• May 22, 2001

After a strong opening day, CNN "Moneyline" host Lou Dobbs sagged in the ratings during his first week back on the air competing for the lucrative business news audience. Dobbs' return is being closely watched by a cable network eager for some good news and a competitor, CNBC, which wants to maintain its edge.

"Moneyline" drew 393,000 viewers for Dobbs' May 14 return, airing 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT. CNBC's "Business Center," had 356,000 viewers during that same hour, and fewer during its entire telecast, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Yet "Moneyline" immediately sank behind "Business Center" for the rest of the week, to a low of 115,000 viewers on Friday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

In head-to-head competition, "Moneyline" averaged 224,400 viewers for the week, below its 262,000 average for the year before Dobbs started. CNBC's average of 326,200 viewers last week was virtually identical to what it had been receiving for the year.