MSNBC #1, FOX "News" #3: Role Reversal!

Rachel Maddow, from source, Variety

I know I hardly blog anymore, but I knew when I saw this headline, I had to post it. In what has seemed inevitable for months, MSNBC has finally overtaken FOX "News" as the number one cable news station. I say "cable news" as a category, because FOX has of course never really been news, having practically invented "fake news" twenty years ago.

Now, I know, there are several factors here that make this possibly a temporary--and maybe even hollow--victory. The channel that used to call itself "The Place for Politics," and said "Lean Forward," has been seemingly morphing slowly into sort of a FOX lite, at least in certain areas. The guy pulling all the wheels and pullies behind the scenes, Andy Lack, seems hell-bent on tipping the focus to a blend of "straight news," and a tip rightward. He's been thwarted by Rachel Maddow's dynamo ratings, and also to the surges by the rest of the prime time lineup. He couldn't very well fire his new ratings champions.

Or could he? The channel's second highest rated host, Lawrence O'Donnell, has a contract renewal looming, and nobody seems to know if it's going to go through. His fans are planning a march, but as often happens in these sorts of things, we don't get to hear the details. Even tonight, as the world is dealing with another terrorist act in Manchester, England (as I write this, responsible parties unknown), Lawrence is not hosting his program, and is being pre-empted by Brian Williams.

It would be foolhardy for Lack to terminate O'Donnell--who has made it clear that he wants to stay--in the midst of a ratings bonanza. It would almost instantly damage the ratings they have just started to really reap, because a huge segment of the their audience would abandon MSNBC. But I've seen this happen before. Radio channels running Randi Rhodes or Stephanie Miller when they're performing well, and replacing them with radio formats that get microscopic ratings. Sometimes ideology trumps money. Strange but true.

Of course the ratings wave also came amidst a crash at FOX, where they've been rocked by scandal, schedule shakeups, and a complete lack of focus after the departure (and now death) of Roger Ailes. I'd like nothing better than to see one of two things happen: a) FOX "News" slides to irrelevancy, with FOX Business Channel-level ratings; or b) FOX itself morphs into a more straight-news channel, free of rightward slant. But what we don't need is MSNBC basically taking their place as the new leader in "fake news."

Meanwhile, congratulations to Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes and the roster of regulars that has performed a mighty feat, seemingly in the face of their own leadership.

[Excerpt]

MSNBC Reaches No. 1 for First Time in Weekly Primetime Ratings, Fox News Drops to Third

For the first time in its history, MSNBC ranked number one in both total viewers and the key adults 25-54 demographic during primetime for a full week among the big three cable news networks, according to Nielsen data. . .

Read more at: Variety

FOX "News" Tumbling in Demo Ratings

Image from HuffPo

I'm frankly relieved that FOX "News" is starting to take a ratings hit. I knew that some conservatives would cling to FOX like a blankie after the "surprise" losses they suffered in November. But it was so counter-intuitive, seeing as how FOX had been spinning a web of lies and false hope for months, hell, years. It's not like their agenda didn't come before facts all along. Still, they managed to construct a false narrative that fooled even their "experts" like Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly, even Mitt Romney himself. So, why would even FOX fans feel motivated to watch the channel, after having been hoodwinked? The curtain was pulled back, and the great and powerful OZ exposed (how fitting that Rupert Murdoch is an Aussie!). So, it is comforting that at least some of them have seen the light.

[Excerpt]

Fox News Ratings Hit 12-Year Demo Lows In January Cable News Figures

At the end of each month, cable news ratings are released to the public. And, like clockwork, Fox News dominates the top 13 or so programs, far outstripping its competitors. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Rachel Maddow Keeps Her Audience, Sean Hannity Loses Half His

As a follower of politics and pop culture, it stands to reason that I have an interest in cable news and talk radio. I listen to liberal radio at work--via computer, it's hard to find on the radio in most markets--and I watch MSNBC at home, mostly The Rachel Maddow Show, and occasionally Hardball or The Last Word. But I also watch a sampling of the Sunday morning shows, as well as often listening to whatever's playing on our local right-winger radio station. You have to have balance, and know what's going on outside of your own particular bubble.

Though it's pretty much been banished in our house, I used to watch a bunch of FOX "News," particularly Hannity & Colmes (now just Hannity). And as a person who's as interested in the business and behind-the-scenes of my pop culture, I'd follow the ratings too. What you'll find when you do that is, CNN and to a lesser extent MSNBC have viewers and FOX has fans. FOX fans are very invested in their fandom, to the point of rudeness to all that is not FOX (or some other section of Right Wing World). They take particular delight in skewering MSNBC and Rachel Maddow, though they are never, ever as clever, original or funny as they think they are. And when you get past the "Rachel looks like a dude" and lesbian "jokes" the big thing they like to talk about is FOX's ratings dominance and that nobody watches MSNBC.

As a person who is a fan of Maddow, and also a gay person, some of the idiotic put-downs can grate, but I'm pretty thick-skinned in that area. But I'm not a "fan" of MSNBC. I don't take it personally when someone slams them. I'm a blogger though, and part of my mission was to take on inaccurate information. It's inaccurate--particularly now--to say "nobody" watches MSNBC, and it's false equivalence to say that the channel is the mirror opposite of FOX "News."  Some of that may be beside the point soon, if trends continue. Because MSNBC is doing fairly well in the ratings lately, and FOX is in a long slide. Which is cool. And also kinda funny.

[Excerpt]

Why Sean Hannity Lost Half Of His Viewers, And Rachel Maddow Didn’t

In the world of TV ratings, the first few weeks following a presidential election are a comedown for any news outlet: Viewership spikes prior to the big event and falls off just as quickly when it’s all over. . .

Read more at: International Business News

Rush Limbaugh Listeners on Par with MSNBC?

Conservatives (and by conservatives, I mean the vocal, internet variety) love to say that nobody watches Rachel Maddow. Lawrence O'Donnell doesn't have any viewers. MSNBC is playing to six people. And they have a point, when they say that FOX "News" is the cable "news" juggernaut. It is. But Maddow gets about half (sometimes more, sometimes less) of the ratings her FOX competition, Sean Hannity gets. And I always want to shout, "two times nothing is nothing!" If Rachel gets no viewers, twice her viewership is also nothing!

Ahem. But most of us get defensive of our favorite things. Still, if Maddow's MSNBC show gets, say, 1.4 million viewers for her first-run show on an odd Wednesday. . .does the same amount of listeners to The Rush Limbaugh Misogyny and Racism 3-Hour Radio Hate-stravaganza equal "no listeners?" Because I  don't see the difference.


[Excerpt]

Rush Limbaugh's Audience May Be Much Smaller Than You Think

As Rush Limbaugh's show enters a second week largely without advertisers -- except, ironically, for government-sponsored public service announcements --  it's worth asking how big a sacrifice it is for brands such as AOL and AllState to stay away from the show.


. . .So there is it: Absent better data, only 1.4 million people listen to Limbaugh at any one time.

Read more at: Business Insider

MSNBC Up for the Year, FOX "News" Down

This just in: Anderson Cooper is still sexy. Image from source.

Of course, misinformation juggernaut FOX "News" is still the number one channel in the segment, though cable news is a rather loose category altogether different from actual news. There are people who would call MSNBC the flip-side to FOX, but it's true only in the most general sense. Both have politically biased evening programming. The similarity for the most part ends there. For what it's worth, MSNBC has the word "news" nowhere in its name, nor do they proclaim to be "fair and balanced."

But the good news is, MSNBC is trending up, and FOX is trending down. Whence shall the twain meet? Well, as FOX's audience of retirees dies out, I suppose. Maybe it'll take the retirement of Billo the Clown. Just remember, every time you see or hear a conservative riffing that "nobody watches" MSNBC--and they'll say it virtually any time the subject comes up--even on their best day, FOX only has two or three times MSNBC's audience. Three times nothing is nothing. Right? And lots of MSNBC viewers watch the shows online or on DVR. FOX's audience still uses VCRs, and they're blinking 12:00 - 12:00 - 12:00 - 12:00. . .

[Excerpt]


Year End Cable News Ratings: MSNBC, CNN Up in Primetime while Fox News Takes a Loss

MSNBC's primetime beats CNN for the third consecutive year in the 25-54 demographic, while Fox News continues to top the competition despite falling ratings. . .

Read more at: The Live Feed

Rachel Maddow Beats Glenn Beck in Ratings Numbers

Image from AlterNet

"Nobody" watches The Rachel Maddow Show. "Nobody" watches MSNBC at all. If you don't believe me, go to any of the many right-wing blogs that discuss such things. They'll tell you in detail about how FOX "News" is #1 with a bullet, and nobody watches that dude named Rachel. And then they'll call her "Mancow." Or "Madcow." Funny thing though. Rachel's show topped Glenn Beck's in the ratings for the coveted 25-54 age demographic last week. In the actual total viewers, he still beat her (about 1.9 to 1.5 million viewers), but the difference is quite narrow. If "nobody" is watching Rachel, then "nobody" watches Glenn either.

[Excerpt]

Rachel Maddow Beats Glenn Beck -- Covering Wisconsin Protests



Who says you need celebrities to get ratings? Rachel Maddow had a nice surprise last Wednesday when her show got a major ratings boost -- as she covered the protests and injustices in Wisconsin and Ohio. With guests like WI State Senator Jon Erpenbach and OH Congressman Tim Ryan, plus a little segment on Newt Gingrich's website. . .
 
Read more at: AlterNet

Fun Fact: If "Nobody" Watched Olbermann, "Nobody" Watches Beck Either

Image derived from TVNewser. Click to embiggen.

In the last day that such things can be measured, the difference in the ratings between Glenn Beck on FOX "News" and Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC was scanty indeed.  Beck bested Olbermann, I'm not gonna lie. But the margins are thin, and do not merit all of this ridiculous "nobody watched" Olbermann. I'd also like to point out that in the key demographic (25-54), Olbermann did beat Beck, 388K to 270K. I'll concede that when you're counting your viewers in hundreds of thousands, calling that audience "nobody" might have a little validity. But if you're going to apply that to Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or MSNBC in general, if you have any honesty, you must apply it to Glenn Beck as well.

Source: TVNewser

The Walking Dead Chews up the Ratings



Image from source, The Marquee Blog

Finally! The Greenlee Curse is broken! I'm very glad a show I like is both a ratings success and a critical one. And who'da thunk it, a hit show about zombies? George Romero must be mightily jealous.

[Excerpt]

'The Walking Dead' finale breaks ratings records



The ratings for "The Walking Dead's" just-ended first season have been such that perhaps AMC is wishing that it had lasted more than just six weeks. . .
 
Read more at: The Marquee Blog
 
Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link
 
By the way, in case you're wondering, Sarah Palin's Alaska continues to slide. Perhaps even FOX "News" zombies prefer brains.  Kidding aside, Palin still does very well for a cable show.  But it is essentially getting the ratings of a typical prime time FOX "News" program, leading me to wonder if that is the entire audience for the show. . .
 
Read more on the ratings here: TV by the Numbers

FOX "News" Doesn't Like Black People

Wait, did I type that right? Whoops. No, the headline is up there as an homage to Kanye West, and the truth of this story is that black people don't like FOX "News." And that's some good taste for you right there. But it doesn't mean that FOX does like black people, and I think you could make a strong case for my headline with 5 minutes and The Googles.

[Excerpt]

Only 1.38 percent of Fox News’ primetime viewers are African-American.

The New York Times’ Brian Stelter tweeted that, according to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News has averaged just 29,000 black viewers in primetime so far this television season (9/09-7/10). That represents just 1.38% of its 2.102 million total viewer audience.



CNN and MSNBC, meanwhile, both have far more black viewers, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of their overall audiences. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

War of the Words: Bill O'Reilly vs. Rachel Maddow

Is a seven-post gap enough space between Rachel Maddow Show posts? It'll have to be, because there is a battle afoot between the top-rated cable news host (if you consider FOX to be "News") and the second-highest-rated non-FOX host.  This is tangentially related to my post below, about false equivalency.  See, from my admittedly biased point of view, Maddow and O'Reilly are not equals at what they do. O'Reilly is higher rated, but Maddow is by far the more principled of the two (and smartest, and funniest, etc., etc.).  O'Reilly has a scolding parent, tsk tsking, "because I said so" disposition, and Maddow has a smart alecky, smart kid (who happens to be right) demeanor.   O'Reilly is apt to blow his top.  Maddow more likely to be amused, even if she's scolding.  Just take a peek at the clip below. See if you agree.

Oh, and I really ought to stop promising a temporary moratorium on TRMS posts, because I apparently just don't have it in me. [And it's worth pointing out that this video got truncated in its trip to the internets. Maddow's last words to O'Reilly?  "Your Highness."]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Glenn Beck Loses 1/3 of His Audience

Image from azjamon

Awwww, what a shame. Don't cry, Glenn!

[Excerpt]

Glenn Beck has lost 1/3 of its TV audience since January

Should we blame it on the Massa Moment?

Will that Hindenburg performance soon be seen as the turning point for Glenn Beck: the pivotal moment when the Fox News show began to permanently leak viewers?

Who can forget the March day that will live in cable news infamy, when Beck invited embattled Democratic Congressman Eric Massa onto his show, for an entire hour, to blow the whistle on Democratic Party corruption? Or so Beck thought. Instead, Massa went on and on about tickle fights, and Beck became a laughing stock -- the butt of endless Geraldo-opens-Al-Capone's-vault jokes. . .

Read more at: Media Matters

Rachel Maddow Overtakes Keith Olbermann in Ratings

Image from source, TV by theNumbers

I'm a regular--some might say obsessive--viewer of both shows. And some of Olbermann's ratings erosion is likely due to his frequent absences (because of the ill health, then death of his father). But I still feel a little proud of Rachel, like I "discovered" her or something. I've been a fan since her early days at Air America Radio, and one of her biggest cheerleaders since her first appearances at MSNBC.  Plus, the photo is cute.

[Excerpt]

Keith Olbermann Takes A Ratings Backseat To Rachel Maddow At MSNBC

Has Keith Olbermann slipped from his top ratings perch within MSNBC?



During the month of April* MSNBC’s Countdown With Keith Olbermann trailed the Rachel Maddow Show in primetime adults 25-54 ratings, the demo group that news advertisers target. Although Countdown also trailed Maddow in March, Keith was gone from the show effectively the entire month.


The Rachel Maddow Show is up noticeably in the adults 25-54 demo since January-February, but Countdown has been flat. . .

Read more at: TV By the Numbers

Michelle Bachmann: 1 to 2% is a "Movement"

Nobody brings the crazy like Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.). She's the gift that keeps on making wide-eyed, earnest nuttiness.

[Excerpt]

Bachmann: I’m comfortable with Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck being the voices of the GOP.



Tonight on CNN’s Larry King Live, a panel that included Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) discussed the impact and influence of the 24-hour cable news chatter. Bachmann once again demonstrated her true love for Fox News, arguing that Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck are gaining audiences because “people go where they think they’re going to hear the truth.” King then pressed Bachmann on whether she wants those right-wing pundits to be the “voice of the Republican Party”. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

FOX "News" Beats CNN & MSNBC Combined

If you ever needed proof that popularity does not equal quality (or audience taste), this is it. What it proves to me, is that if something is noisy, flashy and outrageous enough, it will attract eyeballs. It also proves that the nuttier the cable news host, the more likely they will find an audience. Howard Beale, you're on!



[Excerpt]

April Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined

How's this for cable news domination - Fox News beat CNN and MSNBC combined in every hour from 6amET to MidnightET in both Total Viewers and the A25-54 demo for April 2009. . .

Read more at: TV Newser

CBS's Racy Swingtown to Move to Cable?

Photo from source, TV Squad

I was disappointed to see that CBS's Swingtown wasn't on tonight. Then I remembered that last week's preview said, "in two weeks." So, I'm glad they aren't depriving us of what could possibly be the last episode. CBS has elected to dump the show onto Friday nights, which--especially in the middle of summer--doesn't tend to draw many viewers.

That's too bad, because this show shouldn't just be a hit, it should be a monster, break-out hit. It's got all the stuff nighttime soap fans would want, plus it has fantastic 70s nostalgia, great acting, good writing, and some sexy sizzle to boot. The show would be a great fit for Showtime or HBO, where they could really explore the sexier side of the show (which makes up only about 20% or so of the story). I'm crossing my fingers.

[Excerpt]

Could Swingtown move to cable?

Attention fans of Swingtown: your ratings-challenged show might actually have a chance to see a second season.

Even though the 70s-set drama isn't getting a ton of viewers (in its current time slot Friday at 10 or in its old Thursday at 10 time slot), there are execs behind the scenes at the network who like the show and would like to see it continue. The network is shopping the show around to cable networks to see if one of them will pick it up. . .

Read more at: TV Squad

FOX "News" Not the Powerhouse it Claims to Be

Image from source, News Corpse

Well, this is encouraging news. While the state of news in general is rather dismal--focusing on fluff and silly stuff, while ignoring important stories--at least America is beginning to tune out the most frivolous of the 24-hour news stations. FOX "News" is still the highest rated of the three major channels (3½ if you count CNN Headline News), but it is slipping, and slipping noticably.

My dream for a 24-hour news channel would be one that is publicly funded like PBS. No allegience to sponsors, no marching orders from "corporate" to increase profits. Just hard-hitting, actual news. Remember investigative journalism? The big corporations aren't ever going to revert to offering news as a public service, so we need some other sort of plan. Just my two cents.

[Excerpt]

Fox News In Critical Condition

In the first quarter of 2008, Fox News was the slowest growing cable news network (10%), behind MSNBC (66%) and CNN (87%). For the first time in six years they finished in 2nd place. Now, in the first month of the 2nd quarter, the diagnosis is even worse. . .

Read more at: News Corpse

News Ratings: Is FOX Really Tops?

I've always been suspicious of the FOX "News" claim of being #1 in cable news. First of all, they're not--strictly speaking--news, but I'll drop that for now. There are whole websites devoted to debunking the fairness and balance of FOX (Newshounds.us being my favorite). So I'm automatically suspicious of anything I see there.

I stumbled upon this report--outdated, sure--but explaining how the ratings work, and what they really mean. It is quite illuminating. Basically, FOX "News" viewers seem to tune in to the channel, and just leave it there. CNN viewers stop in to get the news, and then go elsewhere. Like normal people. Hee.

If I happen upon a newer version of this data, I'll bring it here. It is possible that the ratings race has changed since 2004. In any event, the article will explain things you may not have known.

[Excerpt]

The Ratings Mirage

Why Fox has higher ratings--when CNN has more viewers

By Steve Rendall

Reporting on the ratings rivalry between the Fox News Channel (FNC) and CNN is often misleading--and almost always over-hyped.

"Fox Tops CNN as Choice for Cable News," declared one typical headline (Chicago Tribune , 3/24/03). "Fox News Channel Continues to Crush CNN ," reported Knight Ridder (Dallas Morning News , 2/3/04) in a column comparing the rivalry to a party primary: "Fox News Channel is winning the Nielsen caucuses." Last summer (8/17/03), the New York Times Magazine declared, looking back at the period of the Iraq invasion, "Fox was--and still is--trouncing CNN in the ratings."

After exposure to countless similar stories published since January 2002, when Fox was reported to have surpassed CNN in the Nielsen ratings, one might naturally conclude that Fox has more viewers than CNN.

But it's not true. On any given day, more people typically tune to CNN than to Fox .

Read on at: FAIR.org