Fox News Finds Its Rivals Closing In

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: New York Times

By JACQUES STEINBERG
Published: June 28, 2008

When prime-time cable news ratings for the second quarter of 2008 are officially released next week, they will show that Fox News reclaimed the top spot among viewers in their mid-20s through mid-50s, those of greatest interest to news advertisers, according to estimates from Nielsen Media Research. During the first three months of the year, by contrast, CNN drew so many viewers on big Democratic primary nights and for several presidential debates that it vaulted over Fox News for the first time in six years.

But the back-and-forth these last few months masks a more ominous trend for Fox News, particularly as its gears up to cover the general election campaign. The most dominant cable news channel for nearly a decade and a political force in its own right, Fox has seen its once formidable advantage over CNN erode in this presidential election year, as both CNN and MSNBC have added viewers at far more dramatic rates.

In the first five-and-a-half months of 2004, the last presidential election year, Fox’s prime-time audience among viewers aged 25 to 54 was more than double that of CNN’s — 530,000 to 248,000, according to estimates from Nielsen Media Research. This year, through mid-June, CNN erased the gap and drew nearly as many viewers in that demographic category as Fox — about 420,000 for CNN to 440,000 for Fox.

Meanwhile, CNN has added 170,000 viewers a night, on average, when compared with the last presidential year, while Fox has shed about 90,000, according to Nielsen. (MSNBC, which added 181,000 viewers in that audience, much of it courtesy of gains by “Countdown With Keith Olbermann,” still lagged in third place, with 303,000.)...

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/arts/television/28rati.html

[NJmaverick]

1. Guess terrorist fist bumps are not as big a draw as Faux news thought

it would be

[roguevalley]

12. this is bigger than it sounds when you consider that fox is bundled into

a lot of cable packages and has more sets possible for tuning in.

[Andy823]

2. Just like with Bush

People are finally waking up to the truth, and all the lies, all the spin, and all the BS won't change things.

People that watch Fox and believe all that BS need some serious mental help.

[cstanleytech]

4. Hopefully they are but I gotta admit, I watched Fox News a lil bit

even though I know they are a biased network and that most of the people doing the reporting and commenting are little more than Muppet's repeating what they are ordered to in order to prop up the GOP and the Bush administration.
Not sure why I watched though except I guess maybe it was because it was like watching a train wreck kinda thing as it happens, you know you know its horrible and all but you just cant take your eyes off it, well that and at times they made me laugh and I saw them as a rival for Comedy Central in their buffoonery.

[Doctor_J]

7. There are dozens, or maybe hndreds, of DUers who are addicted to Fox

They are in need of intervention.

[Divine Discontent]

22. I tell that to someone close to me often... LOL

I seriously want to ask her to block the channel!


New Obama Items Weekly!
www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[Downtown Hound]

17. I tune in now and again to keep my teeth sharpened

And study the ways of the right wing propagandists. But I avoid watching it on a regular basis because ultimately that gives them power and legitimacy they don't deserve. It's a balancing act.

[cstanleytech]

18. I watch about only 20 to 40 minutes at most usually a week

after that its just to painful to watch their bootlicking of so many republicans.

[Downtown Hound]

19. I hear that

I find that Fox News is actually good for my health in a certain, strange way. Because every time I watch it, I get so mad that I have to go work out and pump iron or hit a punching bag or something. It keeps me in shape. That's about the only nice thing I'll ever say about them.

[pattmarty]

3. And the worm turns.........................

[Doctor_J]

5. If any of their "rivals" would drop the GOP campaign and start some balanced

reportage and opinion, they would obliterate the fascists at Fox. But that would mean risking a mailbox full of anthrax, so it's a long shot.

[marshall]

23. They're outFoxing Fox

That's the hidden message here--sing the same tune as Fox.

[happygoluckytoyou]

6. should show more SPONGEBOB to pander to their BASE

they would do better to:

bill themselves out as "the new comedy central"

--- if only they were funny

[KoKo]

8. I never watched Fox News...but this MSNBC/CNN Viewer has Cut them Off....

They are disgusting ...they pulled the plug on any real objective news,after Obama secured the Delegates. Aside from Political RW Talking Points Propaganda...both of them seem to focus on "Crime & Sex" (MSNBC) and "War straight from the Pentagon's Shop" on CNN. I know Olbermann and Abrams on MSNBC have some loyal viewers amongst DU'ers and some like Dobbs and Cafferty on CNN...but all of them are still shills...they just are there for "show."

I might have to pull my Cable out. What's the point? :shrug:

[Indenturedebtor]

9. I haven't voluntarily watched fox news since the 04 election

I was overseas and it was the only Murikan "news network". That's also when I wrote my first "Go f-yourself O'Liely" letter as well.

It's absolutely shameful that anyone still watches that hideous spectacle.

[DallasNE]

10. It's Mostly In The Demographics

The youngest of voters has been trending Democratic for several years now. That means that those coming in the front end of the demographic range are far more Democratic than those going out the back end of the democratic range and, presto, Fox new suffers. Within another 10 years Fox will be considered the old peoples channel. And it has little to do with the programming.

[AlbertCat]

11. Who gets their news from the boob tube anymore?

I haven't watched TV news regularly since they wouldn't stop repeating the film of thousands dying on 9/11. Over and over and over...for days...weeks!

But now more people are watching the news because of the election and some real news seeps in sometimes. Democrats and progressives haven't watched the news on TV for ages. I mean what's there to watch? BBC America and LINK TV maybe. Now they hear things even they can agree with so tune in more. But not to Fox...which even a lot of its viewers know not to take seriously.

[gulliver]

13. Fox "News" is not news.

So how can news channels be considered its rivals. That's half the problem really. There is a tacit admission that Fox "News" is a news channel. Why?

[fasttense]

14. A lot of Fox Noise's ratings come from hospitals,

doctor's offices, hotels, and other waiting areas. It is left on and people are force to watch it. I was amazed to see so many people huddled around the evening news on Fox Noise when I was in the family waiting room at the hospital.

When I went to Indiana for a funeral, the only news channel that the hotel had was Fox Noise. We complained but they only shrugged. I'll never stay there again.

[DeepModem Mom]

15. That is really discouraging. I've complained before in public places --

but lost a little steam doing that when our primary candidates appeared on Fox.

I'm always grateful to note that Fox is not on the multitude of TV screens as I pass through airports.

[Fluffdaddy]

16. Bookmarked to read later :)

[LynnTheDem]

20. Too many former faux news viewers have decided they don't like being duped

over and over and over and over again.

But never fear, Faux News, coz many rightwingnuts love being duped by you over and over and over again!

Rightwingnuts; truly the easiest MFers to dupe. Over and over and ``we found wmd!`` over again.

[Zynx]

21. I think it has something to do with the overall drop in Republican affiliation since 2004.