for whatever reason, we didn’t get our normal cable news data ratings for yesterday yet, and I’m guessing we won’t see it until tomorrow. We need a better backup strategy!
Better late than never. Our regular cable news ratings data for Tuesday, November 3 has arrived.
In the meanwhile you can find the night’s results on TV Newser and the original TV Newser, Brian Stelter has a write-up on NYTimes.com:
The cable channels each added hours of live coverage to their schedules; CNN declared it to be “Election Night in America.” But for all the ballyhoo, only Fox News showed significant ratings gains.
Mr. O’Reilly added more than a million viewers, but the biggest gains came later in the evening, as votes were counted and the Republican candidates for governor, Robert F. McDonnell in Virginia and Christopher J. Christie in New Jersey, delivered victory speeches.
The conservative commentator Sean Hannity, whose 9 p.m. program averages 2.5 million viewers, had 4.2 million viewers on Tuesday. Greta Van Susteren, the 10 p.m. anchor, had 3.7 million viewers, up from an average of 2 million this year.
An extra hour of election coverage at 11 p.m., with the Washington anchor Bret Baier, drew 2.6 million viewers, up from the time period’s average of 1.5 million.
Was a blast to watch on Fox! I watch the rerun on CNN and was so boring.
Wow, Hannity had twice the viewers he normally had.
Also check out the excellent financial results Fox’s parent, News Corp, announced today. This tells you what the media won’t tell you about the ultimate failure highly publicized campaign to promote an advertising boycott of Glenn Beck’s show.
Maybe critics of Fox should respond by trying to match that network’s investigative journalism, rather than blame the brave whistleblowers who are willing to take on the party in power. Then perhaps the NY Times, CNN, etc. might be delivering strong financial results themselves, rather than just reporting about Murdoch’s.
For example, an inside source notes that none of the mainstream networks is currently investigating Acorn, but FIVE networks are investigating the whistleblowers who brought this scandal to light.
That tells you everything you need to now about the mainstream press, and why they are losing all credibility.
CNN did SHOCKINGLY bad last night – The Situation Room was wayyy *DOWN*, Campbell got her usual low ratings, Larry got BEAT by Joy Behar, and Anderson came in 4th at 10pm, and a weak 3rd at 11pm.
Talk about a complete wipeout.
Well, no news there!
I don’t know if this was reported elsewhere (or if it was considered relevant — and, if not, feel free to delete this post and/or the links
) but when I saw these story about CNN’s misfortunes:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnn-closes-out-october-off-the-list-of-top-30-cable-channels/
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/wake-up-call-cnns-election-coverage-finishes-fourth/
I knew CNN had really fallen to new lows. Yes, it was an off-off-year election but, still… this is a major embarrassment for “The Most Trusted Name In News”.
I guess CNN has a lot of work to do to become relevant again.
Nightstar, no problem with linking but more than 1 URL will always get trapped by the spam filter.
I view CNN’s numbers from last night as another big warning signal for them. Even after they fell behind Fox, they could always point to the fact that for big news events they returned to #1 (if only briefly). To have them do so relatively badly on an election night may signal they are becoming less and less the default choice for casual news viewers. If that happens, they’re really in trouble.
Though I do think things are pretty bleak for CNN, I’d view it more as a signal that most people just couldn’t care less about non presidential elections. I’d still bet CNN would be the go-to place should you have any type of disaster or real major news scenario or for something like a major celebrity death or scandal that captivates a nation.
Thanks for the info on the spam filter trap (and I’ll try to remember that 1+ links will land me there, and try to avoid that in the future
). Thanks for the tip on that. Much appreciated! 
As for CNN, chances are it probably will remain the go-to place for now, if only because CNN seems to be on all cable and satellite packages and Fox is not (where I live, Fox has never been added to the cable system and I know other places where you can’t get it on cable either, but CNN seems to be everywhere, in most of its flavors).
As to the non-presidential election observation, I think 2010 should be a good year to test that thought out regarding how much/little folks care about elections when the post of President is not on the ballot. Between all of the issues, controversies, and, ummm… political conversations going on, and the fact that 1/3 of the Senate, all of the House or Representatives, and a bonus round of 37(!) governorships and 2 territorial governors are being decided in 2010, it might be a more lively election and CNN might do better.
However, if CNN does as badly with that election, then the warning signal may become a full blown red-alert and they end up becoming a default niche network that is useful for scandals, deaths, and major disasters but little else — something I doubt would make the folks at CNN happy since news covers much more than that.
Oh, just FYI — keep up the good work on this site. I do not always agree with your observations, but I can and do respect your knowledge, reasons, and insights into why you hold them. Don’t change that aspect of TVBTN — it would be like rebooting Lassie and using a chimp instead of a dog — it just wouldn’t work.
That last is a blanket statement to all areas of the site, not just this section — should have mentioned that. Sorry
I agree with Robert:
“Though I do think things are pretty bleak for CNN, I’d view it more as a signal that most people just couldn’t care less about non presidential elections. I’d still bet CNN would be the go-to place should you have any type of disaster or real major news scenario or for something like a major celebrity death or scandal that captivates a nation.”
It’s a tad to early to declare the death of CNN no matter how badly some may want to.
Bet the Obama White House staff fainted dead away after seeing these Fox News ratings on TVbythenumbers.com!!! They’re probably still dialing O’Reilly trying to get the Prez a guest appearance. What a breakout night for Fox News.
gbd, no death declaration by me at all, and I am not attempting to predict the future. CNN was 4th in prime-time for the entire month of October, that is today’s reality. The fact they stayed fourth for even an off-year election is notable.
While I agree with Robert that the majority of Americans couldn’t care less about yesterday’s election, the majority of American’s couldn’t care less about everything
Was there some sort of off year election on Tuesday November 6, 2007? It doesn’t appear that anything special happened, but here’s a chart with the viewership numbers for that night.
http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/110607cablenewsviewersprimetime.gif
Not implying CNN’s demise, either, just FYI (and in case I may have said something that sounded like it). It’s more along the lines of “boy, they have slid a long way, that’s quite a hole they have to climb out of”. CNN will not vanish from the airwaves anytime soon. They will be around in some form or another for a long time. How relevant they will be, that’s another story (and one subject to revision as events warrant). The 4th place finish, though, is not a good sign of “business as usual”. Next year, 2010, if they land in 4th again, with all that will be going on, then CNN needs to be very worried. They’ve got a year (more or less) to decide what, if anything, they should do to prepare for that date.
As for me, I would prefer that CNN (and Fox and MSNBC and others) would simply practice basic journalism. Trust, but verify. Be factual, not first. Confirm information. That sort of thing.
Bill, as for November 2007 elections… not a lot happened. There were 3 governors elected (only 2 on that day, though — Kentucky and Mississippi) and 5 special elections to fill House of Representative seats… otherwise, it was mostly state-level stuff. Duller than this year, to be blunt.
Interesting article in the LA Times. CNN essentially blames its relative performance on a lack of “inflamed rhetoric” and actually says it shouldn’t be compared to MSNBC or FNC for that reason!
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cnn5-2009nov05,0,5188962.story?
perhaps not enough credit is given for the HLN increases, though I have to believe it wasn’t by design that HLN has surpassed CNN.
Nice analysis, Robert. Nice article. Thanks for the gift of a hearty laugh for the day.
Recommended reading, folks. Seriously.
Entry for new bingo card:
“We don’t do sensationalism”
“It’s not fair to compare us to XYZ network!”
“Trust us… we know what we’re doing”
I watched CNN for a while on election night and it actually wasn’t terrible – Larry King had Jesse Ventura and Ben Stein. They’re not big draws, though, so they didn’t bring people in, unfortunately, because that particular night they had some very entertaining interactions that kept me watching. The only reason I was there was because I was curious to see what they were doing.
CNN needs a compelling personality of some kind in prime in order to draw viewers….someone who’s interesting to watch, but who also informs you.
I hate to say a Tom Snyder-type, since he was so old-school, but… there’s something to be said for that… when he was a news anchor, he made the news relatable, and, as an added bonus, you never really knew when the guy would throw in either a funny line or something completely random to make you think. Paul Moyer kind of did the same thing at KNBC. They were human beings on the air, not by delivering bombastic opinions, but by just coming across as interesting, engaged human beings who happened to be on TV telling you what was going on. They were likeable. I’m not so sure that Campbell Brown, Larry King, and Anderson Cooper are particularly likeable personalities to have on TV for several hours every single night.
More recently, when Bob Schieffer anchored the CBS Evening News he was very likeable by making the news relatable just by the way he wrote and edited the copy and how he would have reporters on after their packages and ask them questions that the viewers would ask. Is that sort of sensibility when it comes to presenting the news lost forever? Can CNN not find that relatability in an anchor in some local market someplace? Or, are they not looking for it?
Kyra Phillips would be the best person from their dayside to try in primetime with a looser format – when they loosen things up (always only briefly) during the day she seems to be able to show her personality while maintaining her credibility, but then it’s not long before they go back to doing that old, crummy, CNN drill again and it gets back to boring fast.
Pair up some on-air staffing changes with some branding changes, too. All of CNN’s branding is so cold… phrases like “On Our Radar” and “Pushing Forward..” are so clinical. Warm it up and make it more human and more real.
I have no surprise that Fox had a viewer spike, every angry Wingnut is America was watching to see if they took a victory in these elections. That said in a population of 300 million, 4 million or so is still not much of a following. Most everyone else was just not interested in these elections. Just to clear this up, the winners were all moderate Republicans as is the New York Mayor. The Wingnut in the northern New York race lost the seat for the first time in over one hundred years to a Democrat so it was not that much of a good night for the extreme right. Just for the record, I am registered with the Constitution Party which is likely the most conservative in the country. So please no attacks on me as a liberal!
I believe that Cnn’s assertion that their “lack of inflamed rheotoric” is certainly part of their less than stellar ratings.
Comparing this years off election numbers to 2007 is a bit specious as this year’s was preceded by all the hoopla surrounding Fox’s bias i.e., The President calling Fox out, Beck’s Time cover, and the must shriek approach that has evolved there of late just to name a few.
Pop culture tends to dominate all charts, i.e., music, movies, books, and yes TV as well but they offer little substantively. Fox’s genius is that Murdoch recognized a niche for talboid journalism and branded it News. I would hope the majority of Americans aren’t getting their news from a Pop culture infotainment network. I don’t think they are. I think roughly 3 million are.
Bill? My post wasnt directed at you. As matter of fact it wasn’t directed anyone in particular. Again, as I’ve told you, I’m attempting to change my approach here such as avoiding others directly that would vehemently disagree with me. There seems to be a consensus here that believes CNN is done. It was directed at that assumption.
My favorite line from the LA Times analysis:
“The inflamed rhetoric has helped CNN’s rivals retain their prime-time audiences. Fox News, on track to have its best year ever, has averaged 2.16 million viewers this year, a boost of 10% from 2008, while MSNBC is a close third with 810,000, down 3%.”
Fox News up 10%, MSNBC down 3%. Quite a swing.
I agree with several others that the underlying cause is that Fox QUESTIONS the administration and that is what Americans are interested in: a press that puts pressure on whichever party is in power. Keep up the good work Fox, you are our check and balance to the current administration.
PS – Allen, the “wingnut” in NY did not run as a Republican if you’ll recall, so he didn’t lose the seat, the Republicans did by running a candidate who was a social Democrat. Maybe the fact that both the Democrat and Republican candidates spent big $s to put down the Conservative candidate and then the Republican backs out and endorses the Democrat had something to do with the “massive” 3 pt loss… LOL! On the other hand, the President campaigns hard in VA and NJ and both Democrats (one an incumbent in the one of the most Democrat states there is) go down in flames. I think the reason the Democrat won in upstate NY is that the President DIDN’T campaign for him!
LostInTheWeeds
Both winners are moderate. The Conservative Party is my party’s (Constitution Party) affiliate in New York. The social conservative element is not at all shared by many New York Republicans. Honestly a BLUEDOG southern Democrat is likely more conservative than many northern Republicans and moderate northeastern Republicans are as liberal as some southern Democrats. The main difference is social issues.
Fox News has captured those that are hard right and right of center and a huge number of folks that no longer watch much (if any) broadcast network TV shows. Social conservatives have real problems with a large majority of TV shows, so if they watch anything Fox News benefits.
Ratings drops on broadcast shows bear out and even prove my point.
It’s so obvious who America TRUSTS to deliver accurate & factual news.
What say you, Anita Dunn?
Rather than analyzing the BIG news that the deep blue state of NJ had just elected a republican governor, MSNBC decided to run Keith Olberman’s 9 greatest world series moments about 30 minutes after the race had been called.
I watch all CableNews Channels to analyse so to judge for myself.
FOX is the only one with an Biasfree Viewpoint and does not join
in the Hosanna Chorus.
Thank God for that.
allen charles says I have no surprise that Fox had a viewer spike, every angry Wingnut is America was watching to see if they took a victory in these elections. That said in a population of 300 million, 4 million or so is still not much of a following.
your analysis is under the under the assumption everyone in america owns a television and everyone who owns a television has cable or satellite and everyone who has cable or satellite gets fox news and everyone who owns a television which has cable or satellite which broadcast fox news is watching at the same time is it possible to get the real percentage of people watching television who watched fox news on november 4 of this year
i meant the 3rd and i will be willing to bet over 10% of said viewing audience tuned into fox news
lets not forget. FOX news isn’t news.
LOL
Where is the administration now? You wont’ hear them mention their past comments after this.