Strike fallout?

I've been saying from the start that the writers' strike would impact TV ratings this year. So far, my predictions are coming true.

According to Advertising Age today, in its article "Save the Serial Dramas, Save TV Ratings?", TV viewers turned to reality tv during the strike last year, and are reluctant to jump back in to serial dramas.

Shows like NBC's Chuck and Life have decreased viewership, while sitcoms and shows like CSI: Miami (blech) don't, and the theory is that it's due to the serials being difficult to come in to if you've missed a week, if you failed to see the premiere last season, or if you blatantly don't remember what happened before the strike because it was so long ago.

However, there are shows bucking the trend, including CW's Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, both serials with increased viewership. But I have theories for that as well.

First of all, the CW's marketing of Gossip Girl was GENIUS. The OMFG ad was brilliant in itself to capture the teeny bopper crowd. But the campaign that used negative quotes from the Parents' Television Council and others is really the ace in the hole here. It even made my sister, a Gossip Girl hater, want to watch the show. The ads are shown here as well.



For One Tree Hill, I think the CW did a great job turning its storylines around from last season and making the show interesting again. It also helps that its lead-in program is Gossip Girl. What more could you want?

Regardless, I don't blame TV viewers for not wanting to get back into some of their old shows. I myself am having a difficult time getting involved in as many hour-long dramas as I used to watch, and for me it's absolutely about the writers' strike. As I've said before, I've gotten used to doing other things while I watch TV, or not tuning in at all, since all that was on in the second half of last season was reality tv. I'm trying hard to get back into the groove.

What say you Televisionistas -- are you having trouble like I am and like the Nielsen ratings show? Or are Nielsen ratings, this Wall St. Journal article, and my opinion just bogus? (Well, we know Nielsen ratings are.) Sound off!