Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
<em>Parker Spitzer</em>'s First Ratings Are Bad
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 6, 2010
Modified Oct 6, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 6, 2010
Modified Oct 6, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The reviews were terrible and the ratings are more of the same: Media Decoder reports, "The political discussion program, featuring the hosts Kathleen Parker, the conservative columnist, and Eliot Spitzer, the one-time governor of New York, fizzled badly in its initial outing Monday, attracting only 454,000 total viewers."
Also: "Even worse for the new CNN program, it lost viewers from the show on just ahead of it, 'John King USA,' which had 471,000 viewers. Perhaps more troubling for CNN, “Parker Spitzer” was down sharply from the show it replaced, 'Rick’s List,' hosted by Rick Sanchez, who was recently ousted from CNN. And it even fell short of the show that had long occupied the 8 p.m. slot on CNN, with Campbell Brown." The 8 p.m. cable news time slot is dominated by Fox News's O'Reilly Factor, which had 3.1 million viewers on Monday, followed by Keith Olbermann's Countdown on MSNBC (1.1 million). Nancy Grace's HLN show was also ahead, with 468,000 viewers.
CNN told the Daily News, "We are pleased with the quality of the show, and over time we think viewers will be drawn to the more thoughtful discussion and lively debate that Kathleen and Eliot have to offer." Maybe the viewers will be drawn to how awful it is: The Times Union's Casey Seiler wrote, "'Eliot loves Nascar,' Kathleen Parker said as the first episode of CNN’s 'Parker-Spitzer' limped to its ending. Well then, the former governor is going to love watching 'Parker-Spitzer,' because it’s a car crash."
Tagged
cnn
eliot spitzer
Kathleen Parker
parker spitzer
ratings
talk show
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
Published Oct 3, 2026 at 2:01 p.m. ET
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
The company blamed ‘macro-economic headwinds.’ The co-founder is suing over compensation.
By
Catalina Gonella
News
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
The company blamed ‘macro-economic headwinds.’ The co-founder is suing over compensation.
By
Catalina Gonella
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
By
Willow Higgins
A big, bright Saturn will be the highlight of NYC's fall stargazing season
By
Rosemary Misdary
NYC tow companies busted for ripping off drivers must give $67K in refunds, city says
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .