Gifford goodbye is a ratings grabber
-- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/7/2000
Kathie Lee Gifford's farewell episode scored a ratings coup for Live With Regis and Kathie Lee, grabbing a 10.4/33 household average in the metered markets, the best rating for any talk show this season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Buena Vista's talk series (now titled Live With Regis) shot up 149% on Friday (July 28) from its average May marks (4.1/16).
The teary farewell fared well in New York (where the show is taped), netting a 13/37. In Los Angeles, it rang up a 12.7/37. To compare, during the most recent ratings period (week ended July 16), talk-show queen Oprah posted a 5.8 in national households. For that week, Live snagged a 3.6.
