Wake Up Call: CNN’s Election Coverage Finishes Fourth
Highlighting even further the ratings erosion at CNN in prime time, the “Most Trusted Name in News” finished in fourth place among cable news outlets during election coverage last night.
Fox News was #1 by a mile, followed by MSNBC, then CNN sister network HLN and CNN in 4th place. They were fourth in both total viewers and the A25-54 demographic.
CNN’s 4th place finish last night was only made more glaring because last year’s election coverage on the network was their best night of all time. They didn’t just have more viewers than every other cable news network last year – it was the most of all time.
Here’s the ratings breakdown in prime time last night:
FNC: 4,043,000 in total viewers (1,130,000 in A25-54)
MSNBC: 974,000 in total viewers (308,000 in A25-54)
HLN: 842,000 in total viewers (341,000 in A25-54)
CNN: 826,000 in total viewers (227,000 in A25-54)
FNC topped MSNBC, HLN and CNN combined in total viewers and in the demo. HLN edged MSNBC in the demo as well during prime time. We’ll have more numbers coming.
But CNN finished 4th, behind HLN, which didn’t cover the election last night. From 8-10pmET, CNN arguably covered the election more than any cable news network (after 10pmET, it was probably Fox News). Meanwhile, their competition was the usual competition from FNC and MSNBC, with some election results rounding out the opinion-driven programs.
CNN has argued that when news is the focus, their journalistic slant will win out over opinion. Last night, quite obviously, this didn’t prove to be accurate.
—–
» Follow Steve Krakauer on Twitter
27 comments
TfT says: I guess I’m not the only one who sees through the “real journalism” lies of Klein, et al at CNN.
If this doesn’t wake them up and shake them up then nothing ever will. They need a whole new prime time line-up and they need to fire Klein.
This fall is truly remarkable. 4th place — if it wasn’t so funny it would be really sad.
libra blue says: Steve, Great posts today! I switched between CNN and FNC last night; I didn’t bother with the MSNBC cartoon channel coverage.
Campbell Brown tried to make a little news herself by attempting to give RNC Michael Steele the “Tucker Bounds” treatment, but Steele would have none of it and Brown came off looking like a ratings chasing bully.
I skipped the Crypt Keeper’s show, but tuned in to AC360 after 10pm. I knew it was going to be the same old partisan crap when I saw the usual Obama lap dogs, James Carville, David Gergen and Roland Martin.
Did you catch how disappointed Wolfie was when he was forced to announce that Christie had beaten Corazine in NJ? Of course Martin threw a little tantrum trying to downplay the importance of the wins in both VA and NJ, but that was to be expected. FNC did a little gloating over the same results and O’Reilly was unwatchable, however, Shep did a great job.
360 could have done without the silly distracting news Bulletins with Erica Hill. Who the hell cares about which celebrities have the H1N1 virus? People who care about that aren’t interested in watching election returns. Oh yeah, and they had something about which nationality has the sexiest accent. They even wasted time showing one of those stupid 360 “Shots.
libra blue says: @TfT, I wonder what excuse Klein will give for this? I can’t wait to hear it!
It dawns on me to cut CNN some slack here and point out there is only one “conservative” news channel, compared to the watering down effect of the liberal bias over three distinctly different networks.
Amazingly though, all three networks total viewership still trails in total viewership by approximately 1.5 million viewers!
Say it ain’t so Olbermann!!!
Really fascinating. Fox rules the roost, and the hard lefties turn to MSNBC for solace, but CNN, while being very left leaning, still maintains enough journalistic “integrity” that the fellow travelers aren’t frequenting their network. They might make a comeback, though, if they keep doing things like putting teen-agers on live broadcasts to sing odes to Obama’s health care plan. Keep trying, CNN…it’s the only chance you have…er…left…
http://johngalt.podomatic.com/
GreyWolf says: CNN lost my loyalty during the Clinton impeachment with their bias. No one really believes CNN is objective in their reporting & they cannot use that excuse for their low ratings cause all of us want objective news & we don’t go to CNN to get it. Like Obama, they continue with their lies & attacks.
Their little coverage of the 9-12 Tea Party demonstration in DC just showed how bias they are. Goody-bye CNN, hello FOX
Suzanne Venker says: What’s so surprising about that? American know bias when they see it. For more info on this subject and others, Google “No Bull Mom.”
James Carville, David Gergen and Roland Martin are probably the ugliest political team on television. Only adding Gloria Booger would make it more hideous.
RJHARRIN says: In spite of demographics, politics, philosophy, journalistic ethics which it has forfeited, etc., this rating shows that this organization, unlike any except in a totalitarian world, has NO accountability to anyone. Irrespective of any other moral commitments, the fact that CNN actually has shareholders and other stakeholders and continues to behave this way is an abomination. I am jealous of all who manage or work in such an environment, living forever(apparently) off the capital of others and not having the stigma of working for the government, which does.
cherriots8@yahoo.com says: There are many reasons for FNC being number one. The only channel thats’ tough on the president, and the people who gravitate to FNC more are conservatives. Where are independants and dems, gravitate to CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and the network news. Add all the ratings of those combined its around the same as FNC. In addition these races were of extreme importance to conservatives since it can be indicators of even-number-year elections for congress. Liberals weren’t that vested in these races, as preliminary polling showed a right leaning turnout in both races.
Jim Treacher says: Why is CNN the most trusted name in news? Because everyone’s avoiding the direct evidence to the contrary.
libra blue says: @Larry Kelly, I could not agree more! I had to turn the channel when she started cackling away.
jousterusa says: CNN has a real problem only because they are not delivering the news. Their producers lack the imagination to use their limited resources with sufficient wisdom to cover a lot more stories than they are now. They run dozens of headlines on the crawl screen that they never report upon, and spend an inordinate amount of time reporting on what they do cover. You would think the elections today, for instance, were really the only things that mattered happening in the United States. It’s just so hard to get any new news out of them. They have all these shows and personalities that have crowded the news right out of the picture. The fact is that they are misleading us when they call one channel “Headline News” because it’s only dedicated to quick headline coverage about 6 hours a day, not all day around the clock. Is it really possible that people are so gholishly devoted to murder stories that we have have three hours a night of Nancy Grace and her absurd posturing? Or the windbag Lou Dobbs with this anti-Americanism peeing on the President and the White House and Congress for a solid hour? They should take their cue from “all-news” radio stations that at least give you a sterady stream of stories, even if they screw it all up with cooking shows, talk shows and sports coverage. We really want to hear the damned news! And not over and over again, but quickly, accurately, and every three or four hours, if necessary or justified, not every 10 minutes. How long can we listen to the same stuff over and over again?
jousterusa says: Typos corrected. Please post this one:
CNN has a real problem only because they are not delivering the news. Their producers lack the imagination to use their limited resources with sufficient wisdom to cover a lot more stories than they are now. They run dozens of headlines on the crawl screen that they never report upon, and spend an inordinate amount of time reporting on what they do cover. You would think the elections today, for instance, were really the only things that mattered happening in the United States. It’s just so hard to get any new news out of them. They have all these shows and personalities that have crowded the news right out of the picture. The fact is that they are misleading us when they call one channel “Headline News” because it’s only dedicated to quick headline coverage about 6 hours a day, not all day around the clock. Is it really possible that people are so ghoulishly devoted to murder stories that we have three hours a night of Nancy Grace and her absurd posturing? Or the windbag Lou Dobbs with his anti-Americanism peeing on the President and the White House and Congress for a solid hour? They should take their cue from “all-news” radio stations that at least give you a steady stream of stories, even if they screw it all up with cooking shows, talk shows and sports coverage. We really want to hear the damned news! And not over and over again, but quickly, accurately, and every three or four hours, if necessary or justified, not every 10 minutes. How long can we listen to the same stuff over and over again?
I just had to switch over to MSNBC from Fox during the returns to see what the “other guys” were saying. I am a self-professed political junkie. I had been following internal polls for weeks leading up to the Big Three races on Tuesday: VA, NJ, NY23. I thought I was pretty well versed in what the country cared about last night.
While returns were pouring in from VA and NJ, what was MSNBC covering? The gay marriage issue in Maine.
I laughed out loud! They were doing whatever they could to avoid covering the landslide that was coming in in VA.
It was very pathetic. Talk about transparency!
Comedykid says: When they have on Carville, you need to have someone from Noorleans to tell you what the hell he is saying. Has anyone really paid any attention to him. It sounds about like this. WeolamMEboys WOndonehomegonefishfor vote.
It is a WTF did he say. No wonder CNN HLn and MSNBC is so low. Then you have some nitwit who goes on about the Republican and you can’t understand a word they say. Heck I hear interesting thoughts from midnight to 5 am on Coast To Coast. Heck maybe if CNN-HLN-MSNBC had that guy on, their ratings would improve.. We also had QueenBee Nancy saying how THEY WON last night. Then didn’t get her facts right. She stated that the NY Congress seat had been in Rep hands since 1860’s. She fails, like most Dems, to recall it was1993. Not unlike when Obama goes on about the wrost Depression since the Great Depression. They tend to forget the 1977 to 1981 years under Jimmy “The Teeth” Carter. Howcan the Dems say that Bush wa the worst when we had Carter they fail to point out. Heck Bush was nothing compared to Carter..
TexasRick says: If there is any doubt that viewers across the country are hungering for something other than the hero worship of the Communist News Network, or Keith Overmatched on MSLSD or any other lamestream media outlet, this is the proof. Talk about getting smoked in the ratings! 3to1 edge in viewers is just filthy. All of the outelts put together can’t even beat FOX. I think the best thing to ever happen to the FOX network was being called out by the White House for not being real journalists. I met at least a dozen people at the Houston Tea Party on Monday (10,000 plus on hand for that one) that tuned into FOX just to see what the fuss was about. Now they’re hooked. Yeah, what would we do without the “real” journalists at CNN, NBC, CBS, etc. who broke the ACORN scandal and showed Americans how the thugs, deadbeats, and crack smokers that comprise that sorry organization are fleecing the taxpayers for millions of dollars…..oh wait, yeah that was that other right wing pseudo media, Republican hack station FOX. Thank you FOX for having the guts to stand up and expose the left wing socialist jag offs for the racists and traitors they are. That’s why people are watching in such huge numbers.
Red Ruffansore says: Well let’s see, who founded CNN? That would be UBER left douche-bag Ted (the Red) Turner. It would go hand in hand that every person on that staff would gargle the presidential mansack with a mere nod from management and the management consider themselves to be part of the ruling class to educate us knuckle dragging dullards as to how the world operates.
I really can’t tell you how much I enjoyed watching all the people Barry-O and Babblin Joe campaigned for lose by record amounts and the frosting on the cake is CNN’s ratings being lower than whale shiite. How’s that hope-N-change workin out for ya?
TfT says: CNN BPTOTV are ridiculous. They claim balance and then have on one republican and seven liberals. Then the liberals spout their opinions about republicans and the anchor (Brown, King, Anderson or whoever) repeats it like it’s gospel. They are absurd. Plus, they fact check SNL skits. It’s no wonder they are in the gutter, garbage in/garbage out. They have earned their low ratings and they will stay there until they wake up and clean house. Anderson has no credibility with any moderate or conservative, Brown is the same. They get lefties who are sick of the schtick on MSNBC, that’s it.
Fire Klein and hire a whole new prime time line-up.
TexasRick says: Listening to Nazi Peloser’s remark about how they won, it’s obvious that marijuana was not just legalized in Breckenridge, Colo. I guess she’s gone from drinking the Kool-Aid to drinking the bong water. Your money’s on the dresser, sweetheart, now get dressed and beat it Nancy.
wolverine45 says: Why would anyone watch an obvious buntch of slanted liers and phoneys? The only reason anyone would have to watch cnn is for one hour a night when lou dobbs is on, other than that, it is
the most worthless lieing bunch of whacked out leftist propaganda on tv, and msnbc is right behind them.
wolverine45 says: oh and another thing, all these stupid koolaid drinking fools on cnn have to do to be successful is tell the truth, unslanted, without lieing, and making things up and insulting most americans,come to think of it thats all obama has to do, but because liberalism is a mental disorder , it is impossible for either one of them to do that.
Duc du Berry says: Wolf Blitzer’s monotone coverage is killing CNN – and the rest are just icing on the cake.
kimtaylor says: Using a mouse has absolutely nothing to do with it. Mouse clicks are just signals that run something call event handlers. Event handlers can respond to any type of input… touch screen, tylus, keyboard, optical, etc. Furthermore, “AJAX” is not a language. AJAX is a way of doing something. Javascript is a language.
the amount of fox news cheerleaders and liberal-hating teabaggers on here is hilarious. what a bunch of noobs… all they do is talk about ratings, ratings, ratings… as if it is the most important thing in their lives and fox news getting an average of 2.5 to 3 million viewers a night has answered their prayers. seriously… get a life people. go watch c-span, do some real independent research… fox news is not the answer to your problems, it only creates more problems. unfortunately, the uneducated dont realize how much fox loves gullible, brainwashed viewers, even if they are all teabaggers looking for a network that spouts far-right talking points. enjoy the propaganda.
Jim Treacher says: “the amount of fox news cheerleaders and liberal-hating teabaggers on here is hilarious.”
Finally, the voice of reason.
IMO cherriots8@yahoo.com called it right.
The Republicans and conservative Independents had more invested in the election, as evident from the turnout and nationally, few others cared because we didn’t have a dog in the hunt. I mean it wasn’t like it was an important, edge-of-your-seat vote and though I’m not going to look for any statistics, there was just a small segment of the population that had any kind of vote and an even smaller percentage that was going to be reported on CNN.
The hardcore political junkies and talking heads probably flipped between all three; Most of those who wanted “analysis” really just wanted to see their point-of-view parroted and they knew where to turn, while myself and others were doing or watching something else.
And in my case, it was my weekly line-up of shows on cbs.com.
Job hunting?
Use our proprietary jobs tool to access the largest pool of jobs aggregated from around the country.
The Seven Best (Or, Somewhat Memorable) Moments Of The Jay Leno Show
After 95 episodes, the epic failure known as The Jay Leno Show airs its final episode tonight. Of course, Leno himself will be back after the Olympics, comfortably at 11:35pm all over again. Which was pretty much the problem to begin with - the 10pm offering started as a similar product to the Tonight Show, and only became more like the old format as time went on.
David Paterson Rebuffs Rumors Of His Imminent Resignation
Embattled New York Governor David Paterson spoke publicly today about rumors of an impending scandal the imminent resignation that would come as a result. "The only way I'm not going to be Governor next year is at the ballot box. And the only way that I will be leaving office before is in a box." Video after the jump.
More TV headlines:
»Geraldo, Breaking CT Power Plant News Top FNC Ratings Sunday
»Glenn Beck’s Demo Ratings Beats His 5pm Competition’s Total Viewers »3
»Creepy George W. Bush Billboard Asks Minnesotans: “Miss Me Yet?” »31
»Obama’s Nobel Prize Money? It’s Still Waiting For Him To Claim »17
»Enraged, Maddow Explains ‘Racist History’ Tea Party Is Embracing »57
-
Coming soon...
-
Coming soon...
© 2010 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | 
RSS
