MSNBC Growing Faster Than Fox, CNN

[babylonsister]

5/31/2007
MSNBC Growing Faster Than Fox, CNN


The all-important May ratings (PDF) period has produced what is becoming a predictably recurrent theme: MSNBC is growing faster than any of its cable news rivals.
Primetime M-F CNN FOX HLN MSNBC
Persons 2+ -13% -2% +14% +51%
Persons 25-54 +8% +14 +22 +40%

Total Day CNN FOX HLN MSNBC
Persons 2+ -2% -4% +12% +14%
Persons 25-54 +4% +6% +11% +19%

Both Fox and CNN declined in persons 2+ for the total day as well as for primetime. Their numbers for the 25-54 demo were better, but still far below the increases at MSNBC. Keith Olbermann’s “Countdown” again set the pace for growth at the network, advancing 63% (P2+) and 35% (25-54) over May 2006. Compare that with the O’Reilly Factor’s tepid 12% (25-54) rise, and an actual drop in total viewers of 1%. Two years ago O’Reilly had 4 times the audience that Olbermann had. Today that is down to 2 times. That’s still a hefty lead, but it’s also a preciptious drop. And since Countdown’s ascendency has not abated over these years, it suggests that the programs could be tied two years from now.

Much of the news this month seems tailor made for a Fox resurgence - a lot of sensationalism and gossip. There was the New Jersey “terrorist” threat (which Fox hammered on), Alberto Gonzalez’ congressional testimony (which Fox almost ignored), tornadoes in Kansas, the war supplemental bill, Jerry Falwell’s death, and, as always, Rosie, Lindsay, and American Idol. Fox also hosted the first Republican presidential primary debate. But none of these things boosted Fox’s performance as one might expect. The Republican debate, in fact, only matched the numbers that O’Reilly gets as the regular program in that time slot.

A study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism reported that the story generating the most coverage in the first quarter of 2007 was Iraq. But while the rest of the media was reporting on Bush’s “surge” and what has become the deadliest month of the year to date in Iraq, Fox devoted less than half the airtime to these events than did MSNBC, who provided the most coverage. Could this be part of the reason that Fox viewership is tanking?

Results like these continue to show that there is an underserved market for news consumers who are tired of the antiquated stylings of CNN and repulsed by the scatological, fact-deficient fare that passes for news at Fox. It remains to be seen if the programming geniuses at any of these networks will recognize the obvious and bring back real news.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Good - it has a LOT of ground to make up.

[muntrv]

2. Keith Olbermann has to be a huge reason for MSNBC's growth. He's the

only truth teller in the msm.

[Cha]

3. "The programing genius

at any of these networks", imo, get paid to make sure the great brainwashed don't get the real news.

We are so fortunate to get Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.

But, someday the masses are going to revolt when ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and then where will the dinosaurs be?

[Mabus]

4. A friend of ours, who hates tv, was here for Countdown

Actually he was here for the end of Hardball. It wasn't pretty. After hearing Matthews for a few minutes he said, "this, this is why I gave up television. It just rots your brain." Then Countdown started. He was entranced. Afterward he said, "if there were more shows like this one (Countdown) I'd get cable again."

[babylonsister]

5. Great! Another 'Countdown' convert!

:thumbsup:
MSNBC sucks most of the time, but they do occasionally shine, like KO. If we could just get that point across.

[Mabus]

12. You bet

Our friend has been politicially active for years. We like to think of him as an unofficial DU'er. We call him an associate DU'er and he wants to be called "Father Courage" (his moniker if he would ever sign up). He likes to hang out with me, the Admiral, proud2Blib, evlbstrd, classicfilmfan and kiteinthewind. He was at Berkeley during the 60's (he still has some of his signs from the building takeovers) and headed down to the first Camp Casey when he found out about it. He's one of us. He gets it. He's just not a computer person.

fwiw, we watched a few minutes of Scarborough Country and he asked us to turn off the television. I think he would agree with your assessment of the rest of MSNBC's line-up.

[assclown_bush]

6. As the sheeple awaken from their drug induced sleep

They are realizing that Fox and BushCo lied to them. I knew it would be inevitable that viewer-ship would drop away from Fox as the war in Iraq began to go against the War Preznit's wishes. The morons who voted for him are now against the war. The morons who voted for him are now against him. Of course they are going to start looking elsewhere for information. Fox is continuing to give them a daily diet of RahRahRah Bush is Great!
We need to convince these people that the Republican party is to blame and that voting Republican will ONLY bring more of the same.
Well, we can at least try.

[Seen the light]

7. They have a fantastic ad out right now

The one where it has the stereotypical Freeper yelling at the TV watching Fox News agreeing that nobody should ever question the Commander-in-Chief and the very old man watching CNN has me in stitches every time I see it.

No offense to any of our older DUers of course! :) :toast:

[mwb970]

11. That commercial has a lot of detail.

You have to freeze-frame it to really realize it, though. The Freeper and old-man scenes have the entire room set up in character, but it flashes by so fast you can't really appreciate it.

MSNBC is by far my favorite network, accounting for 90% of my TV viewing. (I haven't seen a prime-time scripted show in years and years.) I was sorry to read the upthread post saying that MSNBC "sucks most of the time". In my opinion, it doesn't.

[roguevalley]

8. TV NEWSER is a great resource for this kind of information.

www.tvnewser.com

[Ilsa]

9. I gave KO a rating every weeknight I was doing my Nielson

diary. I listen every night, too. I'm excited about KO and even a little of that pig, Scarb to move up over Faux Fear Factor.

[babylonsister]

10. VERY late link here;

http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=453

[Robbien]

13. However they are thinking of replacing Imus with a right winger

such as Scarborough.

Don't rejoice too much about MSNBC's good performance. It does not mean they plan on moving away from the rightwing monied side of the news.

[DFW]

14. The reason is simple, I'll bet

We don't get US TV here, but from the time I was Stateside,
it wasn't hard to guess why. It's spelled O-L-B-E-R-M-A-N-N.

If Olbermann went to Fox, the numbers would be reversed tomorrow.
Of course, the earth will spin backwards on its axis before that
happens, but even so, if Olbermann would leave MSNBC, they'd be
right (and I do mean RIGHT, like FAR RIGHT) back where they were
before Olbermann came and was allowed to speak his mind.