Question: Why does Fox News Channel have such high ratings? Anyone want to put their 2 cents in?

[1776Forever]

I went to the Direct TV weather channel feature while watching Ed Shultz new MSNBC Show during a commercial break last night and it has this feature that tells you which shows are being watched the most during that time slot. Don't ask me how they do it but it seems to be pretty accurate. Well the most watched show during the Ed Show was Fox News channel and I have done this when Rachel Maddow's Show was on too and again it is Fox News Channel.

Now it makes one wonder why are so many people watching Fox? Is it because a fairly good percent of progressives are down on their luck now and they can't afford cable, or is it just that they are watching TV sitcoms more? I think it is about equal when it comes to that issue. What I think we can do is support a TV show like Ed's when we can. After all who is out there in the MSM for the middle-class accept Ed, Rachel, and Keith? I try to support those who are in my best interests and right now I along with millions don't have much else to hang on to.

I did find this under Yahoo answers and it makes a lot of sense actually:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090428134254AAIDxtY

Fox News is the only channel for right wing republicans, whereas liberals tune into many different cable news channels, MSNBC, CNN, etc. So lets say you've got 25 republicans and 75 liberals. Those 25 all watch Fox. But 20 liberals watch MSNBC, 20 watch CNN, 20 watch CNBC, and 15 watch PBS. Who wins? Fox. While the other stations divide up a large group, FOX brings one smaller group together in one place. make sense?

.............

Any other viewpoints on this issue?

By the way if you didn't catch Ed Schultz last night he discussed the donor lists of Sen. Baucus and how he has received more from drug and insurance companies then any other Democratic Senator.

Check his show out here:

http://www.bigeddieradio.com/

[MADem]

1. They are in more markets, and on lower tiers for basic cable.

MSNBC is on channel two hundred and something where I live. Fox is on channel forty something. You can get FOX without a box, on basic cable. You can't get MSNBC unless you have a box. In many hotels, you can get Fox, and CNN and CNBC...but no MSNBC. It's just not there.

It's total numbers of eyeballs on the screen that makes the ratings.

[1776Forever]

6. Thanks - Adds up. Didn't know that.

:hi:

[ControlledDemolition]

72. U-r reasoning is sound 'cause r-wngrs just want 2 hear their 'truths' parroted back 2 to them. n/t

[Ganja Ninja]

39. The basic cable and satellite tiers are a big reason.

If people had to pay extra for FOX we'd see how much of their audience is truly loyal.

[doc03]

67. Comcast moved MSNBC to digital

TV here about a year ago, since I just get basic I don't get it any more.

[doc03]

68. About 25% of the American people

would vote for Adolf Hitler if he was a Republican. Faux tells the 25% lunatic fringe what they want to hear.

[LynnTheDem]

2. Ratings are counted by how long a TV station is on a TV, not how many

people watch it.

For example, the US military home & overseas plays Fox "news" 24/7.

I had a report on this and will try to locate it & post it for you.

[1776Forever]

7. Please do if you can. I will send it on to the Ed Show & maybe someone will use it.

:hi:

[tekisui]

3. They create drama, controversy, anger and fear.

It's addictive like a soap opera. They keep their viewers in a constant state of fear, and the viewer is afraid to turn it off.

[1776Forever]

12. I totally agree with you. I was listening to weirdo G Beck the other day & he was ridiculous.

Keith Olbermann did a piece on this last night. What a joke Beck is!

Here's the link to it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

[gkhouston]

4. Fox often seems to be on in public places. I often wonder how many people

are truly watching the TV sets tuned to Fox.

[1776Forever]

15. I have noticed that too - Even on in a grocery store I was in the other day!

:crazy: Makes you wonder if they pay them to keep it on their channel.

[madamesilverspurs]

43. Fox likes captive audiences.

They market their 'package' to institutions. Our local hospital has the package for television service throughout. Rotten thing to do to sick people, if you ask me.

[LiberalEsto]

5. They give free tvs to hotels, waiting rooms, etc

on condition that the televisions are always tuned to Fox. This is why you always find Fucked TV blaring in just about any hotel lobby and far too many other public and semi-public places around the U.S. If I go to my orthopedist, there it is. If I go buy a tire, Fucked is playing in the customer waiting area.

And then they probably make some kind of guesstimate as to how many people might be listening (or forced to listen), and that's how they come up with their phony ratings.

[1776Forever]

19. Ah so - Now we are finding out about their little secrets!

When I read this I thought of Ann Coulter's books being destroyed after they were "bought" so her ratings on her books would skyrocket. If anyone has a link on this please post it. I tried to find a reference but couldn't but I have read it in the past the people who worked in the book printing area's actually saw some of her books taken out to shredder after being "bought".

[napi21]

24. I never knew about the free TV's but I did notice "F" on everywhere

I go.

Car dealer
Liquor store
Dentist office
Hospital waiting rooms
Doctor's office
Auto parts store

[AllieB]

52. And when a business has it on, I don't patronize that business.

or I try not to.

[LuckyLib]

57. I complain at each and every doctor/dentist/public place that has FAUX on.

"Could I ask you to turn off that ridiculous television phony news program? It's an affront to thinking people." or, another favorite, "Who are you playing that station for? It can't be the patients in THIS office!"

Even if FAUX paid for the TV, in what police state are they "required" to keep it tuned to that station?

[kentuck]

8. When they are not listening to Rush...

they are watching FOX. It is a certain percentage of our country but far from a majority.

[bananas]

9. Nice legs.

[Bucky]

62. No shit. I keep watchin Doocy & friends just to see if one of those friends is a shot beaver.

Bucky, you're a bad, bad person.

[MrScorpio]

10. Have you ever watched a race just to see people crash?

Same principle applies

[Juche]

11. Liberals split news between internet, newspapers and TV

Conservatives, because they are older, are mostly getting it from tv and not as much from the internet.

Left wing blogs have higher traffic than right wing blogs. Left wingers subscribe to more text message updates, tweets, social blogs (myspace, facebook), etc.

So conservatives have TV, but liberals have the internet. Its a good trade off. You can't donate money to causes you believe in through the TV as easily as online. Nor can you find like minded people to volunteer with.

[snooper2]

63. They have A.M. radio as well don't forget

:rofl:

can't have the technology get too advanced for them you know :rofl:

[grytpype]

13. Evangos + bitter old geezers throwing their canes at the TV

It adds up.

[1776Forever]

22. True - I can buy that even though I am in some eyes an "old geezer" as well.

A progressive old geezer -

:rofl:

Where's my cane?

[mucifer]

14. places owned by rich people often have it on in the background. hotels, gyms restaurants

etc.

[izquierdista]

16. Because Fox News is the future

As documented in the movie 'Idiocracy'. I understand their fall line-up will include another Idiocracy offering:

[stray cat]

17. The majority of Americans like entertainment and agree with their positions

[pnutbutr]

18. pew research

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/state_of_the_news_media_2008/who_watches_what_party_lines_cable_news_91828.asp

[1776Forever]

25. This is very interesting - thanks!

"Currently 51% of regular CNN viewers are Democrats, up from 45% two years ago. Nearly four-in-ten regular Fox News viewers are Republicans (39%), about the same as in 2006," reports the survey.

[mitchum]

20. Because there are a lot of stupid motherfuckers

[PassingFair]

21. Killer Graphics....

Music that incites...

They know how to push the propaganda...

Also, they constantly tell the sheeple
that they are the best sheeple on earth.

They LAP IT UP!

[Medusa]

70. Seen their anchorwomen?

They're a bunch of ex-beauty queen/barbie dolls with super short skirts and more makeup on than Sephora has on their shelves.

[onehandle]

23. People are morons. nt

[2Design]

26. most hotels have it running constantly or mcdonalds or the airports

business loves fox news and republicans

[zipplewrath]

27. Cumulatives

One often overlooked aspect of Fox News is what the insiders call "cumes". It refers to the total number of people that watch a channel throughout a day. Fox sucks at this metric. The same people watch all day long. CNN has better cumulatives because folks tune it for an hour or so and then move on. They have more total people watching, just not all at once. It matters to advertisers because ultimately they want to be exposed to the largest number of total people, so they'd rather buy multiple ad buys on CNN whereas they might only buy a few on Fox.

[shadowknows69]

29. Well explained.

[1776Forever]

33. Now this is what I'm talking about - This shows the truth under the veil. Thanks!

:toast:

[shadowknows69]

28. Someone has friends at Neilsen or simply lucky box/diary placement

If they're anything like how radio Aribitron ratings are determined then a very small sample of people are likely giving Fox its numbers. If FOX says it has ten million viewers on a given day it may actually have been 10,000 actual that they extrapolated with some mysterious ratings equation. 7+ years in radio and I never completely understood how they crunched it. I just know you could always find good ratings for yourself if you dig deep enough for the right demographic.

[1776Forever]

31. The Shadow knows - I want to know more too. Thanks!

Very interesting stuff - to me anyway.

:headbang:

[KharmaTrain]

30. Numbers In Perspective...

Ratings are very informative and also extremely manipulative and misleading. I was paid for years to interpret numbers and can show you many ways to distort the numbers...a lot easier than doing an honest evaluation.

A couple things to consider:

What you're seeing is a sliver of a large universe of cable teevee. You don't see the ratings of Nickelodeon or ESPN or HBO as comparison...just against three other corporate competitors.

Let's assume that Faux averages 2.5 million viewers per evening. In a nation of 300 million that's less than 1%...even among rushpublicans. If 45 million voted for McCain last year, that's still barely 10%. And this assumes that all viewers are rushpublicans. As we've seen here, Faux has gawkers...ratings don't tell you the political affiliation of the person watching...also it doesn't specify how long that person watches. In the remote control era, many sample rather than watch.

2.5 million viewers is far less than those who still watch nightly network news and even smaller when you consider how many now turn to the internet and alternative media for information.

[1776Forever]

32. Thanks - I am going to check out the "nightly news" ratings now - Something more to learn.

:fistbump:

[KharmaTrain]

34. Let Me Know What You Find...

Cheers...

:toast:

[1776Forever]

38. Looks like NBC knocks it out of the ball park weekly!

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/04/28/nbc-nightly-news-with-brian-williams-wins-the-week-4/17543

On its digital platforms, “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” continued its strong performance with more than 3.6 million online streams for the week ending April 25, 2009.

1. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams wins week of April 6-10
2. “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” Wins The Week
3. “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” Wins The Week in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54
4. “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” Wins the Week
5. “NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” Wins the Week

........

And from TVNewser

Evening News Ratings: Week of April 27

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/

Nightly News with Brian Williams won the week in both Total Viewers and the A25-54 demo. The NBC broadcast as well as ABC's World News with Charles Gibson gained viewers week-over-week. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric was down slightly in Total Viewers but up in A25-54 viewers week-over-week.

Total Viewers: NBC: 8,420,000 / ABC: 7,680,000 / CBS: 5,720,000

25-54 demo: NBC: 2,590,000 / ABC: 2,210,000 / CBS: 1,780,000

.......


I tried to find a comparison to cable news stations and major broadcasters but couldn't. Any ideas?

[KharmaTrain]

44. Different "Distribution"

You won't find direct comparisons out there since the networks are still available over the air and reach at least 99% of the country. Cable reaches less and thus it's looked at seperately. Also network is available via cable which is integrated into the larger numbers...there's no break out on how many people watch on cable vs. over the air.

But just using those numbers...remember that those newscasts are 6-7pm...and you can make comparisons on Faux and see the difference.

[1776Forever]

50. OK - will do. Also someone here stated that in some areas Fox News "cable" channel is local.

I never knew that. Interesting when you take the entire picture of the rating stats in total.

:hide:

[KittyWampus]

35. As always KharmaTrain, you input is highly valued.

[KharmaTrain]

45. Thank You, KittyWampus...

I came from the school of statistics can lie and liars always use statistics...

Cheers...

:fistbump:

[Bigmack]

36. I don't watch TV or listen to radio...

much for my news/views. Too fucking noisy and strident.... even progressive stations.

I listen to Rachel, and that's about it. The graphics and inciting music are just too much.... jamming shit down my throat.

I think Fux is like a drug.... caffeine, maybe. Jars the folks and stirs them up a taste.

They get addicted.

[1776Forever]

42. Please read reply #37 I did for someone with similar veiws.

As for the graphics and music my son has Progressive MS and has problems with some graphics on the TV and I have a thyroid problem and loud music or moving objects back and forth bother me too.

Thanks!:hi:

[pecwae]

37. Dunno.

I've never watched it, but I don't watch any TV news.

[1776Forever]

40. You are not alone - I know a friend and a family member who don't watch anything local or cable.

I wonder what that percentage is? How could one even come up with that without going "door to door"?

Thanks for replying. You represent a lot of people out there who just don't watch for one reason or another.

:hi:

[Romulox]

41. They make populist noises at a time when most other networks are stridently anti-populist. nt

[guitar man]

46. Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen ratings are about as accurate as Faux News, I don't put a lot of stock in them...

[HopeHoops]

47. Because there are a FRIGHTENING number of dumbfucks out there.

They're the same ones that make up the 27% who would answer "YES" to the question:

"Republican (fill in some name) has been convicted of stabbing his mother, stomping on kittens in high heel boots, and stealing all of the assets of an orphanage. Will you be voting for him in November?"

Rush, O'Reilly, Hannity and the other clowns would be in full spin mode about how mother stabbing, kitten stomping and asset stealing are patriotic and only terrorist socialist liberals would try to bash a patriotic Republican for doing these things.

[butterfly77]

48. I go on fox to laugh..

at some of their ridiculous ideas and to see what these nuts are trying to spin next. Evidently,O'lielly has suddenly discovered the Internets and wants to shut down Huffingtonpost because of the views of the posters:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: and Slannity the Insannity is upset because our president eats grey poupon on his burgers :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

These are some silly ass people I have been doing it for years do they really think that us so called little people all do the same thing the same way like they do in the republiCON party...I am talking about the grey poupon.

[Badgerman]

49. 20% are idiots and watch FOX- the remaining 80% SPLIT the other sources. n/t

[AllieB]

51. They leave it on in nursing homes.

The average age of Fox's viewers is late 60s.

[Spazito]

53. I love that Fox News is not on basic cable, Fox entertainment channel is...

in Canada. Canadians have to pay extra if they want to watch Fox, I bet their numbers here are abysmal, lol.

[Bill McBlueState]

54. Here's a theory

"So lets say you've got 25 republicans and 75 liberals."

I agree that the 25 republicans are nearly all watching Fox on any given weekday evening.

But of the 75 liberals, 5 are probably working at a soup kitchen, 10 are at their kid's ballgame, 5 are practicing a musical instrument, 10 are at a school board meeting, 15 are reading a book, 20 are working late, and the other 5 *might* be watching cable news.

I think progressives lead more interesting lives, such that we're not sitting around watching infotainment all the time.

[1776Forever]

56. Very true - If you read some of these posts though you learn a lot more about the real MSM ratings.

Thanks - Very nice post!

:fistbump:

[shadowknows69]

58. I was trying to think of how to make that point. You did it perfectly.

I think that's a huge factor in the grand scheme of things. I watch ZERO news on my TV. Occasionally Keith or Rachel but I usually have to fight for it because my wife is a baseball fan, but I catch most of the important clips on the web. I certainly wouldn't call my life more interesting but it is very un-TVcentric.

[dem629]

55. It's the most "taboidy" of the 24-hour news channels.

The good news is that according to recent ratings, only 1.6% of the population watches any of those channels.

I think the only show worthy of watching is AC360, a truly balanced and thorough investigative journalism show.

[Medusa]

71. They never miss a car chase

either.

[JackRiddler]

59. First of all, ratings shouldn't be the measure of whether points of view get a platform.

Second, I reject the implied definitions of conservative and liberal, or the idea that these utterly corrupted terms exhaust the spectrum of anything.

Third, even by the current formal definitions, PBS, CNN and almost all of the corporate media are NOT liberal! They may support the politicians who are characterized as liberal (like Obama and the leading Democrats), but they do not support truly liberal positions (in the pre-neoliberal, New Deal sense), let alone the left. They almost never provide an international perspective that goes beyond national parochialism. (DC think-tank PR warriors or politicians will be brought on to talk about Country X about 10 times more often than you will see people from Country X, let alone a variety of Country X persepctives. You wont' even see an Area Studies professor. And that goes triple if Country X is an official enemy.)

The corporate media never break out of an extremely narrow American-corporate "centrist" consensus: Buy this crap on credit now, bomb that country for security, good people work, consume, sleep, pay bills and taxes, watch lots of TV, repeat.

By the way, the corporate media are businesses, right? So what is their product? Who is the customer? The answer is the same in MSNBC's case as in all other private channels: You are the product, an audience extracted by means of programming chedder and sold to the customer, the advertiser.

MSNBC and Comedy Channel have won an audience to sell to their advertisers by giving small niches to Stewart, Olbermann, Maddow and Colbert, who are mainly tolerated because they employ the conventions of TV clowns (Maddow less so). And they also do not challenge the establishment consensus. (They'll never ask, why do we have a Pentagon at all? Or private banks? Who does the military "serve"? They might have a guest do that once a year, though. For a couple of minutes.)

Fourth, the stupidest people watch TV and they're not going to want to switch channels too often or want to hear anything different today than from yesterday. FOXNEWS is for them, ta da.

The slightly less stupid watch TV and visit a few sites on the Web. Smart people probably watch too much TV, but are now getting news from the Web, and they actually might read books or magazines.

Finally, my first point again: In a free speech, free media system, all points of view get air time, regardless of whether they attract ratings.

And no, I'm not watching Ed and I don't think doing so will improve the world. Thanks for the advice, though.

PS - Anyone who's working this forum on behalf of a TV channel should now reveal themselves. Full disclosure, yo!

[Echo In Light]

60. They make the most of a phony, spectator democracy, and also serve as a red herring

Since they're obviously the right-wing cheerleader, that in turn makes people think they'll get more objective, accurate "news" from the other M$M outlets, which, although MSNBC is the closest to that you'll find in the mainstream, it still comes up lacking because when it comes to defending the National $ecurity State, all of the "news" outlets will be on the same page.

[Bucky]

61. Because they're fair AND balanced. You gotta do both if you want the big ratings.

Besides, people who sit around watching opinionated cable news all day may not be a representative sampling of humanity.

[applegrove]

64. Cause the station in totally geared toward infotainment for wingnuts. If you get all

of a small group you get high ratings. Wingnuts couldn't watch CNN or MSNBC because they would get informed and they hate that. They've been trained to resist good information and accept information that makes them into "ugly Americans".

[DainBramaged]

65. When your brain is mush, you want oatmeal...............

[Divine Discontent]

66. because people like my parent insist on keeping an eye on them

:rofl:

but SERIOUSLY...

I have said before, and possibly you've heard this years ago, that they're the only true nutjob channel for loons like 'miami boy' and they wouldn't dare watch CNN let alone MSNBC! Everytime I go into a place that has faux news running, I know the owner is a right-wing nut...

I appreciate all the postings you've made on Schultz's behalf - you are very good! A True Blue Best Of DUer!!!

:hug:

[bemildred]

69. Lies is my guess.

But then I never watch TV.