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Still Surging: Fox News Has Best Quarter In Network History

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» 25 comments

Fox News had their best year of all time in 2009. Now that we’ve finished the first quarter of 2010, it’s clear FNC is showing no signs of letting up – they just finished their best quarter ever, in total day total viewers.

It was also the second highest rated quarter ever in prime time total viewers. More details and analysis after the jump.

While Fox News continues to see record ratings, their cable news competitors are dropping off even more year-to-year. In the A25-54 demographic during prime time, FNC was up 16%, while CNN dropped 42%, MSNBC was down 22% and HLN was down 40%. In total viewers prime time, FNC was up 3% while the rest declined as well (CNN – 39%, MSNBC – 15%, HLN – 24%).

We’re now one month away from Fox News becoming the #1 cable news channel for the 100th consecutive month based on total viewers, and this quarter FNC expanded its reach into the cable market as a whole – finishing 2nd in prime time on all of cable, behind just USA Network. It also had the top 13 programs on cable news in both total viewers and the demo.

As for the programs, their two main news shows saw their best quarters ever. Special Report with Bret Baier and FOX Report with Shepard Smith at 6 and 7pmET respectively. Of course, the entire line-up was up – in demo, Glenn Beck was up the most (50%).

While CNN continues to decline in prime time (as detailed today in the New York Times) and MSNBC’s signature programs fall off as well (post coming), Fox News remains unaffected. In fact, with health care passing, there’s no reason to doubt the second quarter of 2010 will be any different. With midterm elections just around the corner, Fox News could conceivably be headed for another year of stronger ratings than the one before.

Whether you’re a fan of the ‘fair and balanced’ or not, it’s an amazing feat.

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  • Olby Sucks

    Fox News……Most trusted. ;)

  • MichelleF

    Ouch, that’s gonna leave a mark.

  • Bias-Media

    Very nicely written article. I especially agree with the last statement:

    “Whether you’re a fan of the ‘fair and balanced’ or not, it’s an amazing feat”

  • Caryson

    Say what you want about FNC, but the proof is in the pudding!

    The Obama cabal tried to demonize FNC for hard hitting questions and failed. Viewers understand what is going on and seek a more balanced presentation of the news.

  • Nachi

    Proof that there is ALWAYS a market for gross ignorance and hatred among the Little People.

  • puck30

    History!

  • TylerDurdin

    LMAO! The more the libs show their hate, the more prole turn to FOX!

    Keep it up libs!

  • thehertz

    Simply that Fox has the most viewers has no baring if what they say on air has any truth to it. It has an ideology first, facts second mentality in which they present their information. MSNBC somewhat does the same thing just less so. Neither FNC or MSNBC seem to do any real investigative reporting anymore, just leaving it to talking heads and nothing much else. All you get from that is propaganda, not an education of the facts or proper context in which to educate. It’s a shame that more people don’t question this news outfit. It shouldn’t be about whether you agree or disagree on a topic, it should be about the truth and we will never see that until the truth is the top priority. To honestly think that either FNC or MSNBC is fair and balanced is just silly. Leave to it to the sheep to run towards the pulpit.

  • Fuzzlenutter

    Hahahahahahahahaha…

    thehertz:

    Can I please ask you a question?

    Just what color is the sky in your own little world?

  • Fuzzlenutter

    And Nachi:

    I must say, that’s a truly great description you’ve there of CNN & MSNBC!

  • fanofamerica

    Nachi, fixed your post for you~

    Simply that Obama had the most voters has no baring on if what he says has any truth to it. He has an ideology first, facts second mentality in which he presents information. Just leaving it to Obama’s talking head, all you get from that is propaganda, not an education of the facts or proper context in which to educate. It’s a shame that more people don’t question Obama. . It shouldn’t be about whether you agree or disagree with him on a topic, it should be about the truth and we will never see that until the truth is the top priority.

  • b24clark

    News is a matter of degree & (oh no) nuance! God, I actually used that pseudonym for: “Watch out, they are gonna smush you on this topic… here comes the Leftist to Marx’s propaganda!”

    Anyway, I’d like to address Dick Hertz’s remarks. America is very uncomfortable with the way the nyt & others are pitching their nation. We smell it, we feel it. The msm is losing it’s collective shirt on Wall Street, their GAAP’s are a disaster. Their market share of the information flow isn’t growing as the internet & blogosphere is accelerating on mostly conservative or centrist contributers. As the nyt are wont to often remark: “They (us, the people) are past the tipping point!”

    Why is no one listening to the nyt, msm, cnn, msnbc? Because the writers & suppliers of their ideas defend Obamacare, Cap & Trade, Climate Change, & Muslim centric or apologetic foreign policy.

    These ideas don’t fit with America today. America wants to be told what they believe: America is great, we support the world, we have rescued the world repeatedly. We create products, markets, new meanings of freedom, fashion, food, medicine, surgical techniques, great sport clubs, rodeos, college football, cheerleaders…

    But these things are scorned by the msm, by the nyt. They don’t know that their NUANCED coded dislike for America & its people were becoming more clear to the everyday people. More clear, more understood. And more rejected.

    Obama & his dramatic revelations of what a democrat really is today was the final blow.

    QED: Fox is winning, it’s over. Wait till the nyt tries to charge for it’s web site items by intellectuals! Intellectuals without a clue… without any touch with Americans.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joshua-Zambrano/679954391 Joshua Zambrano

    Unlike MSNBC, Fox News isn’t afraid to give air time to liberals and let them hammer out the issues with their own, often conservative commentators. Some like Geraldo and Alan Colmes are decidedly liberal and given opportunity to voice things from the other side of the aisle.

    Glenn Beck is obviously biased. O’Reilly a bit as well. However, others like Shepard Smith, Greta Van Susteren, and Sean Hannity make an attempt to be fair and balanced and show all sides, or to question rather than just pushing an ideology. I think that’s what attracts people, they are certainly opinionated but do have a willingness to show the liberal and independent sides of things.

    In many ways, I consider it telling of the American people’s anger at the liberal media, which under-reports the conservative side of things. The Associated Press, MSNBC, CNN, all of them do it. CNN reporter Susan Roesgen even got caught using a plant to try and make the Tea Party look bad.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6xWGvdRQ9Q

    The Pew Research Center found all networks but Fox News in 2008 giving biased coverage to Obama, both in quantity and quality.

    http://www.journalism.org/node/13436

    However, I think print publications more fair, such as the Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. The AP and all major news networks save Fox and C-Span might as well have liberal painted on their foreheads.

  • markusgarvey

    something fishy is going on here…just like beck, palin and levin get on the NYT bestsellers list…something is just not right…

  • perelandra

    Just four words for Fox : Don’t Ever Forget Toyota.

  • DFW

    This should surprise no one. When given the choice between watching cartoons and going to school, most first graders would choose to watch cartoons. As this is the emotional and educational level of a vast number of Fox “News” viewers, they watch not what is real but what they want to see and hear. This is the same reason why a Republican presidential ticket of Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear (or John McCain and Sarah Palin) will still always get at least 45% of the votes in an American presidential election, no matter how ridiculous the tcket might be.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ada-Smith/1570013688 Ada Smith

    Ourexam HP0-754 free questions can help you a lot, Try it:
    Which of the following statements regarding history download is TRUE? Choose one answer.
    A. New filtering criteria for the history download are NOT available for selection from the GUI.
    B. You can specify the option -copy to keep the history messages in the database when using opchistdwn.
    C. You can selectively upload data from files using opchistupld+filter criteria.
    D. It is NOT possible to specify exclusions (e.g. -not_node).
    Answer: A
    http://www.ourexam.com/HP0-754.html

  • ohioliberal

    People please remember this about Fox Ratings.

    Intelligent people have a wide variety of sources for their news and information

    People who watch Fox have but only one source for their daily talking points and disinformation – haven’t you learned in science class how things “settle at the bottom”

  • writer

    In other words, all news outlets except for Fox have a left wing bias.

  • felixw

    This is not a question of Left or Right. Fox deals with substantive issues every evening — the economy, terrorism, foreign policy, jobs, etc. But when I tune into MSNBC, it is always running some creepy hit piece.

    And the stuff is so obviously distorted and biased — Bart Stupak lives in a brothel or Michael Steele is into bondage or James O’Keefe is responsible for the new Watergate or Rush Limbaugh supports slavery — garbage that inevitably turns out to be false a few days later. But, of course, no retraction is ever made.

    Anyone with an IQ above the legal drinking age can see how corrupt the network has become. Given this situation, the competitors will never catch up with Fox — at least not until they start reporting fairly and stop misleading the viewers with all these smear stories.

  • annejaa

    Well I started watching Fox News during the Iraq war and till its continued. I consider myself a conservative independent and enjoy the honesty and truth that Fox news gives.FOX is surely more entertaining than any other news channels.
    get your girlfriend back

  • mintjulip13

    There is no question that the inmates are running the asylum over at MSNBC. If management doesn’t flip the switch soon it ‘ll all be straight down hill from here. There are just too many high test liberals. It cannot last much longer!!!!

  • Sunnyr

    Bret Baier is the best hard news guy on TV, ANYWHERE! He rocks! Obama got the very first REAL interview, with relevant questions, he has ever had since he became POTUS. And he couldn’t handle it! What a joke!

    Fox has earned the trust of the American people in the 13 years they have been on the national scene. Many more, guys and gals………..you are THE BEST!

  • Sunnyr

    A big THANK YOU to Roger Ailes for bringing the media Super Star, Glenn Beck, on board. He is stunningly popular with the American people and has the loons in the White House foaming at the mouth while running in little bitty circles. Keep up the good work, Glenn. We love you!

  • Disfuncion

    Congratulations.

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