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Fox News Domination, Revisited: Top Cable News Programs Of 2009

ratings
» 13 comments

oreilly_8-3We’ve documented Fox News’ strong ratings throughout the year – 2009 saw their best ratings of all time…and the past few years have been huge as well.

When looking at the cable news landscape as a whole, through the top 20 programs in total viewers and the demo, the dominance can be viewed in a different, but still obvious, light.

The Huffington Post has the breakdown of the top cable programs of 2009. #1 in both categories was The O’Reilly Factor, which has been the same for years. Sean Hannity had the silver and Glenn Beck got the bronze in both categories.

In total viewers, FNC had all of the top 10 programs of 2009. MSNBC’s first appearance on the list was #11, with Countdown – followed by two more FNC shows. #14 on the list was Larry King Live of CNN. The first HLN entry to the top 20 was #18 Nancy Grace.

In the A25-54 demo, FNC had the top seven programs. Countdown finished #8, Grace at #10 and Anderson Cooper at #12. While FNC dominated the top of both lists, more non-FNC shows appeared on the demo top 20. In fact, Cooper and Grace made the list twice.

Below are the full top 20s. Happy New Year:

Total Viewers
1. The O’Reilly Factor
2. Hannity
3. Glenn Beck
4. Special Report
5. On The Record
6. The Fox Report
7. O’Reilly Factor (repeat)
8. Your World
9. Americas Newsroom
10. Studio B
11. Countdown
12. Happening Now
13. The Live Desk
14. Larry King Live
15. Fox & Friends
16. Rachel Maddow
17. AC360
18. Nancy Grace
19. Campbell Brown
20. Situation Room

Demo
1. The O’Reilly Factor
2. Hannity
3. Glenn Beck
4. On The Record
5. The O’Reilly Factor (repeat)
6. Fox Report
7. Special Report
8. Countdown
9. America’s Newsroom
10. Nancy Grace
11. Fox & Friends
12. AC 360
13. Your World
14. Rachel Maddow
15. Larry King
16. Studio B
17. Live Desk
18. AC 360 (repeat)
19. Nancy Grace (repeat)
20. MSNBC Investigates

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Cary-Skelton/555336753 Cary Skelton

    Ugh…Maddow should definitely be at the top of those lists, not Fox News. Just my opinion. The lists are shocking…

  • SWWT

    It’s odd isn’t it, there are many people who like to watch Fox News, so what?

  • Nachi

    No surprise here. FOX is a magnet for all GOP Wingnuts. A “must-watch.” They watch – teeth clenched & hard-fisted. Unable & unwilling to summon forth the strength or wisdom needed to climb out of that deep, dark abyss of the stagnant philosophy & thought processes in which they insist upon dwelling. In that regard – FOX is good. It reveals the rabidity in our midst. All the little monomaniacs – now greeting the New Year. From their Intellectual/Moral/Ethical Dungeons. All is well.

  • Fidoohki

    Yet it is liberals that want everyone that doesn’t agree with them to shut up. :/

  • Nachi

    Another decade has expired. And Americans are dumber than ever. Goose-stepping goons of conformity.
    They are what they watch. Pitiful.

  • Fidoohki

    Nachi says,

    Then change the channel! You don’t have to watch them Nachi! :)

  • TfT

    It’s good to see that the one network that allows all sides to be heard leads the list. You would think the others might learn a lesson, but nah.

    Here is to FNC creeping up on the Brian, Diane and Katie in 2010! There is no more competition among the cablers; FNC dominates.

    Happy New Year all.

  • libra blue

    Congratulations to FNC! No matter what excuses the FNC haters make, the numbers speak for themselves. Let’s be honest, they have the best anchors in the business in Shepard Smith and Bret Baier!

    Happy New Year to everyone!

  • pyrope

    The reasons for the ratings are quite simple: Fox News presents the facts without bias and tells the truth. The reason why all but the left-wing loonies are watching the FNC is because they cannot handle the truth. There are not enough right wingnuts in the US to account for FNC’s ratings being so high. I believe Mr.Glenn Beck will top the charts by next year. Why? He’s empassioned and has a great message. If Mark Levin were on Fox, the left-wing loonie channels would drop even further in the ratings. I’ve watched Rachael Madcow a couple of times and only an idiot could endure her program day after day.

  • Ted

    All this proves is that a majority of dumb asses watch television, specifically fox. I think we already knew that however.

  • ImNotBlue

    Fidoohki says:
    December 31, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    Come on, be serious. Nachi doesn’t watch FNC… or television. He/She just gets angry, and wants people to pay attention to him/her. This is the closest he/she has been to commenting “on topic,” and yet still manages never to offer up facts, evidence, or anything other than personal attacks. Telling Nachi to stop watching FOX, is like telling a fish to stop breathing air.

    Ted says:
    January 1, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    A summation of your point, “Everyone who doesn’t think like me is stupid.”

    Have I gotten that correct? So here’s your question, how does this not reflect a gigantic ego on your part?

  • felixw

    How funny that the left demeans the intelligence of Fox viewers. Yet Obama got his strongest support in communities with the most high school dropouts. And if the election had been decided by college graduates, McCain would have won easily.

    So much for liberal spin. The fact is that the Fox viewers are far more informed than the general public. It’s not even close.

    For that matter, we would be far better off is voters were more educated and, in particular, knew a little bit of math. Then they would realize that spending trillions in borrowed Chinese money every year is not a sustainable approach to governance. That’s something Reid-Pelosi-Obama haven’t figured out yet, but they will learn very soon what this profligate approach to public policy leads to. Just wait until the Treasury finds out how easy it is to finance a debt of $12 trillion and growing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Guo/100000649950349 James Guo

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