The Stewart Dip? Ratings Down for CNBC, Cramer

Yesterday, I idly wondered whether all the hullabaloo over CNBC and how very wrong and/or out of bounds its commentators have been on some occasions will affect the network's ratings, for good or ill. I put the question to you, my loyal legions, and a pretty decisive 78 percent of you predicted that all the criticism will hurt CNBC's viewership.

And while it's too early to say if that prediction will be borne out -- The Daily Show's initial broadside was only nine days ago -- there is some very preliminary, very ambiguous evidence that perhaps the pummeling has begun to have an impact.

In the first three days of this week, CNBC's Business Day programming block was down 10 percent in the key demographic of adults 25-to-54 versus the same period the week before, and down 11 percent among total viewers. Meanwhile, Mad Money was also down 10 percent in the 25-to-54 demographic, but only 4 percent among all viewers -- suggesting that maybe some of those bored college kids who watch Jon Stewart did, in fact, tune in to find out exactly what is the deal with this Jim Cramer character.