Tuesday’s massive press reaction to Trevor Noah’s debut as the new host of The Daily Show is the latest sign that those in media see it as one of the most influential and popular programs on TV, even though it only appeals to a very specific group of viewers that has declined over the last few years.
The show “always had limited appeal; it just happens that the appeal included the New York media elite,” FivethirtyEight’s Harry Enten wrote earlier this year when the shows previous host, Jon Stewart, announced his retirement.
“Stewart largely appeals to wealthy and well-educated liberals — a small slice of the overall news audience,” he added, citing data compiled by the Pew Research Center.
Along with playing only to a niche audience, Stewart’s viewership prior to his exit was also on a steady decline.
“While it may shock some, the vast majority of Americans didn’t watch Stewart. Indeed, the vast majority of late-night viewers didn’t watch him,” Enten noted in his article.
Prior to the host’s exit, Enten reported that “Stewart’s ratings are somewhat dependent on the political cycle. His viewership tends to peak during big elections. If you compare Stewart’s ratings in the fourth quarter of 2014 (a little over a year before the 2016 Iowa caucus) to the fourth quarter in 2010 (a little over a year before the 2012 Iowa caucus), his viewership is down about 15 percent.”
“That’s the same decline he had from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014,” he added.
And it’s not as if television ratings are down generally, he noted, writing, “[D]uring the past year, the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ audience is up 4 percent.”
In short, when newsrooms talk about The Daily Show, they’re mostly talking to themselves.
But this very narrow and shrinking appeal didn’t deter newsrooms from covering the former host’s announced exit earlier this year as a major cultural event. One Washington Post columnist went so far as to compare his retirement to the breakup of the Beatles.
This week, the press continued the trend of characterizing The Daily Show as a deeply important and influential program, as reporters and commentators eagerly weighed in on Noah’s performance.
“[A]fter watching new host Trevor Noah’s seemingly smooth debut Monday night, I just have to ask: What were we all so afraid of?” the Post’s TV critic Hank Stuever asked Tuesday. “It’s too early for Noah to crush it, but it’s enough for now to just utter a sigh of relief. ‘The Daily Show’ is back, with its essential wit and irreverence intact.”
He was not alone, as many others covered the show this week with an eagerness usually reserved for religious and political events that usually garner a broader audience.
“Trevor Noah debuts on “The Daily Show”: How did he do?” CBS News asked Tuesday. It also closely analyzed the new host’s jokes in an report titled, “Here are those Trevor Noah jokes about AIDS/aides, Whitney Houston on ‘The Daily Show.'”
The so-called “explainer” site Vox.com took a deeper dive into Noah’s debut, by analyzing his handling of the role with an article titled, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah debut: 5 thoughts on the new host.”
The Atlantic’s David Sims wrote, “Trevor Noah is nothing if not confident.”
“His first episode of The Daily Show had its bumps, but the new host’s energy and enthusiasm felt like a change for the better,” the article added.
Salon said in a headline, “Trevor Noah’s terror: The new “Daily Show” host is off to a shaky, if charming, start.”
Even international newsrooms got in on the act.
“The Daily Show review: Trevor Noah clears first night hurdles as host — but only just,” the Guardian declared.
BBC reported, “Trevor Noah makes ‘smooth’ but ‘flat’ debut on Daily Show.”
But the wealth of media coverage hides the fact that the show is still relatively small.
“Stewart can … claim that the media watches him,” FiveThirtyEight noted earlier this year during the former host’s exit. “That’s undeniably true, based on the press’s reaction [to his announced retirement]. That’s the type of influence that’s difficult to buy. But the media loving Stewart has also led to an overhyping of Stewart’s reach.”
