Cancellation Rumors Swirl Around Ratings-Troubled ‘The View’

Buried deep at the bottom of a Reuters report about the unceasing behind-the-scenes personnel drama at ABC’s left-wing, female talk show “The View,” is a bombshell reporting on informed talk surrounding the possibility that “The View” will be cancelled at the end of this year. An additional hour of “Good Morning America” would take the 18 year-old show’s place. The talk is coming from those who should know: among staffers at the studio.

Late last year “The View” was in enough trouble that the show was taken away from ABC daytime executives and given to the news division. Ratings in the 18-49 demo had plummeted 10% and three of the show’s four co-hosts were fired and replaced with three leftists: Rosie O’Donnell, Nicolle Wallace, and Rosie Perez. Only Whoopi Goldberg remained.

Two weeks ago, “The Talk,” a CBS female gab-fest similar to “The View,” started to pull ahead of  the ABC show.

Since the change over last year, “The View” has also continued to lose much of its impact. Unless Rosie O’Donnell says something more outrageous and ignorant than usual, the show has failed to generate the almost daily role in that day’s news cycle that it once did. “The View” just doesn’t matter anymore.

According to Reuters, the latest personnel drama surrounds co-host Rosie Perez, who was supposed to be fired in the coming days. But news leaked and Perez is Hispanic and ABC seems more concerned with identity politics than success.

I should note that Wallace disguises herself as a Republican but only because in doing so she can do more damage to the conservative movement and in turn make herself more useful to the mainstream media. Not terribly charismatic or interesting, were Wallace to be honest about who she is (an elite left-winger), it’s doubtful she would be making a living as a marginal celebrity. The media just wouldn’t have much use for her.

Other than her charisma and likability deficit, “The View” producers made a huge mistake casting the mercenary Wallace. They should have gone for another conservative like Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Conservatives tuned into to see Hasselbeck, who is whip-smart, fearless, and lovely. Conservatives are turned off by the not-terribly-bright Wallace.

That chunk of audience might be the chunk ABC lost.

John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC