Reading the recent media on cable news ratings (like here, here, and here), you'd think that CNN was the only news network down on a year to year basis, but MSNBC is doing its share of declining as well.
From the first quarter of 2009 (12/29/08-03/29/09) to the first quarter of 2010 (12/28/09 – 3/28/10) i, they've seen notable drops across the board in the adults 25-54 demographic targeted by news advertisers.
All numbers are average adults 25-54, not including Olympics programming.
Aggregate dayparts:
- Total day (6a-6a) down -31% (125,000 v 181,000)
- Dayside (9a-5p) down -49% (72,000 v 142,000)
- Primetime (Monday-Friday) down -39% (239,000 v 392,000)
Morning Joe is down -36% (108,000 v 168,000)
Pre-primetime shows:
- Hardball with Chris Matthews (5p) – down -46% (96,000 v 178,000)
- Ed Show (6p) – down -28% (116,000 vs 162,000)
- Hardball (7p) – down -38% (151,000 v 243,000)
Primetime shows:
- 8 pm – Countdown With Keith Olbermann down -43% (263,000 v 460,000)
- 9 pm – The Rachel Maddow Show down -38% (241,000 v 389,000)
- 10 pm – Countdown down -30% (197,000 v 282,000)
MSNBC enjoyed a post-Obamacare-passage bounce that has lasted longer than I expected, but it's gradually receding to pre-Obamacare-passage levels.
Not particularly complicated I don't think. Politics fatigue after an insanely long and emotional presidential campaign. Now only true political junkies thrive on an intense daily diet of election and legislative minutiae. Meanwhile, the disenchanted minority finds a warm and fuzzy home at FOX telling them exactly what they want to hear (never mind whether or not any of what FOX tells them is, you know, actually *true* or anything).
I will be interested in seeing how Comcast, if they get the NBC properties, handles this situation. MSNBC has not been terribly distinguishing in the ratings among cable news properties for quite some time.
O'Reilly has more viewers than all of MSNBC time slots Matthews the moron, Ed the Clown, Rachel the mad cow, and the other joker at 8, put together and most of their reruns. O'Reilly reruns has more viewers. I guess people prefer the lies
over hatred.
msnbc has to get rid of olberman, period!!!!!!! he is still talking about bush!
Tribble Trouble, I find your logic suspect. The presidential campaign ended in November 2008, 17 months ago. Also, the article compares a a rating period ending 5 months after the election to the rating period ending 17 months after. I do think the reason nobody is watching MSNBC does have its roots in politics though.
In my opinion MSNBC is in decline because there is not enough hard news on the network, and their armada of OP/Editorial shows appear as if they're nothing more than a political version of HLN's “Showbiz Tonight.” MSNBC needs a prime time hard news program.
Agreed, Every time I turn on MSNBC the lunatic fringe shiny object of the moment i.e. Palin, Bachman and the likes are on. I find myself turning it off immediately. I have been spending more time getting info on the internet. MSNBC needs more journalistic news. I do not want to hear their opinions. I have my own!
I think AppleStinx, richardblackwell, and bytheC tagged the tail right on the donkey. They're hung up on the leftist view for the most part right now, and when leftist stories are big, their ratings go up. But when it's just a “normal” time period, most viewers don't care to tune in and hear Bush-bashing STILL going on, so it drops again. Seems simple enough to me.
Oh poor babies, this just breaks my heart.
RB: Yes, and he should keep talking about Bush. It is important for people to remember his 8 year Reign of Terror and never forget the misery in this country. He overturned our laws, catered to health care, bank, and military complexes, started the Iraq war, unfunded, based on a pack of lies….4500 dead, young American soldiers. Keith should keep on talking about those devastating years. Yes.
To 1Nancy2, it seems that you are a college educated liberal nut. Instead of taking basket weaving and other meaningful courses you should have focused on US Government courses and financial investment classes.
Only the Judicial and Congress branches can change or cancel laws of the nation. I agree that Obama is doing his best to circumvent that policy with what he is doing with the EPA and FCC, etc. As for Health Care, if Obama and the other Dumb-o-crats are not voted out, you won’t have any health care plans to complain about, just a very poorly run government system which will make the Medicare and Medicare plans look like raging, successful programs.
Strange you should accuse Fox not telling the truth. Can you enumerate some of the lies they have been telling? My opinion is that Fox is soaring in the ratings because people have gotten tired of hearing news that is all one sided. Fox is about the only news that shows that no matter how flat the pancake, it always has two sides.
1nancy2, staying on topic, history will ultimately judge Bush 43, not the Nielsens, so I think purely ideological discussions belong on another forum.
I'll take your ball and run with it though: I think Olbermann would probably be more relevant if he focused more on Obama's policies “righting” 43's “wrongs” instead of Olby's current rhetoric.
Personally, I think Olbermann's decline originates in his demeanor. For all his intelligence, the man's often bullish vulgar and judgmental behavior stymie any merit his message might offer viewers. His demeanor and Tony Dungy's stage fright make the NBC Sunday Night Football panel impossible for me to watch.
Trips 3 Dad: Oh boy, do I feel sorry for your children. I enjoyed your terminology: “college educated liberal nut.” taking basket weaving” “Dumb-o-crats”…Do tell if you have any other diddies in your bag of tricks. Name calling is the hallmark of Repubs. An intelligent, spirited conversation with the exchanging of ideas….Not so much. Keep writing though and if I can get through your finger pointing and name calling, then maybe we can have a reasonable discourse. Oh, by the way, I am a college educated liberal, but not a “nut” and so very proud of the name “Liberal”. You will never see me stoop to the name, Progressive. If the name Conservative lives, then, by golly, in my opionion. Liberal is alive and well. Cheers!
M: Thanks for your reply and I found your comments quite interesting. Keith can be bullish, as you say, but I don't see vulgar and yes, he can be judgmental, but most people tend to be so. Did you hear the compassion in his voice and see his humility when he discussed all of the free health clinics around the country for the poor, out of work, out of luck Americans? He deserves a round of applause for getting people to send money for this worthy cause. I did.
More likely people have real lives and don’t think it’s worth their precious time to tune into MSNBC just to hear about what was said on Fox.
If they just watch Fox then they save themselves several hours a day.
I think the ratings support this.
Nancy, as for Olbermann's vulgarity, I refer you to his comments concerning Scott Brown's election, Michelle Bachmann's mere existence and his popularizing of the term “tea-baggars” among others. I can easily fit the stereotype you promote that Keith's “compassion” panders too, but the man has been a personal project of mine that I studied over the years, and I know what he is really all about despite how he might appear on-screen at rare times. Olbermann, to me, is the left equivalent of Rush Limbaugh. I do not subscribe to either fringe.
On topic though, Maddow or even Matthews are more deserving of Olbermann's time-slot and I re-iterate that a hard news program should serve as a lead-in the “prime” prime-time time-slot instead of a Hardball replay on MSNBC. I, as program director for MSNBC, would run Hard News against the Factor, and put Olby up against Hannity.
Fox News will be basking in the glow for this. What keeps them on the air.
and who is surprised at this? this network is all obama lovefest, have you ever heard any of the anchors or even reporters like norah o'donnell , andrea mitchell say anything NEGATIVE about obama, now libs here tell the truth, they cover, spin, and only report positive news, even if its not postive, I have never seen anything like it, and I quit watching awhile back, once in awhile I check it out and its sickening, that norah may as well be working for them, and andrea mitchell is a joke, she was almost crying when they were trying to pass the healthcare, she actually sat there and almost in tears told a congresswomen you have to pass this for obama, it was disgusting, msnbc sold their soul to obama when he started running, its obvious the higherups are in his camp, wake up msnbc you are losing everyone, as obama polls are the lowest so goes msnbc and cnn, you'll never make it the way you are going, look at FOX NEWS, and you llibs trying to say its nothing but a republican network, independents and even many democrats watch it, everyone has buyers remorse and have caught on to obama and are sick of what he is doing to this country.
Ummm… Democrats have had quite a fun time throwing names around, too, so that particular “hallmark” is owned by both parties, as is the dearths of constructive ideas from time to time. Also, both parties have engaged in the insults, slanders, distortions of history, and mean-spirited attacks for as long as the United States has been in existence. Just FYI.