January Ratings Spin Cycle: CNN Tops MSNBC In Primetime

RATINGS

by Nando Di Fino | 12:34 am, February 2nd, 2012

» 24 comments

It’s time to take another compelling journey into the realm of monthly cable news ratings through the oh-so-rosy lens of the network’s publicists. What can you expect? Cleverly-crafted bullet points from the MSNBC, CNN, and imaginary* Fox News number-crunchers, all doing their best to somehow make Nielsen’s month-end ratings look as if, yes, everybody won!

*(We imagine because Fox News does not send out ratings press releases.)

Did they really win? It all depends on who you talk to. But we can at least help parse the numbers and give a clearer picture of what really happened. Let’s start with MSNBC…

MSNBC’s Headline: MSNBC BEATS CNN IN TOTAL DAY FOR JANUARY 2012

Their takeaway?: We beat CNN! Yaaaay!!

Throughout the entire day, MSNBC topped CNN in total viewers, and its stable of shows beat its CNN counterparts in a decent amount of head-to-head match-ups, including Hardball with Chris Matthews. PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton, and The Rachel Maddow Show.

What’s not being said?: See the next line…

CNN’s Headline: CNN TOPS MSNBC IN PRIMETIME

Their takeaway?: We beat MSNBC! Yaaaay!!

The numbers don’t lie: CNN toppled MSNBC in primetime. Furthermore, AC360 saw significant gains at both 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Erin Burnett‘s ratings rose at 7 p.m. (while the program’s re-air beat The Ed Show at 11 p.m in the 25-54 year-old demo).

What’s not being said? CNN’s ratings came primarily from the network’s hosting of two debates in January (MSNBC didn’t host any). In fact, MSNBC’s release noted that, if you exclude CNN’s debates, they topped CNN in total viewers. However, the argument against that is the fact that ratings are ratings. You can’t fault CNN for holding the two debates, and there’s a large amount of effort involved in hosting and producing those events.

Fox News’ Headline: (Our Best Guess since they don’t do Press Releases): WE NOW MEASURE OUR SUCCESS IN DECADES, NOT MONTHS

Their (theoretical) takeaway?: Think you’re having a nice month? Fox News hasn’t dropped out of the top spot since Mitt Romney was just some dude running the Olympics.

What’s not being said?: There’s not much to really stomp on here. Fox News has been the top-rated cable news network since 2002. Without interruption. Love or hate the station, it’s an impressive accomplishment.

Ratings, spin cycle

Anonymous

FACT: FOX Wins. The others are just second class stations run by left-wing zealots.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_34VQ3NDNOFFUF6R7ALXY6O33S4 Cal

FACT: Fox viewers aren’t interested in facts. They prefer to be lied to.
http://profiles.google.com/shle896 Shane Lear

I don’t care about numbers and ratings. I care that CNN seems to be the ONLY cable news network that isn’t biased one way or the other. Fox “News” and MSNBC don’t know how to be impartial and it’s hard to take either one of them seriously, especially the unfair and unbalanced Fox “News”, who is no more news than is The Daily Show or Stephen Colbert. They are a JOKE in my opinion.
http://profiles.google.com/shle896 Shane Lear

Yeah, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN are ALL lying, but Fox “News” is telling you the truth. Really?
http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

Long ago, Fox News decided the would dominate the ratings by getting every Republican to come to their channel for news… their plan worked!!
Moderate

“Fox News has been the top-rated cable news network since 2002.”
Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.
Moderate

In a stunning rejection of network news and nightly news anchors, cable news, driven by the Fox News Channel and mouthy Bill O’Reilly, is now the top most trusted source—by a mile.
In a new poll from Boston’s Suffolk University, more than a quarter of the nation says Fox is tops when it comes to who they trust the most and O’Reilly is the most believable.
Anonymous

M.S.N.B.C. is so vile and hateful and everyone knows they take their orders from Obama and the Democratic party.M.S.N.B.C is unwatchable.
Anonymous

fox lies so much…they just brainwash people to thinking republican values can somehow help this country…not true fox
Anonymous

You sound just like Ed schultz and the rest of the emotionally and mentally disturbed so/called news network M.S.N.B.C.
Anonymous

How come every swinging Tea Bag watches FUX but 90% say “I don’t get my info from FAUX”
Anonymous

The real story is FUXORED news panders to fear and race baiting, and those people are sold on this idea. There is only one station that does this FUXED
Anonymous

They could have gotten the same results by showing porn.
Anonymous

FAUX is to news what porn is to acting!
Anonymous

every single normal person here believes just like i do that msnbc is the most balanced news organization on tv…not fox or cnn.
http://twitter.com/DakotaLV Dakota

FOX is so dominate Bill O has more viewers that Maddow,Odonnel,sharpton and Mathews COMBINED ! And a more intersting stat.. in Prime time The FOX time slot beats MSNBC,CNN,MSNBC comined from 8-12 pm

What is so stupid for all the liberals…. the smallest section of any political party in america by a large margin.. is that 42% of FOX’s viewers are registered democrats, so the old ” FOX is the only place for republicns to watch” doesnt fly.

People like to see the full story and spirted debates, hence fox news. When you watch MSNBC they 90% of the time( 100% if you were olbermann) never have a opposing view. They just sit there a lick each other off for teh entire show….unwatchable. Chris mathews is a slobbering fool… i really think he is drunk. No way can somebody run sentences together, and slobber on the air like he does. Sharpton? Still amazed he has a show.. that is how far MSNBC has fallen. Big red Head ED.. no words can describe that nut case. Odonnell? Anger issues much…. Maddow is the only half way sain person on the air …but 99% of america couldnt name in in a lineup …. and she is the master of takign things out of context its not worth waching, b/c everythign is chopped and cut you have no idea whats real
AliveStillKickin

Yeah…Right….or Prison fare.
AliveStillKickin

MSNBC and CNN
Two Chevy Volts in the Indy 500
Anonymous

So sad.
hoosiervet

If one looks at the competition for Fox, it is comparable to a pro basketball team beating an elementary school team………..
hoosiervet

0bama has ordered Government Motors to re-engineer the Volt
due to low sales and ‘over heating’ problems.

Named the reVolt, the vehicle will only drive on the left side of the road,
will not stop for any traffic officer, and will not follow any traffic regulations.

It will come standard with HD videos of 0bama speeches, transcripts from the
communist manifesto, and links to Dow Jones to watch the 0bama triggered stock
market crash.

Also included will be a plethora of 0bama 2012 bumper stickers already ‘tastefully’
covering both front and rear.

Starting price will be $38,500 per plate….er uh…..vehicle, which will be
funneled to the 0bama campaign…..
Anonymous

every single normal person here believes just like i do that msnbc is the most balanced news organization on tv…not fox or cnn.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_34VQ3NDNOFFUF6R7ALXY6O33S4 Cal

In related news, more than a quarter of the nation are massively ignorant. Bill O’Liely is not remotely trustworthy, no matter how many people trust him.

A lot of people in Germany trusted Hitler, too. Yet he lied constantly.
http://profile.yahoo.com/S6C7E4PDA5TZTJQ27AQARZS76I John P

It goes to show that the lemings are following the FOX over the cliff We can only hope they will someday wake up and see that the other cable networks are trying to be fair without pushing sensationlistism or fear