Trump’s ‘SNL’ appearance wins viewers, not critics

*In case you were wondering, Trump’s SNL ratings weren’t terrific. We won’t know the specific and final ratings numbers until Thursday. VL

By David Bauder, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” earned the expected ratings benefit of an episode hosted by Donald Trump but, given the protests and vicious panning the show received; NBC has to wonder if it was all worthwhile.

[pullquote]For “Saturday Night Live,” it was also a missed opportunity. The show frequently regenerates itself and now has a relatively young cast; this represented a chance to reel in more casual viewers.[/pullquote]

From a pure business viewpoint, the Nielsen company said Saturday’s show had its highest rating since January 2012 in the nation’s top 56 markets, all the way back to an episode featuring Charles Barkley and Kelly Clarkson. A viewership estimate taking the nation as a whole into account won’t be available until Thursday.

Latino organizations protested the booking for the same reason that NBC cut ties to its former “Celebrity Apprentice” host last summer: the presidential candidate’s comments about Mexicans crossing the border into the United States illegally. That led one of the show’s highlights: Larry David shouting “you’re a racist” to Trump, in reference to an advocacy group’s offer of $5,000 to someone who heckled the host.

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