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By Colin Mahan -- TV.com -- July 11, 2005 CBS triumphantly claims that “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” beat NBC's “Late Night with Conan O'Brien” in overall ratings the week ending July 3. For once, CBS claimed victory over NBC in the late-night talk show ratings war. What the network failed to mention was that “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” ran new episodes, while “Late Night with Conan O'Brien” was in reruns. Also, Conan was delayed each night of that week, sometimes up to a half hour, by NBC's Wimbledon recaps. In hard numbers, “The Late Late Show” edged out “Conan” in total viewers for the first time ever. However, in the key demographics of 18- to 49-year-olds and 18- to 34-year-olds, “Conan” still maintained a comfortable lead. Aside from this single case of smoke and mirrors, television networks are known for being honest and scrupulous in their reporting of ratings. |