Free publicity hasn’t boosted ‘CBS Mornings’ viewership since host made waves with Ta-Nehisi Coates interview

It is often said that all publicity is good publicity, but a barrage of negative attention hasn’t lifted ratings for “CBS Mornings.”

On October 1, “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil made waves with a now-infamous interview with pro-Palestinian author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his sharply anti-Israel book “The Message,” and what Dokoupil viewed as massive omissions of context in his narrative. 

An ensuing internal uproar saw Dokoupil, who is Jewish, get rebuked by network leadership but defended in other corners for his firm line of questioning. That led to unusual media attention for the morning show, which has lagged behind its competitors in ratings for years while receiving praise for being more news-heavy than its lighter counterparts.

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The attention has not increased viewership. “CBS Mornings” has been stuck in third place behind NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” for years and the Dokoupil news cycle hasn’t changed anything. 

“CBS Mornings” has averaged 2.1 million viewers in 2024, but has averaged just under two million since the Coates interview for a 1% drop. Since the news-making interview, “CBS Mornings” is also down 9% compared to the same dates in 2023. 

When it comes to the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, “CBS Mornings” has averaged 375,000 since the Coates interview, for a 12% decline from its 425,000 year-to-date average demo viewers. The show is also down 13% compared to the same dates last year in the critical category.

Like “CBS Mornings,” NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” also saw small declines among total viewers over the last two weeks compared to their year-to-date averages.

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ABC’s  “Good Morning America” has averaged 2.75 million total viewers in 2024 to give ABC a lead among total viewers, while NBC’s “Today” has averaged 2.7 million. Among the demo, “Today” has averaged 647,000 viewers, compared to 499,000 for “GMA” so far in 2024.

After the tense interview with Coates, it was revealed that Dokoupil irked his liberal colleagues over his tone and criticism toward the author. CBS leadership reassured offended staff members that following a review, they had concluded that the interview did not meet the company’s “editorial standards,” the Free Press reported, which obtained audio of the staff meeting. 

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The leaked internal scolding generated more headlines, giving “CBS Mornings” additional publicity, and follow-up stories in the days since have focused on everything from Dokoupil eventually expressing regret for the interview, causing tumult to criticism of the network’s Race and Culture unit. 

The saga has been covered by Hollywood trade publications, the Associated Press, newspapers ranging from the New York Post to USA Today, The Washington Post and The New York Times and bandied about on high-profile podcasts. 

Ratings courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.