• New York Times, Tuesday, October 9, 2007 10:31 AM

"Kid Nation," a CBS reality program that initially scared off some advertisers due to criticism of its kids-alone premise, has almost tripled its sponsor roll since it premiered--even as its audience shrinks. In the last episode, some marketers that had first shied away jumped on board. New buys from McDonald's, PetSmart, Lysol and T-Mobile upped the number of advertisers supporting the show to more than 20. But as they come in, they are reaching a diminishing number of eyeballs.

According to Nielsen, the third episode of "Kid Nation" drew 7.4 million viewers--down from 7.6 million the week before and 9.4 million for the debut. And among the 18 to 49 demo, viewership slumped to 3.2 million, from 4 million on the first night. Kids' viewing, however, has been up slightly with the number of 2- to-11-year-olds tuning in rising to 787,000 in the third week from 777,000 for the premiere. McDonald's says it had decided to advertise after finding the content fit its message. "We believe 'Kid Nation' brings families together and provides entertainment and a fun, shared experience for both children and parents," says Anja Carroll, director of media for McDonald's USA.

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