That's why some stations don't even bother and shun ratings stunts. It's so difficult to get viewers to form a habit, let alone change a habit. Still, there is always the threat of viewers hitting a button and clicking away. I have seen estimates that more than half of all viewers change channels at least once during a newscast. The older you are, the less you tend to surf.
Females surf less than males, and females make up two-thirds of all news viewers.
Males surf in non-news programs. Prime-time promos try to get viewers to stay tuned for the late news, and the frequency and intensity of promotional spots rise during sweeps. Sometimes those promos are more inflammatory than the stories themselves. Denise Dowling , a visiting assistant professor of journalism at the University of Montana, said that kind of promotion won't help a station gain viewers. That business is getting tougher.