Fox News ratings struggling to keep up
By Steve Benen Tuesday Apr 01, 2008 2:22pm
All three cable networks have seen their ratings go up during the presidential primaries, but among the “money demo,” Fox News is falling behind. (via TP)
The political season continues to be very good to CNN, which will officially announce on Tuesday that for the first time since 2001, it managed to beat the Fox News Channel in prime time for one quarter of the year in the category of news viewers most desirable to advertisers, according to Nielsen.
Thanks to its debate coverage and heavy focus on the presidential primaries, CNN’s ratings in prime time for viewers 25 to 54 were up 90 percent, to an average of 453,000 for the first quarter of 2008. That was enough to edge past the perennial leader, Fox, which had 438,000 viewers, up 12 percent from last year. MSNBC also had a strong quarter in prime time, growing 68 percent to 329,000 viewers. CNN has done especially well on the nights of contested primaries, winning every night in those ratings except one, the Florida primary on Jan. 29. That was the only night when the Republican race was of higher interest than the Democratic one, and Fox won that night.
Among total viewers, Fox News still leads, but hasn’t shown a lot of room for growth beyond its Republican base. Over the last year, FNC’s ratings have gone up 14%, while MSNBC has gone up 59%, and CNN has seen a 67% increase.
Given this, having Democrats win the White House, Senate, and House may be the best thing to ever happen to the Republican network.
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Teh CNN suck 2
Devestated. Poor little fascists
Imagine how fun it will be when the Sunday morning faux news show has an irrelevant Newt Gingrich on...for the tenth week in a row. LOL They will do their White House reports from Lafayette Park.
Target: ZERO rating!!!!
Ratings down, credibility unchanged
I think that all of the news channels are irrelevant,except for KO and maybe Dan Abrams.
Thoe others are ragging lunatics who have little or no interest in the truth.
The jackasses who watch FoxPravda should move to China where they can bask in the one party propaganda state that they long for so desperately.
Is there somewhere that anyone can go look at all the TV and radio ratings? I hear all the time that one program is failing badly and another program is getting great ratings. I never know for sure what the truth is. People on the right are always saying Olbermann and AAR is a miserable failure and the people on the left are always saying FOX is sliding down and different shows are matching or beating other shows on the radio. Ratings are used in stories do prove points on both sides but I can never really see the truth.
That's the problem when you base a business model on this "ideology", because when consumer tastes start to change, you are vulnerable to it. So, let's see if FoxNews can handle the market and adapt accordingly. The question is whether FoxNews will like what it will have to become to be viable...
I make it a point to ask for a change of channel to real news station whenever I am breakfasting or otherwise occupying a place where FOX is on. Seldom get any opposition from fellow sufferers.
In the broadcasting business, network also-rans always focus on parsing their ratings numbers in order to look bigger than they are. Olbermann uses that time honored parsing technique when comparing his ratings to O'Reilly. My ratings are #1 among women 18-34 who use a diaphragm instead the Pill. Hee-Hee. Bottom line, FOX annihilates the competition in Cable News audience. Anybody who tells you different is blowing smoke up your butt.
Set an egg timer to the time some reich-wing C&Ps faux's ratings.
abob @ 11:
Reich-wingers take faux's "ratings" so personal....like you won something. You "people" really are weird.
RayC @ 8:
From my experience, it's probably the conservatives who are lying. Why not, they lie about everything else!
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 14:
It actually proves that reich-wingers have no concept of reality and are losers. They tune into Rush all afternoon and then run home to tune into faux at night avoiding any semblance of reality.
It would be good news if ALL cable news channels ratings went down. With a few exceptions, they are black holes of misinformation intended to sucker in hapless viewers who are told they need to know all this garbage.
I stopped watching all of them 4 years ago and I'm the better for it.
Except Keith of course.
OMG! TURN ON FOX! TARA HAS COME TO LONG BEACH! SOMEONE PAINTED ON AN EMPTY ABANDONED TRUCK! TARA! TARA! RUN! RUN! RUN!
(funny how tara goes up when ratings go down)
What's not in those numbers is the reality that Fox Noise is available to many, many, many more households than MSNBC....
Anyone with digital signals, broadband/cable whether their provider is Time/Warner, Comcast, etc....is getting Fox Noise at the base package rate
and those companies are charging extra for households that want to have MSNBC, making it a premium (gee...how interesting...those naughty little corporatist thugs...err...'prestigious' board members/captains of industry)
That's why I plead with people to get satellite television if they can afford it....you'll get MSNBC on the base package, and possibly sooner rather than later, you'll be able to do an 'a la carte' option and choose what channels you want to have....in other words...if don't want your child to be brainwashed by Fox Noise...then you won't have to worry about it...
MSNBC & Olbermann do a lot with a little....those that have MSNBC...usually non-cable customers...are very fortunate.
Arbitron and Nielsen make their clients sign a confidentiality agreement prohibiting them from releasing a detailed breakdown of the ratings numbers to the public. The Drudge Report occasionally posts a general ratings overview. FOX Cable News often triples the overall ratings of its competitors.
Dr. Hussien Matt @ 13:
Not only weird, but egocentric-sociopath personalities, that need to have their sick mean-spirited world view confirmed by the ratings of the Fox propaganda channel.
Fox, which had 438,000 viewers*
*drooling idiots not interested enough in the truth to do any research, and not smart enough to understand what they would read, if they did bother to read, anyway.
Costume department better take an inch of the skirts then.
More stories about strippers.
Make more flashy slogans.
Recruit the narrator from cops for new reports.
Television is all about advertisers and ratings aren't the only consideration. Sure, advertisers look at numbers. But considering that Fox News has two primary demos - the eldery and the uneducated - it may become less and less appealing to advertisers who are looking for a different demo.
Charles @ 23:
Educated people are sometimes exposed to Fox News while they're waiting to get their oil changed.
There are 20 nationally syndicated daily radio shows hosted by liberal progressives. The Holy Trinity of Limbaugh/ Hannity/ Savage quadruples the ratings of all those liberal radio programs combined. America has spoken. We love right wing political talk shows. I know it's only Right Wing Propaganda...but I like it.
Apologies to the Rolling Stones for the paraphrase
Charles @ 23:
Many of them are people who have been "screwed" sideways by republican policies. And yet, every-night they sit down and listen to the corporate elite divert their attention to innocent gays, mexican's and blacks. The O'rally's and Hannity's of the world are destroying them with their own bigotry and hatred, and they are so freakin' stupid, all they can do is get "emotionally" supercharged and defend their sadists.
You mean Faux News is eventually going to be stuck with Bush's 30%? Or is it 28% now. Going down.
I'm very sad about this. [sarcasm mine]
abob @ 25:
Sorry pal, but if I were put on hundreds of channels, and the people were not given any other choices in the local radio markets, I would be King too! It's hard to get ratings when you control less that 10% of the market. Earth to abob, reality calling.
abob @ 25:
Progressives spend more time on the internet, which generally requires a brain. Winning in the category of "AM Radio Talk Show Ratings" isn't something to brag about, anob.
abob @ 25:
At least you freely admit that you do not live in a reality based world.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 26:
I can't watch FOX but only a few minutes and I get mad at how stupid they think were are. Their audience believes this garbage. They issue talking points for the evening and the idiots repeat it back on C-Span the next morning.
Check out the women on FOX. They all look the same. Blonde, young and pretty. Just what the old farts like to look at. I must admit, they are good at this bull shit but thinking people and people who buy things are turning away. My dream is to meet Hannity and kick his ass. For kicks, I would like to push Krauthammer down the stairs on his wheelchair. I can only dream.
Conservative media will ALWAYS do better than progressive media due to the simple fact that conservatives need to be told what they are allowed to think, usually on an hourly basis.
Bush has a 30% approval rating. Incredibly his job approval rating is 10 points higher than the Nancy Pelosi/ Democratic Party led Congress. It's almost a certainty McCain will be our 44th President. Hillary's Bosnia hallucinations have all but evaporated public confidence in her grasp of reality. The RNC will replay Rev Wright's incendiary video clips in national TV ads about 40 billion times over the next 7 months and juxtapose them with photos of Obama. The elections results are inevitable; President John Wayne McCain.
abob just barfed again!
yay! maybe we can all stop obsessing over faux news and just move on.
Hey abob, are they letting you read Crooks And Liars over in Iraq?
We can all assume you are over in Iraq serving in the most important battle of our lifetime, right?
Julie @ 32:
Funny that you choose to make that profound declaration on a far-left liberal blog where no one, absolutely no one, will challenge or disagree with you. There is nothing hypocritical in that at all. It is truly trenchant.
abob @ 33:
We are already prepared for the Wright spin cycle. It won't work. McBush has not chance. We are not afraid of the Neocons. Not this time. Rove tired Terrorism and then Homophobia and now racism. America is not as stupid as before.
We have more access to the truth. There are more young people with new visions and the old farts are dying out. Go Obama!!!
dennis @ 37:
I agree with your assessment that you are a no one.
abob @ 33:
I think you may be right. I think McCain's message of "100 more years in Iraq!" is really going to resonate with voters, who will be eager to see their children and grandchildren serving there. It will become a family tradition to occupy Iraq, like it used to be a family tradition to pass down the farm from generation to generation. That is a message that America is sure to embrace.
Julie @ 36:
OMG, you are new at this, aren't you? I am very sorry for my last post; I admit it was a bit on the sarcastic side.
Sitemonitors- could you please delete my last post. I'm feeling guilty.
Julie @ 36:
I want our soldiers to win in Iraq. The last thing our military needs is a fat, 45 year old, out of shape, glaucoma-ridden slob like me in combat hampering their courageous fight for victory over Al Queda terrorists.
abob @ 33:
What does McCain really stand for? All McCain does is Flip - Flop on any issue.
abob @ 42:
45, eh? How are your children faring over there?
P.S. I'm shocked to hear that a conservative like you is fat! Next you'll tell us you're a white male too!
abob @ 42:
When did you serve in the military?
abob @ 42:
Define "win."
abob @ 42:
They fight from their armchair drinking beer and farting all over the place singing God bless America and watching the pretty dumb blonds on FOX news. Can't get any better than that.
abob @ 11:
One has to ask the question why do people watch Fox News? The answer is quite simple. Like the giant floating mass of garbage endlessly swirling in the center of the Pacific ocean they are stuck there. Unable to figure out how to change the channel they are lost in the doldrums, cycling endlessly between the fridge and the television never drifting close enough to a polling station to cause anyone much distress. Fox viewers are people who think their franchise is executed through Nielsen ratings.
I've always theorized that half of Fox News' ratings come from Seniors who have dozed off and left the TV on all day and night.
What we know about aBob so far:
He's fat, out of shape, glaucoma-ridden, and a slob. He admits to enjoying right-wing propaganda [probably prefers it over the news]. And he's not willing to diet and exercise in order to join the "heroic" war effort to defend his nation against "terrorists." But he doesn't mind sending other people's children instead for the next 100 years.
Wow, quite a patriot there aBob.
abob @ 42:
Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much....
Peter G @ 48:
Also, tits.
So Fox news is taking it in the quarterly shorts..... Well ain't that a damn shame now... heheh.. Bout time... Somehow, this network went from plucky edgy upstart network on the scene in the late 80s or early 90s with quirky shows noone else would televise and nutty quasi socio-relevant prime time cartoons and allowed themselves to be co-opted, bought, pimped out and mutated from a T.V. network morphing into some kind of propaganda Ho of the RNC and neocon fascism cabal... Pathetic.. By 2000 I was already way past being sick of them...
Frankly at this point, about the only thing they have going for them is their sports package which is OK, not great but OK, thanks to the NFL, otherwise that would suck too...(About the only thing I watch on Fox) On the rest of it... Just dreck plain old cookie cutter dreck... And the news reporting doesn't even measure up to dreck.. It's just out and out bullshit... Sooner or later, and it's probably going to be sooner now, this network will end up extinct due to grafting itself to the hip of rightwing lunacy..................And it will be good riddance as far as I'm concerned...JD
Leslie @ 50:
Fantastic summary. Bob is a saint, a true patriot and an American hero.
Julie @ 54:
I was going to say he's a typical repug troll, but satire is always better.
Where did Bob go? I wanted to hear more about his armchair heroics! I bet he even wrote a letter to the editor about du-featin' tare-ists!
I certainly hope he didn't cut and run!
At 8 p.m each evening I have a choice between Olbermann and O'Reilly. I dont care if you are conservative or progressive, left or right, Democrat or Republican. There aint no way in hell a red blooded American male is gonna choose to watch Olbermann toss stacks of paper after he pontificates his scripted righteous indignation; not when you can stare at Billo's parade of cute big busted blond bimbo "news analysts" combined with his obligatory exposition of the latest sex outrage complete with salacious video.
Julie @ 56:
And what are you doing, Julie-Julie-Julie? Posting on a lefty blog that just happens to be about the 10,000th thread on the eventual demise of Fox News?
A true act of slacktivism.
The only thing that could save Fox News is if the Democrats take over the White House, Senate, and House.
Now they don't have to lie about how great things are, but how bad everything will become because of liberals.
abob @ 57:
Ohhh, add this to the list of aBob's endearing qualities:
He's really into self-gratification.
YEAH! INFORMATION BAD! BOOBIES GOOD!
aBob, do you mind if I ask where you received your degree from?
abob @ 57:
If by "red blooded" you mean "vapid and brain-dead", then I agree.
abob @ 57:
There was ONE sex outrage he couldn't talk about, in keeping with his settlement agreement.
abob @ 57:
How would you know what Olbermann does unless you did watch it. Which means you can't be a red blooded male (your logic). And I believe boob is always spelled with two o's.
Rusty America Shackleford @ 63:
I swear, Russ, you guys talk about that more than we used to talk about cigars and Leaves of Grass.
dennis,
I forget, are you in Iraq or Afghanistan?
dennis @ 65:
No, that would be literally impossible.
Julie @ 66:
Careful, Julie. They're very sensitive about their hypocrisy.
Peter G @ 64:
Commercials, Peter G. Remote control. Plus sometimes Amy Rohbach fills in for him.
Rusty America Shackleford @ 68:
I know. I don't mean to be rude. The North American Chickenhawk is my favorite species of fowl.
Rusty America Shackleford @ 68:
What do you know about me and my opinion of our involvement in either place, Julie? I'm curious what you've got on me. Do you need to be a vet to comment on Fox?
Russ- what hypocrisy would you be talking about? Are you still of the belief that the chickenhawk meme is an effective, despite years of evidence to the contrary? It's barely used anymore except by a few of the more hardcore diehards.
dennis @ 71:
Ooh... hit a nerve, I see. Sorry dennis. We "won't go there" since it upsets you so much.
I am crushed, Russ. You finally got me. No one's ever been able to do that here.
Foiled by the chickenhawk meme. Even the Pats finally were beaten. Congratulations.
dennis @ 73:
Well you are graceful in defeat, at least. I ran your post through the irony meter and it registered zero. There may be hope for you yet.
Would anyone really miss these shows if they all went off the air? Wolf Blitzer (does this man have a home to go to since he is on 6 days out of 7), Jack Cafferty (who made the comment that if Colin Powell were to share the ticket with McCain he would be thrilled since he "would follow that man anywhere. The same Powell who lied before the UN.), O'Reilly (who has no connection to the truth), Hannity (you can each fill in your own assessment here as words fail me), Matthews (a total tool who should be sedated somewhere with the yelling and interrupting of guests), Olbermann who felt the need to write a "special comment" regarding Geraldine Ferraro in yet another hit on Hillary and is so in the tank for Obama. Objectivity does not live here anymore. You could replace any of these shows with reruns of Lucy and no one would miss them.
And God help FOX and all the other propaganda whorehouses when a Democrat is elected and the FCC is eventually restored to integrity. The party is coming to an end.
I heard Sean Hannity on his radio show today refer to Fox News as an 'alternative news source'. To me, that only justifies that it's not the fair-and-balanced nonsense it claims to be.
I think the thing that bothers me most -- and probably the rest of us as well -- is that it's not honest. If it just admitted what it was, I would continue to hate the content, but able to accept it for what it is.
I don't have a problem with any network having a host or two who have partisan shows, but when an entire network filters all of its news through its political ideology without admitting so, it's swarthy and deceptive.
KISSman @ 77:
Yeah, it's the deception that's offensive. Even worse, they're deceiving their own audience!
MSNBC is just as bas a FOX the way they are sucking up to Obama.
[Deleted. ALL CAPS-Sitemonitor]
Probably Fox News is suffering because they are "Fair & Balanced", and all the other channels are 100% liberal. Maybe they could get more viewers by taking sides. They could start leaning a wee bit to the right~~~Excuse me for a moment. I think I've soiled myself...
Check this out. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/?page=2
I think there was a bit of novelty to Fox News in the beginning. But after a while, even conservatives get tired of being lied to and mislead. It's not good for democracy. The Republican Party would never have achieved its current status without it's massive propaganda machine. If people really understood what they were all about, none of them would ever get elected.
Yay!!!
I can't believe people still watch that proven pervert Bill Lielly. If the people who knew about his loofa sexual perversions still watch him, I have no respect for those losers. The rest of Faux noise is garbage, whoever watches that crap is truly wasting their time. Good to hear their ratings are in the shitter, the sooner they are off the air the better for America.
I don't believe FNC's ratings are really as high as what people think.
I watch Fox to see what the wingnuts are talking about.
Technically that makes me a FNC viewer although I am no fan of FNC.
I don't watch FNC for the news.
How many others are there out there like me?
How many people tune in daily to FNC just to keep tabs on the wing nuts and their talking points?
Can someone tell me when Fox News actually broadcasts news?
FoxRoxCox @ 86:
I have tried to...I almost destroyed my teevee...which is not necesarily a bad thing...
I can't stomach that BS for more than 5 minutes...I start yelling at the screen, the neighbors get upset, small animals run for cover babies start crying...better I not watch it, and just get updated on the rightwing shenanigans here...
Fox News is falling behind.
They're making asses of themselves?
So, what else is new?
What's the point of this piece? CNN has dumbed down its coverage to be more like Fox, Fox still leads, and Fox has apparently led since 2001.
The gloating is a bit premature, no?
The fact is, America has a truth problem. As in, its citizens generally do not want to know the truth. Blogs like this are the exception. Propaganda stations like Fox are the norm.
You fools miss the big picture. I realize you're still sore at loosing 2 elections, but please.... the "us and them" mentality only sows discontent. Liberals (delusional fascists) are the biggest whiners. Perhaps if you'd limit your accusations and finally come up with solutions, your credibility might just be realized. But nope. Just more blaming, finger pointing and name calling. You chumps consider yourselves "tolerant", but only with people that agree with you. Everyone else is just ignorant so-and-sos. Way to promote intelligent discourse! Why is it you babies are the ones who say you promote free speech, yet harass and hit people with pies? Yes, Foxnews is sensationalist, but at least it gives an alternate to the tired sniveling of y'all. Please, in four years, please come up with a credible candidate, not someone who runs because of color or thinks the white house is somehow and entitlement. Tah!
Uh, let's see..........MSNBC up 59% and CNN up 67%. Geez, with their pathetic amount of viewers, where else can you go but up!! These two networks have already hit bottom. Fox is going nowhere but up and will continue to do so as long as the execs from the affore mentioned networks remain in power!
Randi Rhodes suspended and probably fired for blasting another lib. Eating your own...Nice!
It's funny to see the vitriol over Fox after they lose in one demographic in one quarter. Seems as though Fox really gets in deep under your skin. I look forward to your name calling, you do it so well.
It amazes me how the news channels are so quick to crow about their selective ratings victories. The bottom line is when you have fewer viewers and you get any increase, the percentages will be higher. Another fact is, the democrats are outvoting the republicans 2 to 1 in the primaries and interest in a more liberal broadcast should increase. I always get amused when people say the only reason Fox wins ratings is because Murdoch is so rich. Remember, MSNBC is owned by two of the largest corporations in the world and has resources of the number 1 network news organization. However, all this is unimportant, our government is a joke regardless of who is in charge and true unbiased journalism is dead.
Bain of your existence @ 91:
"runs because of color"? what? Also, what are you talking about with the "hit people with pies?" I have never done that nor have any of my liberal friends. I don't think that's inherently liberal nor do I condone such behavior. I don't think "free speech" is only supported by the left either. As far as I know, it's staunchly supported by both parties. Talk about sensationalist. Your whole diatribe smacks of hyperbole. You talk about liberals being name callers, but let's see...."whiny," "babies," "fools," "delusional fascists," "chumps,"snivelers," and lacking credibility. How's the air up there on your pedestal? Also, how is Fox News an alternative to any other news station? The news is far more right leaning as a whole and run by corporations that have specific agendas. The term "liberal media" does not mean politically liberal. And, the fact that the right is more adept at screaming and yelling about a leftist bias only gives them more of a free pass to spew their own biases. I have watched Fox news on a number of occasions and listened to people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck on the radio. I hear a lot of opining and flat out untruths (and name calling, finger pointing, etc. those things you believe to be a characteristic of the left). Look, I don't care whose mouth it is coming out of. Just tell the damn truth and report on what is actually significant.
P.S. it's "losing" not "loosing."
What? No category for Democratic hypocracy?
Or "Left Wing Pundits?"
Yeah, the FOX ratings really suck.
So, how's the bankruptcy hearings going?
greg @ 31:
So you want to through somebody down the stairs in a wheelchair huh? Your'e a real gem
pete @ 7:
Wow... That comment is almost beyond commenting on, i am assuming you are very young and dont really know how the real world works yet. calling the republicans communists is like calling the democrats conservative, i think you might have that backwards comrade, obama is going to take the country closer to socialism than it has ever been if we dont all open our eyes.
It takes an intelligent, socially progressive, and equally-minded person to ignore a candidates lack of qualification, experience, ethics, or feasible political policy in order to vote for them solely on their race or gender.
"Liberal Fascist?" Hitler was good at preemptive smears too. Their aint no such animal.
CNN draws bigger audience BARELY for 1 quarter for the first time since 2001 and the Lib cook jobs are feeling like the majorty...
POP the chamgagne idiots. As long as Hillbilly and Hussain keep beating the crap out of each other and having close primaries you may get a temporay ratings boost. Im excited for you.
Rik Stephens @ 99:
AMEN...
[Do not post in ALL Caps/All Bold here-Sitemonitor]
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