Cable News Ratings: Fox News Still Tops
HLN posts gains in afternoon and primetime
By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/24/2009 6:06:41 PM
The Democratic administration of Barack Obama has not dented tune-in for Fox News Channel. On the contrary, the network finished February up 24% in total day (Monday-Sunday) and 21% in primetime (Monday-Friday) in news' target demographic of 25-54-year olds, compared to Feb. 2008.
FNC has been the top rated cable news network for 86 consecutive months, finishing February as the third most watched basic cable network in primetime.
CNN was 15th and MSNBC was 23rd. In primetime (M-F), FNC averaged 2.8 million viewers (657,000 in the demo). CNN averaged 1.3 million total viewers (407,000 in the demo) and MSNBC averaged 1.1 million viewers (377,000 in the demo).
HLN, which gets a fraction of the viewers that FNC does and still trails CNN and MSNBC, nevertheless posted some significant gains in February. The network was up 28% in total day and 62% in primetime. And HLN's Nancy Grace has now beaten MSNBC's Keith Olbermann for three consecutive months in the all-important sales demo. Buoyed by tragic cases of Caylee Anthony and Haleigh Cummings, Grace has posted gains of 74% and 83% in total viewers and the demo, respectively. The network's replacement for Glenn Beck, who jumped ship for FNC, has also improved the network's time period average. Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell has given HLN its highest 7 p.m. numbers in network history, up 74% in total viewers and 54% in the demo.
Clearly Velez-Mitchell is a better fit for HLN - and Beck is a better fit for FNC. He has improved the 5 p.m. time period at Fox News by 101% in total viewers and 121% in the demo.
Meanwhile, HLN's bigger sister network CNN experienced a primetime ratings slide in February. Lou Dobbs is down 15% in total viewers and 23% in the demo compared to Feb. 2008. Campbell Brown is down 6% in total viewers and 21% in the demo. And Anderson Cooper 360 is down 12% in total viewers and 25% in the demo. Only Larry King Live has posted year-to-year gains - up 19% in total viewers and 8% in the demo.
On MSNBC, Countdown and Rachel Maddow are up year-to-year in total viewers and the demo. Countdown posted gains of 32% in total viewers and 15% in the demo while Maddow improved the 9 p.m. time slot by 134% in total viewers and100% in the demo. But both programs experienced ratings erosion versus last month. Countdown was down 4% in total viewers and 8% in the demo while Maddow was down 8% in total viewers and 16% in the demo.
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You would have to go back a few decades to find truly unbiased reporting. Schools of Journalism have taught activist journalism since Watergate. It serves neither the public trust or the pursuit of truth. Fox news is on top because they present their right leaning bias without stooping to smearing the opposing viewpoint. But that of course is more true of Republicans in general. The Democrats and their propaganda machine are plain nastier than the Republicans and their propaganda. It is that nastiness that ultimately turns viewership away.
John Walsh - 2/2/2010 10:13:33 PM EST -
Problem is..FOX is not a news channel. Hannity, Oreilly
Beck,Gretta, and the three clowns on in the morning are all OPINION shows. It is clear those OPINIONS are Far-right, and they are just a mouthpiece for Republican party. Also these shows are also repeated thru-out the day.MSNBC uses FOX as a role model for FAR-Left Opinion shows, just not 24 hrs a day.(OK Fox might have about 1hr of real news a day) Most reliable News is CNN or CNN-HN. Anderson Cooper best coverage of Haiti. Hell, the weather channel had better coverage than FOX. Fox just for far-right kool-aid drinkers.
Mark Dillon - 1/25/2010 12:52:41 AM EST -
I find that FOX is truly more balanced than CNN or the laughable MSNBC. FOX always has liberals and Demos in panel dicussiona from 7-10 p.m shows. CNN usually has 3-5 liberals to 1-2 conservatives on their panel groups; while, MSNBC has no geninue conservatives on at any time---only their resident crazy, profane-mouthed Keith O. and the angry, mannish-looking Rachel!
robert middleton - 1/23/2010 5:48:27 PM EST -
Several studies published in reputable peer-reviewed journals have shown that every news channel is bias. However, Fox News is repeatedly LESS bias than any of its competitors. Also, accuracy ratings show that Fox news reports more accurate information as well. I knew this all along, but seeing as "peer-reviewed" is a brutally over-used term these days in light of the global warming hoax, that may not convince some of Fox's noteworthiness.
R.C. Baker - 12/7/2009 9:36:12 PM EST -
As I recall, the Jerry Springer show got busted for trying to boost their ratings by staging and scripting their trash and the show was carried by....(wait for it)...NBC. 'Nuff said.
Gary Olsen - 11/6/2009 2:34:31 AM EST
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