CNN Fails to Stop Fall in Ratings

[alp227]

Bill Carter, NYT

CNN continued what has become a precipitous decline in ratings for its prime-time programs in the first quarter of 2010, with its main hosts losing almost half their viewers in a year.

The trend in news ratings for the first three months of this year is all up for one network, the Fox News Channel, which enjoyed its best quarter ever in ratings, and down for both MSNBC and CNN.

CNN had a slightly worse quarter in the fourth quarter of 2009, but the last three months have included compelling news events, like the earthquake in Haiti and the battle over health care, and CNN, which emphasizes its hard news coverage, was apparently unable to benefit.

The losses at CNN continued a pattern in place for much of the last year, as the network trailed its competitors in every prime-time hour. (CNN still easily beats MSNBC in the daytime hours, but those are less lucrative in advertising money, and both networks are far behind Fox News at all hours.)

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/media/30cnn.html

Fox News beating both MSNBC and CNN...that must explain the huge extremist right-wing uprising in the nation right now. This year, a Public Policy Polling survey found Fox News to be the most trusted American news network. Other polls have shown that many people trust Fox News as a legit news source despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

[jillan]

1. I don't understand why msnbc doesn't do better. Between Keith and Rachel you would think they would

be beating faux.

[seabeckind]

6. Nuance requires thought

Fox is more non-participatory -- just a vicarious sort of thing, like watching porn.

[chollybocker]

19. "...like watching porn."

Good call. :thumbsup:

[dmr]

18. Some cable providers don't even carry MSNBC

or if they do, they may be on a higher tier package, costing more money.

Access may be part of the problem.

[KharmaTrain]

22. Couple Reasons...

First is that MSNBC isn't available on all the cable systems faux or CNN are...and on some systems they're not on the "basic" tier...you have to subscribe special to get it. They've always had a far fewer number of homes it could reach than the others.

Another factor is the audience that watches MSNBC vs. the others. MSNBC's key demographic is 25-54...faux goes after older viewers; people who are more likely to be watching teevee and that channel in specific. Note that Dreck's show in the afternoon is one of their biggest draws...a time when younger people are working or watching other shows but not the oldsters.

The big thing about faux is its like hate radio on teevee...a 24/7 reality show that has a very loyal audience. While larger than the other cable channels it draws less than many other cable channels (ESPN, USA) and far fewer than the major networks. If you really look at the numbers, it's a small but very vocal minority...at the most 3 million people...that's 1% of the population and less than 5% of the voting electorate.

[Greyhound]

25. Because between KO and RM there is nothing.

I'm a total news junkie and even I can't stand to watch their pointless prattle about anything except the story they're reporting. When the SoS addresses the U.N., the last thing people watching a U.N. speech care about is who designed the SoS's outfit, but you can always count on GEM$NBC to distract from news with an astonishingly vapid commentary on an unrelated topic.

They suck for the same reason newspapers are failing, content, the lack of.

[mmonk]

30. It's because fear works on retired seniors for some reason.

They are the ones that keep the Fox ratings stable and they sit and watch it all day long. It's also why MSNBC's ratings are better at night than during the day.

[gvstn]

32. In my house

I only had two cable boxes and five tv. So I could only get MSNBC in two rooms. After a few months I stopped trying to flip to channel 56 altogether. It went off my radar. Multiply that by 100,000 other people connected to my cable system and MSNBC's ratings drop.

***Now, I'm forced to pay for a cable box for all tv or no reception at all. So MSNBC goes back in the mix. Let's see how their ratings do as the all digital network is spread by Comcast.

BTW, I have to say I hate that banner across the top of the screen on MSNBC. The screen is way too busy.

[Johonny]

33. because FOX is a default channel in most areas and MSNBC is not

thus their are way more people with the ability to watch FOX. Which is why the ratings are somewhat pointless.

[belpejic]

2. CNN is toast.

It's a shame, too, because they still actually have a few news bureaus. They can't compete with Fox on the right (who can?) and they're too timid to stake out a position on the left. It's hard to care all that much, though, b/c the cable news demographic isn't all that hot. Besides, CNN still employs Leslie "Wolf" Blitzer. Ew.

[JCMach1]

23. Al Jazeera should by them out and introduce some real left-wing programming

They have some excellent journalists there.

[MUAD_DIB]

35. Perhaps if CNN went back to reporting news in an adult manner?

[saracat]

3. And this is why these nut jobs are so dangerous. No one gets anywhere overestimating the intelligenc...

We are smack in the middle of an anti-intellectual rising and some refuse to believe it. And this is only being fueled by the poverty of our educational system. Things will be getting even worse as we watch the disrespect of teachers and the dismantlement of public education.

[dchill]

8. Yup.

Exacto.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Good! I stopped watching.

In a way they are more vile than Fox, cause at least Fox doesn't try to hide that they
want male viewers to watch legs instead of hear anything being said.

CNN, they can't even do that. They are so patronizing considering that they push the
Right Wing lies most of the time anyway!

[Subdivisions]

17. I stopped watching all teeV news too. I'll catch some breaking news

and I might tune in to Big Ed, Keith, and Rachael. Otherwise I get my news online.

[RandomThoughts]

5. Yup I think fox news makes up much of its news.

Then again nytimes might do the same thing.


And so might polling companies.


So what is the point of the story again?

[FrenchieCat]

13. Wish we could have a channel where we made shit up

that bolstered our side. I mean, why not? Might as well? :shrug:

Just about everything slants right on the television, except
for like 2 hours of MSNBC. That ain't enough! folks get tired
of the negativity....when at least 51% if not more know there
are a lot of good change going on, but we are not allowed to
hear about it. All we get is a lousy Palin, and folks reading
teleprompters telling us that our President reads a teleprompter.

I know I'm burned out on repetitive Drama about nothing that passes
as news these days. It's quite depressing.

[dchill]

7. I think we need CNN to succeed...

If Ted Turner were to buy it back, things could be turned around. There's no way to be a slightly nicer little brother to Fox News(liars). That said, I'll stick with MSNBC at any rate - Olbermann, Maddow, Shuster and Schultz are too good to beat.

[Art_from_Ark]

20. CNN has sucked ever since Turner left

Maybe Turner could turn it back around, like Steve Jobs turned Apple around after he returned.

[MUAD_DIB]

36. CNN turned right just after * was installed. No BS.

I had to do some work on a bid for getting CNN as a client in a pre 9-11 job long long ago. I noticed it first on CNN.com and how they started to phrase things in a rightward slant.

It is sad though. CNN once was a real 'news" outlet. FOX just panders.

[Romulox]

40. So did MSNBC. It pivoted back leftish after Obama was elected, and all was forgiven.

People even claim Matthews is a liberal now, after he lead the W fanclub for 8 years. :wtf:

[Art_from_Ark]

45. CNN took a hard right turn after Dubya was installed

but they sucked before that. I subscribed to CNN International (Japan) back in 1996, and basically it was the same few news stories every hour, with the same 6 or 7 commercials for hotels, airlines, etc., that I would never use in my lifetime. They also had some "left vs. right" political program, modeled, apparently, after the James Kirpatrick-Shana Alexander debates that used to end 60 Minutes programs before Andy Rooney took over that spot. However, the CNN version, which ended with the two "debaters" saying"From the Right, I'm so-and-so," and "From the Left, I'm so-and-so," was more like "From the Far Right, I'm so-and-so," and ""From the Not-so-Far Right, I'm so-and-so." Later, CNN went into semi-literate mode by having all their subtitles in small letters, like "new york" and "tokyo, japan", which looked just plain stupid coming from what was supposed to be a high-end media outlet.

[seabeckind]

9. Used to have HLN on as background noise

Stopped that when they started featuring the talking heads instead of the content. Like that Robin thingy. Lost some interest then but then actively changed the first time I saw Beck -- coincidentally that is the last time I saw Beck. Never have seen any of those lawyer(?) things in the evening. Remote bypasses it now.

CNN proper lost me when they started trying to play fox-lite. Wolfie is a tool and that star woman or miclechefski -- lord. All they do is read pentagon press releases.

Did see a little bit of it today as I was passing by. Don't know the guy's name but he was "interpreting" the latest poll. Did you know 80% of repubs want to repeal the HCR but only 17% of the dems want to keep it? Doesn't that mean we have to go with the will of the majority and repeal it?

Makes me sorry I took arithmetic -- stuff like that makes my head hurt.

Wish there were a true news station I could have on during the day.

The only fox I see is clips on the daily show or MSNBC.

[old mark]

26. I watch Fox when they have football, but nothing else. CNN is a waste of time,

HLN News (Head Line News News)is a bit better in the afternoon. MSNBC is the best of the bunch, and that is not very good.

mark

[rpannier]

10. With Amanpour leaving in a couple of months

They are in huge trouble across the board

Without Inside Africa they'd be totally useless

[FrenchieCat]

11. Coincidence that I wrote Wolf and the rest of the pack each a letter this weekend,

and wrote on to that Tony guy this morning.

I'm not sure why, but none of them are likable.
And Candy! OMG! It's like....just give her a whip and
a big black spandex suit, and she's good to go!

[Subdivisions]

12. Hey! I've got an idea. How about honestly reporting NEWS! n/t

[jarv]

14. CNN is of course going to have a problem...

The problem is that many of the people that used to get their news from CNN can find many alternatives: MSNBC, CBS, ABC and some who used to watch now just tune in for Daily Show and Colbert. And not to mention all of the people who have abandoned televised news altogether and just rely on the internet exclusively. The people who watch Fox are never going to switch to another network...they'll just continue to watch it and then go to Rush and Drudge Report to confirm what they've heard.

[FrenchieCat]

15. Welcome to DU.....

[Quantess]

16. You make some good points.

Welcome to DU!

[OHdem10]

21. Becoming Fox-Lite is no winning strategy. For people who want

RW News, they are going to watch Fox.

It is the same as when Harry Truman, said give the people the
choice between a real Republican and a fake Republican and they
will choose the real thing every time.

[XOKCowboy]

24. Yet CNN is still considered Liberal Media by the RW nutcases

Of course anything but Fox is considered Liberal Media to them.

[zbdent]

27. I wonder if CNN is ever going to figure out that the more they try to sound like Faux,

the more people say "Well, if you're going to act like Faux, why should I not watch Faux itself?"

and those looking for real reporting just plain give up on CNN?

[NotThisTime]

28. CNN is the new tea party channel every time you tune in lately

Haven't watched them regularly in months

[City Lights]

29. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the viewers FUX concentrates on.

Why their ratings continue to increase is beyond me. :freak:

[stray cat]

31. FOX ratings are highest - so it clearly is doing something right?

[gvstn]

37. I hate to say it but

Fox does actually report more small news stories during the day. Just like DU posts breaking and interesting news constantly during the day. CNN and MSNBC have both gone to "Here's the headline...tell us what you think in our poll or on Twitter". Or, "Is this good for republicans or how will democrats react--Tell us..." How about actually reporting the story followed by another story? I don't care what some uninformed watchers think about every story. I want you to tell me what is happening across the nation and across the world.

Catch me up on the news and if you want to throw in a missing white girl or a dog stuck in a ravine, fine. But stop asking viewer opinion every single story.

Fox is a propaganda outlet but it throws in enough current news in between that I find myself turning to them frequently to find out what is actually happening now.

[theophilus]

34. I stopped watching and feel much better about everything. If they take the

unheard of, for them, step of telling the truth then I will watch again. Someone keep us posted on this.

[Ishoutandscream2]

38. Remember the days of "Headline News"?

International and national stories. A news broadcast every 30 minutes. No frills, just news. I really enjoyed it. Now the only type of network news I can even stomach is from the BBC on our local PBS channel. Our MSM really, really sucks in this country.

[graywarrior]

39. I've stopped watching CNN and MSNBC

I watch Rachel now and then, but I've gotten sick and tired of cable news. I tried cancelling my cable TV, but they want $200 and I am fighting with them over that. Besides, I need to hold on to my cable til LOST is over...lol.

[tjwash]

41. I don't think I've watched cable new on any channel in at least 10 years.

I get all my news off the internet, and have so, for at least a decade now. I do listen to NPR when I am driving, though.

I heard CNN turned in to fox-lite though...trying out that dennis miller strategy I suppose. It sounds like it is working out just as well for them.

[ecstatic]

42. People want a channel with personality--CNN is right wing lite and left wing lite at times

but never just flat out picks a side. MSNBC is far right in the morning and very friendly to the left from 11am on (with a few gaps). I can imagine a person without access to MSNBC choosing FNC--why bother watching dry right wing lite programming? Might as well watch the "real thing."

[RFKHumphreyObama]

43. CNN was once one of my favorite sources of news

Back in the Ted Turner days. It had informative and insightful news and analysis, good programming and interesting commentators

Now it has become a parody of what it used to be and it allows bias, sensationalism and sloppy journalism to prevail in its reporting news. It's sad what it has become

[Bluenorthwest]

44. Keith has been absent

and his show degenerated into Kos slobbering against Kucinich, Fox style. Last night, we tuned in for Olbermann, got Kos, switched to music and made tacos.
The rest of MSNBC is not even worth watching. Rachel is good, but she makes deals for money that bother me, I have not watched her since she started calling Buchanan her Uncle Pat. She gets a check for that, I don't. So I just do not watch the Uncle Pat show. He's a bigot of the worst kind. You'd have to pay me to watch a show that pays him.
Kos, Joe, Buchanan. Mika, the sports show with Ed, lots of shouting, lots of hype, very little skill for the on air game. Rachel and Keith are not just more in line with my opinions, they also have the best chops on the network, talent, actual talent.
CNN? Worse. Back to Euro sources only. Kos is a huge turn off, and with him, Countdown is turning into a pass as well. He attacked Dennis. A bunch of Democrats voted no, Kos said not a word about them. Vendetta politics is a bore, a Fox like bore.