Thread: NY Times,CNN Fails to Stop Fall in Ratings-Glenn Beck up 50%

CNN Fails to Stop Fall in Ratings

By BILL CARTER
Published: March 29, 2010

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.

Anderson Cooper, seen reporting on the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Haiti, has had trouble holding onto viewers.

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.)

About the only break from the bad news for CNN was that March was not as bad as February, when the network had its worst single month in its recent history, finishing behind not only Fox News and MSNBC, but also its sister network HLN — and even CNBC, which had Olympics programming that month.

CNN executives have steadfastly said that they will not change their approach to prime-time programs, which are led by hosts not aligned with any partisan point of view.

But the numbers are stark: For the network’s longest-running host, Larry King, who has always been regarded at CNN as the centerpiece of prime time because he drew the biggest audiences at 9 p.m., the quarter was his worst ever.

Mr. King’s audience dropped 43 percent for the quarter and 52 percent in March. He dropped to 771,000 viewers for the quarter from 1.34 million in 2009.
More alarming perhaps, Mr. King, whose show has been regularly eclipsed by Rachel Maddow’s on MSNBC (and is almost quadrupled by Sean Hannity’s show on Fox), is now threatened by a new host, Joy Behar on HLN (formerly Headline News.)

In her first full quarter competing with Mr. King at 9 p.m. Ms. Behar wound up beating him in the ratings 21 times.

CNN has given no indication that any changes in its lineup are imminent, but recently announced that it would try a series of specials in a talk-show format at 11 p.m. with its current 10 p.m. host, Anderson Cooper. The specials are interpreted by some at the network as a trial run for a new 9 p.m. show with Mr. Cooper.

Mr. Cooper has long been regarded as the strongest host at CNN, but his show has suffered badly as well. For the quarter, Mr. Cooper dropped 42 percent in viewers and 46 percent among the 25-to-54-year-old audience that the news channels use for their sales to advertisers.

In the past, CNN relied on big audiences for Mr. King’s show to deliver viewers to Mr. Cooper. Now Mr. Cooper sometimes finds himself losing to repeats of shows on MSNBC and HLN. (At the other end of prime time, Campbell Brown’s show on CNN at 8 had its worst quarter ever with the 25-to-54-year-old audience.)

Even in the morning, CNN is sliding. Its “American Morningâ€

The New and Improved Pravda Socialist News Agencys

ABC ~ Pravda 1

NBC ~ Pravda 2

CBS ~ Pravda 3

just ain't cutting it with the American People

Good to hear that people are finally starting to wake up and smell the coffee, and want REAL news and the truth.

CNN executives have steadfastly said that they will not change their approach to prime-time programs, which are led by hosts not aligned with any partisan point of view.

Can you say progressive, liberal, leftist?

The American people are fed up with progressive, liberal media outlets. Ratings will most likely continue to drop.

Psalm 139:14

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

The New and Improved Pravda Socialist News Agencys

ABC ~ Pravda 1

NBC ~ Pravda 2

CBS ~ Pravda 3

just ain't cutting it with the American People

Actually, FOX is the one that constantly lies to its viewers. You know Rupert Murdoch owns FOX, right? They are the leader in propaganda, and the people eat it up. Reminds me of a time about 65 years ago, when this certain country was trying to rally the citizens around lies and propaganda. It didn't end very well.

CNN shot itself by dumping Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck.

I know Dobbs has since turned so it was just as well he left when he did.

Bowman, they did, stupid move on their part. Now Glenn Becks viewers CNN did have, and those of Lou Dobbs, switched over to Fox.

Originally Posted by DarthIllegal

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

The New and Improved Pravda Socialist News Agencys

ABC ~ Pravda 1

NBC ~ Pravda 2

CBS ~ Pravda 3

just ain't cutting it with the American People

Actually, FOX is the one that constantly lies to its viewers. You know Rupert Murdoch owns FOX, right? They are the leader in propaganda, and the people eat it up. Reminds me of a time about 65 years ago, when this certain country was trying to rally the citizens around lies and propaganda. It didn't end very well.

LIES? you have proof of this right?

if its all LIES as you claim, how come in recent poll FOX NEWS was the one that was trusted my more people than CNN and MSNBC combined?

Darthillegal:

Reminds me of a time about 65 years ago, when this certain country was trying to rally the citizens around lies and propaganda. It didn't end very well.

WWII....what about it all was a lie?