I guess my original question should have been-was the show doing that badly prior to his arrival? TPIR went through inevitable transitions when Drew became host. But the ratings were really that bad???
I don't think they were that bad, but I wouldn't be surprised if the data they had around that time wasn't what they wanted to see. Beyond just game show fans, it was certainly a jolt to go from Bob Barker to Drew Carey and I have to imagine there were many who weren't favorable of the change, and probably wouldn't have been no matter who had been selected as host.
So, I think it's definitely part things might not have been the greatest, but also part embellishment on the part of the writer.