in a way, and you say there were lots of those viewers, but still the ratings sucked. You say the new time slot was 'bad'. So think about it. Tivo aside, the show was demoted due to low ratings, and moved to where it did less damage to the sale of ads. Because Tivo viewers were not enough to save the show. They had no numbers, so they exiled a losing product.

[Me.]

21. Yes There Are A Lot Of Variables

Though I will stand by my assertion that the cable companies know every click you make and pass it on.

[Me.]

15. Aah

Not all of it, knew Hanks was going to be on and would flip back to check and see. Turned the channel even faster when I saw Ford and Friedman. :evilfrown:

[tularetom]

3. And arguably the worst hosts

[DrDan]

6. I guess you probably mean "in my opinion, the worst hosts" . . .

[tularetom]

16. Well...

ar·gu·a·ble (är gy - -b l). adj. 1. Open to argument: an arguable question, still unresolved. 2. Capable of being argued plausibly; defensible in argument: ...

Actually I kinda meant what I wrote.

[theophilus]

4. Shmoe reminds me of Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks could imitate him well, imo. n/t

[90-percent]

7. Hanks

Tom Hanks is just a beautiful person in all respects.

He exudes decency from his pores. I wish I could have a beer with him.

-90% jimmy

[1776Forever]

8. Me too! I'd settle for a cup of coffee and a dounut - lol!

:donut:

[Jennicut]

9. I love him. Most of my favorite movies have him in them.

:)

[Inuca]

26. He is an extraordinary actor

not many in his generation or any other are his equals.

[Mira]

13. He is smart, he is funny, he is astute.

When I saw they had him on I did not turn the TV off as I usually do when I see Mika in powder blue.
(or anything else for that matter)

He semi rolled his eyes at both Joe and Mika repeatedly, was courteous but still showed me he recognized the bullcrap they spewed for what it is.
Tom Hanks is one of a kind.

[DemReadingDU]

10. video?

sounds great

[Me.]

23. Here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35723940#35723940

[DemReadingDU]

25. Thanks!

[southernyankeebelle]

24. I can't watch it any longer because Joe is nasty and mean if you don't

agree with him and you make a point and he starts yelling.