Cable News Ratings August 2010: CNN Viewership Plummets, Fox News Still On Top

[Tom Clancy]

Cable News Ratings August 2010: CNN Viewership Plummets, Fox News Still On Top

The dog days of summer took their toll on cable news in August, as ratings for all three of the main channels were down this month. Even so, there were some bright spots.

MSNBC's "The Ed Show" had its best month ever, especially in the coveted A25-54 demo. The show, which was the second-fast growing in all of cable news in August, drew 625,000 total viewers and 176,000 in the demo.

Overall, MSNBC averaged 681,000 total viewers in prime time, and 232,000 in the demo.

If MNSBC had something to celebrate, CNN, which is in a period of extreme transition, had yet another month of bad ratings news. The channel had its lowest prime time viewership since 2000, averaging just 486,000 total viewers, with 144,000 in the A25-54 demo. The 10 PM repeat of "Countdown" even beat "Anderson Cooper 360" in both the demo (202,000 vs. 172,000 viewers) and in total viewers (560,000 vs. 559,000.)

Of course, while CNN and MSNBC were tussling over second place, Fox News towered over the competition as usual. The channel averaged 1,821,000 viewers in prime time and 441,000 in the A25-54 demo--nearly three times the ratings of second-place MSNBC.

Below, see the top 30 programs in cable news for August 2010:

 

[Baruch Menachem]

MessNBC is in second, and more poeple are watching Oberman than CNN? Heads should roll

 

[uscitizen]

I seldom watch either network.

 

[RadiomanATL]

MessNBC is in second, and more poeple are watching Oberman than CNN? Heads should roll

Partisanship sells.

No one wants "straight news" anymore. I've said it forever. If CNN tries to stay the course with their "straight news" format, they will wind up playing a distant 3rd fiddle.

Murdoch is a genius. You may disagree with him, but he saw a market for what he was selling and went for the jugular. In doing so, he has created a market for his foil. MSNBC.

 

[xotoxi]

Any word on whereMacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour ranked?

 

[Oddball]

That fossil Larry King is drawing more than Hardboiled.

That's gotta hurt!

 

[R.C. Christian]

You people shouldn't be watching any of that trash.

 

[DiveCon]

MessNBC is in second, and more poeple are watching Oberman than CNN? Heads should roll

Partisanship sells.

No one wants "straight news" anymore. I've said it forever. If CNN tries to stay the course with their "straight news" format, they will wind up playing a distant 3rd fiddle.

Murdoch is a genius. You may disagree with him, but he saw a market for what he was selling and went for the jugular. In doing so, he has created a market for his foil. MSNBC.

if the others hadnt been doing such a piss poor job FNC would never have had a shot

 

[Madeline]

CNN is "straight news"? Are you serious? They can't get through one broadcast without hysterics. Walter Cronkite must be rolling over in his grave.

 

[DiveCon]

CNN is "straight news"? Are you serious? They can't get through one broadcast without hysterics. Walter Cronkite must be rolling over in his grave.

naw, he was kind of a hack as well

Edward R Murrow maybe

 

[California Girl]

CNN is "straight news"? Are you serious? They can't get through one broadcast without hysterics. Walter Cronkite must be rolling over in his grave.

naw, he was kind of a hack as well

Edward R Murrow maybe

Murrow was one of the best newsmen ever.

 

[Madeline]

I fell asleep in front of the tv and woke up to "Rick's List". Jesus H. Christ, this is journalism nowadays?

 

[Madeline]

CNN is "straight news"? Are you serious? They can't get through one broadcast without hysterics. Walter Cronkite must be rolling over in his grave.

naw, he was kind of a hack as well

Edward R Murrow maybe

Murrow was one of the best newsmen ever.

Now CG, surely you cannot actually remember him?

 

[DiveCon]

I fell asleep in front of the tv and woke up to "Rick's List". Jesus H. Christ, this is journalism nowadays?

we dont have journalism anymore
we have a bunch of TV talking heads that read crap they are given on a teleprompter from editors with agendas and the desire to be FIRST with a story and not the first one to get it right

 

[nia588]

of course faux is still on top. older people still depend on getting their news from TV. whereas young progressives tend to get their news on the internet

and keep in mind just because faux news is on top doesn't mean their reporting is great. im a fox news watcher. not because i think their reporting is any better but because its entertaining..

 

[Mad Scientist]

Of course Faux is still on top. Older, smart people still depend on getting their news from TV. Whereas young progressives (ed:communists) tend to get their news on the internet.
And keep in mind just because Faux News is on top doesn't mean their reporting is great. Im a Fox News watcher (ed:but I'm not paying attention). Not because I think their reporting is any better but because its entertaining.

Yeah we know you Lefties get your "news" from Comedy Central and John Stewart.

 

[Samson]

MessNBC is in second, and more poeple are watching Oberman than CNN? Heads should roll

Partisanship sells.

No one wants "straight news" anymore. I've said it forever. If CNN tries to stay the course with their "straight news" format, they will wind up playing a distant 3rd fiddle.

Murdoch is a genius. You may disagree with him, but he saw a market for what he was selling and went for the jugular. In doing so, he has created a market for his foil. MSNBC.

Apparently, some "partisanship" sells better on cable than others......

My theory is that the other end of the partisan market is already saturated, and those consumers have a number of choices other than MSNBC: e.g. NPR, NYT, Time Mag, Newsweek, and practically every Op Ed section of anything else in print.

 

[rdean]

Fewer people can afford cable.

I read that 5 times more people watch "Sponge Bob Square Pants" than anyone on Fox.

As far as the Democrats go, the Hispanics watch the Spanish networks. The gays watch Logo, the blacks watch BET and so on.

Fox has an entire political party that is 90% white and mostly all Christian. They don't even know Fox is "foreign owned" with the second largest shareholder being a Muslim who gives money to the families of Suicide bombers. Fox works to divide this country and mislead the ignorant and they are very, very good at it.

 

[goldcatt]

MessNBC is in second, and more poeple are watching Oberman than CNN? Heads should roll

Partisanship sells.

No one wants "straight news" anymore. I've said it forever. If CNN tries to stay the course with their "straight news" format, they will wind up playing a distant 3rd fiddle.

Murdoch is a genius. You may disagree with him, but he saw a market for what he was selling and went for the jugular. In doing so, he has created a market for his foil. MSNBC.

Apparently, some "partisanship" sells better on cable than others......

My theory is that the other end of the partisan market is already saturated, and those consumers have a number of choices other than MSNBC: e.g. NPR, NYT, Time Mag, Newsweek, and practically every Op Ed section of anything else in print.

I think that's part of it. And the target audience is different demographically in more ways than just ideology.

Can't remember the last time I tuned into either FOX or MSNBC, honestly. But it's for-profit commercial infotainment. I can't blame them for doing what everyone else does, choose a demographic that will make them a bundle and target their audience with a product that sells. I just wish the consumers were more savvy.

 

[Samson]

I read that 5 times more people watch "Sponge Bob Square Pants" than anyone on Fox.

I read that You watch 5 times more "Sponge Bob Square Pants" than the average 5 year old.