MediaBuyerPlanner: Whoopi Goldberg's debut as co-host of The View helped draw a 1.2 average rating and 3.5 million total viewers last week, writes Media Life.

That's just 2 percent down from last year's premiere - the beginning of Rosie O'Donnell's controversy-packed tenure, Reuters reports. Goldberg replaced O'Donnell, who left the show last May.

Sherri Shepherd joined the show as co-host on Monday, when the View averaged 3.9 million viewers (compared with last season's second-week average of 3.1 million viewers), per Nielsen.

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