American Newsreel

A Wisconsin clown who worked children’s parties may also be a sexual predator: Not a desirable situation.

Reports television news channel 4 in Milwaukee:

He works as a clown, but what he’s accused of isn’t funny at all.

Ron Schroeder is in jail, accused of sexually assaulting a woman and taking nude pictures of her.

He’s better known as “Silly The Clown,” and he’s performed at many children’s parties.

Schroeder has a troubled history; something most parents didn’t know when they hired him for birthday parties. (more…)

Memo to CBS. Next time you’re looking for a news anchor, hire one on the basis of news experience, not a big smile and fair legs.

Ratings for the CBS Evening News continue to head south, even below Dan Rather’s dismal numbers in his waning days.

Writes David Bauder of the The Associated Press:

It surely wasn’t what CBS dreamed about when Katie Couric was hired: the “CBS Evening News” last week recorded its smallest audience since 1987, and probably many years before that.

It also didn’t help that the average of 6.05 million viewers came at the beginning of the important May ratings “sweeps.”

Meanwhile, ABC’s “World News” recorded its widest advantage in viewership over NBC’s “Nightly News” since the week Peter Jennings died in August 2005. The victory, ABC’s ninth in 13 weeks over NBC, adds to the sense that Charles Gibson is eclipsing Brian Williams as the nation’s favorite network news anchor.

“World News” averaged 8.1 million viewers last week (5.7 rating, 12 share). NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.5 million viewers, its fourth-lowest figure since at least 1987 (5.3, 12), and CBS had a 4.3 rating and 9 share. The year 1987 is a benchmark because that’s when Nielsen began using its “people meter” technology.

Those are worrisome numbers for networks heading forward, since news viewership normally drops off in the summer. Major news events, of course, could dramatically change things.