Fox News is master of its domain, such as it is
“Fox News will mark 2010 as one of the best years since the network’s launch in 1996. The network posted powerful ratings, beating the combined ratings of CNN and MSNBC and marking the ninth straight year as cable’s top news network.
According to Nielsen, the top five cable news programs in terms of total viewers and viewers 25-54 (the metric used by advertisers and considered the most important by networks) were all on Fox: The O’Reilly Factor (781,000 viewers 25-54); Hannity (585,000); Glenn Beck (572,000); On the Record (481,000); and The O’Reilly Factor repeat (447,000).”
MSNBC beat CNN for the second straight year among viewers 25-54, and for the first time beat CNN among total primetime viewers as well. The numbers for CNN are truly abysmal, not only compared to Fox and MSNBC, but compared to its own numbers of a year ago. Total primetime viewers of CNN fell by 34 percent compared to 2009.
However, Fox viewership fell as well, declining 7 percent in primetime and 8 percent among primetime viewers in the 25-54 demographic. And to put things in some perspective, “The O’Reilly Factor” drew an average of 3.2 million viewers a night. That makes him the king of cable news talk, but well behind network news shows. (For the week of Dec. 20, NBC averaged 9.5 million viewers a night, ABC averaged 8 million a night and CBS averaged 6.2 million).
With roughly 1 percent of America watching, his numbers also put him well behind cable competitors such as his show’s spiritual cousin, World Wrestling Entertainment, and Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon, both of which often pull 5 million or more viewers.
In addition, “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert both regularly outdraw O’Reilly among the younger demographic sought by advertisers. In fact, it’s striking how old the O’Reilly audience skews (3.2 million average audience, just 781,000 of them between 25 and 54.)
All that said, however, there’s no question of Fox News’ success within its narrow field, nor about the profitability of its approach.
– Jay Bookman
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300 comments Add your comment
TnGelding
December 30th, 2010
9:25 am
It’s amazing what it covers as “news.” Can you say repetition ad nauseum?
james
December 30th, 2010
9:29 am
New Years prediction- BS will have to walk a little faster. The public (not the gov’t) will demand more facts and less biased garbage.
Wyld Byll Hyltnyr
December 30th, 2010
9:30 am
Jay, cry not that the bell tolls for CNN, which Fox News has rendered irrelevant, for its audience far exceeds, and decays at a far slower rate, than that of the AJC.
(disclosure item: Gretchen Carlson is a close personal friemd dating back to when she was in Dallas)
Doggone/GA
December 30th, 2010
9:31 am
“but well behind network news shows”
Jay…I wish you had included some numbers. I do get so tired of hearing that FOX is the #1 news network, or that this or that FOX show is #1 on TV…when the truth is they are only #1 on CABLE. They don’t even come close to the broadcast networks.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
December 30th, 2010
9:31 am
Good morning all. I would gauge the essay of our host as reasonably fair and balanced, although it smacks of sour grapes. On the issue, I think O’Reilly’s opinion show and Bret Bair’s news show were the only television shows I watched this year, although I watched those two reasonably regularly. The appeal – they talk about stuff the other places do not. Same appeal I find with the WSJ. Just coincidence that they are controlled by the same company, I suppose.
TaxPayer
December 30th, 2010
9:31 am
How is it that FOX gets so many viewers given that Republicans claim to not watch their shows and no Democrat in his left mind would dream of doing so. Perhaps it is all the right-leaning Independents.
Howard Beale
December 30th, 2010
9:31 am
I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell – ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’
Matti
December 30th, 2010
9:32 am
I’m sick of “news” organizations that spend more time telling us how to feel about a ten-second partial tidbit of a news item than they do presenting facts about the item. Just give us as many facts as you can find about what happened, and let the viewers decide how we feel about it! But the money comes from whipping people into a gotta-tune-in frenzy that supports their existing biases, so that’s not likely to happen.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
December 30th, 2010
9:34 am
Maybe sour grapes was too harsh by me, but I thought it a nice touch that our host included shows familiar to our leftist friends (SpngeBob, WWE, Nickelodeon) to give them a frame of reference they could appreciate.
Howard Beale
December 30th, 2010
9:35 am
I would like at this moment to announce that I will be retiring from this program in two weeks’ time because of poor ratings. Since this show is the only thing I had going for me in my life, I’ve decided to kill myself. I’m going to blow my brains out right on this program a week from today. So tune in next Tuesday. That should give the public relations people a week to promote the show. You ought to get a hell of a rating out of that. 50 share, easy
Keep up the good fight!
December 30th, 2010
9:35 am
Well if we go by the ratings numbers to determine reliabilty, which is what is heard from the right so often, CNN should hire Spongebob to present the news….
Doggone/GA
December 30th, 2010
9:36 am
“no Democrat in his left mind would dream of doing so.”
Well, I don’t watch FOX but it has nothing to do with “not dreaming of doing so” – as I’ve stated before, I just don’t like their house “style.” It irritates me and I don’t get enough out of it to judge them on the facts they present.
cosby smith
December 30th, 2010
9:37 am
Pick on Republicans, pick on Fox news..must be a slow day at the AJC
RAMBLE ON!!!
December 30th, 2010
9:41 am
Wow Jay, no cheap shots. I’m shocked. I guess you’re just teeing it up for your sheep.
USSRinUK, Normal, Amvet, in three, two, one…
Mick
December 30th, 2010
9:41 am
Maybe fox is so prolific because it is on every tv in restaurants, hotel lobby’s, hospital waiting rooms, car dealership waiting rooms etc. When I asked if they could change the channel the answer is no because of some deal with fox and cable….cheaters.
Howard Beale
December 30th, 2010
9:43 am
So. A rich little man with white hair died. What has that got to do with the price of rice, right? And *why* is that woe to us? Because you people, and sixty-two million other Americans, are listening to me right now. Because less than three percent of you people read books! Because less than fifteen percent of you read newspapers! Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn’t come out of this tube! This tube is the Gospel, the ultimate revelation. This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers… This tube is the most awesome God-damned force in the whole godless world, and woe is us if it ever falls in to the hands of the wrong people, and that’s why woe is us that Edward George Ruddy died. Because this company is now in the hands of CCA – the Communication Corporation of America. There’s a new Chairman of the Board, a man called Frank Hackett, sitting in Mr. Ruddy’s office on the twentieth floor. And when the twelfth largest company in the world controls the most awesome God-damned propoganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what shit will be peddled for truth on this network?
Jay
December 30th, 2010
9:44 am
Doggone, the numbers you requested have now been added.
Doggone/GA
December 30th, 2010
9:45 am
Thanks Jay!
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
December 30th, 2010
9:47 am
Well, us old, Conservative f-rts watch Fox News all the time. We ain’t had a new idea or changed our thinking about anything in about 30 years, and that’s the way it should be. If it was good enough for my Pappy and my Grandpappy, it ought to be good enough for me.
So let Bookman and the young pups throw off on Fox. I’ll keep my TV tuned right where it always is. I’ll just say this: we was alot better off back in the 1930s than we are today.
Have a good Thursday everybody.
Mick
December 30th, 2010
9:53 am
I used to watch nightly news every day then katie couric came and I went over to brian williams. I got tired of nbc real quick and haven’t watched nightly news in more than 3 years, and I’m not coming back. Prefer local news, local newspaper and internet. Read opinion columns krugman, krauthammer hiassen, bookman, to name a few..
barking frog
December 30th, 2010
9:56 am
Fox is in the ‘henhouse’. Costs are minimal.
making the distributors of his advertising
pay him to distribute. He stole the business
model of the freebie networks and went one
better. Murdoch is King.
N
December 30th, 2010
9:57 am
This pleases Rupert Murdoch, who spends quality time figuring out how to dominate the world. He’s pretty much on track.
Road Scholar
December 30th, 2010
9:58 am
Matti @ 9:32: I gree with you with the addition of providing a brief history of what led up to the news piece. Some of the conjecture (like who will the Repubs nominate) is not news, just wasted time.
jt
December 30th, 2010
10:01 am
MSNBC,CNN,FOXNews all spew nothing but State-approved Propaganda.
FOX= Hate Muslims and War,War,War.
MSNBC=Hate the rich and War,War,War.(only if their boy is president).
CNN=Hate the rich and Ted Turner and War,War,War.
I was watching O’Reilly last night and the topic was Julian Assange. NO LIE————his mug shot was displayed alongside Charlie Manson and John Wayne Gacey.
What idiots.
C’mon Jay, tell us your opinion on the global Hero of liberty, Julien Assange.
Dave
December 30th, 2010
10:02 am
A little off topic, but definately relevant:
From Larry Elder – $5 Gas Predicted Under Obama — What, No Pitchforks?
“Five dollars per gallon of gas by 2012! A former president of Shell Oil considers this likely. The average price on Christmas Day for a gallon of regular gas reached $3.28 in Los Angeles County, the highest price since October 2008. In one month, the price rose 13 cents, up 35 cents year to year.
Where are the calls to sic Obama’s Justice Department on Big Oil to hold the oil companies accountable for “market manipulation”? Why aren’t we hunting down the amoral “oil speculators” responsible for repealing the law of supply-and-demand in order to line their pockets?
During President George W. Bush’s administration, we constantly heard demands to hold the President accountable for “Big Oil’s price gouging.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., just two years ago, knew exactly whom to blame for “skyrocketing” oil prices: “The price of oil is at the doorstep; $4-plus per gallon for oil is attributed to two oilmen in the White House and their protectors in the United States Senate.”
In 2007, when the average national price ranged from $2.17 to $3.22, then-Sen. Barack Obama demanded that the Federal Trade Commission investigate Big Oil for “price manipulation.” In 2008, presidential candidate Obama urged the Justice Department “to open an investigation into whether energy traders have been engaged in illegal activities that have helped drive up the price of oil and food.”
Obama also called for “a windfall profits penalty on oil selling at or over $80 per barrel.” As of Christmas 2010, a barrel of oil sold at slightly above $90. What happened to the windfall profits tax?
Yes, back then the average price per gallon was four bucks. But blaming “oilman” Bush for high prices began when the average price was well below today’s $3.05 national average.
The average price was $1.72 on March 5, 2003, when CBS News posted a story online with this headline: “Dems Blame Bush For High Oil Prices.” It referred to an investigative report by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. Levin blamed Bush’s post-9/11 decision to increase the amount of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve by 40 million barrels in 2002 — bringing the total to 600 million. Levin said, “We’re confident this had a significant impact on the price of oil in 2002.” Never mind that the Bush administration called the amount of oil diverted too small to matter.”
Left wing management
December 30th, 2010
10:04 am
I guess the suits at CNN are holding out to see what their numbers look like as we start moving into the election season, which is where – along with disasters (by the way I wonder how their numbers were during the Haiti and oil spill events of this year) – they typically make up ground. If their numbers remain slack into 2011 and 2012, then they know they’ve got a huge problem. And frankly, they’ll probably deserve it. As I see it, they’re the journalistic equivalent of Barack Obama, who suffers from a naive fantasy of a magic “middle” ground of objectivity and reasonableness. Which is obviously not what the moment calls for, nor is it what the people want.
Keep up the good fight!
December 30th, 2010
10:04 am
Fox has mastered the “some people say/think” innuendo. Especially when the “innuendo” is presented in a Fox segment and becomes the source. And of course, there is the daily email to Fox talking heads about the words they shall and shall not use.
Of course, they do talk about other things the other networks dont talk about….like reporting stories from The Onion as true.
Dave
December 30th, 2010
10:06 am
Of course I’d theorize that the Dems “outrage” was pure political at the time and, in the end, would prefer high gas prices (remember the calls for increasing the gas tax?) to alter the populace’s behavior to reduce our driving and/or “pursuade” us to purchase little 4-door lawnmowers in the name of “global warming”, i mean, “climate change”.
larry
December 30th, 2010
10:07 am
Spongebob Squarepants ……Bill O’Really
Whats the difference?
Bosch
December 30th, 2010
10:09 am
….like reporting stories from The Onion as true.
Are you serious Keep?
Bosch
December 30th, 2010
10:09 am
larry,
I think Spongebob is more entertaining, you know, as far as entertainers go. He’s more deep (pun intended).
Intown
December 30th, 2010
10:10 am
Fox News is trash. Absolute trash. It is clear that the vast majority of americans are moderate and sane folks who don’t yell and don’t like to be handed political propaganda and overs sensationalized stories passed off as news. They prefer network news and Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert. G-d bless ‘em. I’m one of ‘em.
Tommy Maddox
December 30th, 2010
10:10 am
The news they report is basically the same that all other networks report. They do carry stories that the other networks refuse to carry due their own agenda.
What galls the Left, as is evident on these blogs on a daily basis, is Fox’s commentary shows. Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly, are all opinion shows. The Left howls about opinion commentators as being news anchors: wrong.
Lil' Barry Bailout
December 30th, 2010
10:10 am
Jay, why the need to minimize Fox News’ ratings and financial dominance?
Ragnar Danneskjöld
December 30th, 2010
10:10 am
Dear Larry @ 10:07, conservatives appreciate political analysis by O’Reilly, leftists appreciate political analysis by SpongeBob.
Bosch
December 30th, 2010
10:11 am
Although I must admit about O’Reilly, the only time I’ve ever seen him was his appearances on other shows — I guess he is more tame then.
I saw him on Bill Maher’s show once and it was odd that he and Bill agreed on some things. That’s what I’ve always suspected — if you take these talking heads out of their elements, just like us, they (we) actually agree with more than you think.
Bill Orvis White
December 30th, 2010
10:12 am
Why does FOX News win so much? Answer: Because most of America relates to what they present. It’s that simple. Americans are sick and tired of being overtaxed by the elites in Washington who spend our money on unnecessary programs that do not benefit anyone. Most of America is tired of being lied to by the MSM (mainstream media) which brainwashes the masses with a pro-Socialist agenda. Those ideas weaken this nation on so many fronts. In my opinion and many others across this nation, the MSM has damaged this country by weakening our military and promoting cultural decay.
The reason for the decline at the other cable nets and pro-government newspapers like the AJC is that these outlets are out of touch with the common man who is trying to make a simple buck and attend church.
Thank the Lord Almighty for FOX News which questions how our government is forcing items like health care down our throats. Yes, Liberal Jay, there will be death panels and just the other day, FOX News did a huge segment on it. Where was the MSM on this story? Answer: y’all were asleep at the wheel writing blogs that bash conservatives. Thank God for publications like Newsmax and books by Dinesh D’Souza, the Honorable President George W. Bush and the Honorable Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. We need more men of strong character like this out in front. You will find them on FOX News, but you won’t find them on PMSNBC which seems to have the Communist governor from Pennsylvania and Bawney Frank on all the time.
For more information, read my thoughts on why FOX News is important to today’s news pipeline:
http://tinyurl.com/2dwaqpf
TaxPayer
December 30th, 2010
10:12 am
SpongeBob has class. As for Bill, not Really.
@@
December 30th, 2010
10:12 am
jay’s into popularity contests?
Sad commentary when Spongebob Squarepants becomes intermixed with newsworthy. I know some of jay’s leftist are big fans, or so they’ve said.
larry
December 30th, 2010
10:13 am
Dear Ragnar, what is the difference? They are both saying the same thing. They act the same , they look the same. Even the starfish looks like Hannity.
Bosch
December 30th, 2010
10:13 am
Ragnar,
I particularly liked the episode when Spongebob and Patrick discovered curse words and referred to them as sentence enhancers — you know, which they are. At least, Spongebob speaks the truth some times.
TGT
December 30th, 2010
10:14 am
Given that we’re at years end, a friendly reminder: Make sure you have all your charitable contributions in by tomorrow evening if you intend for the tax deduction to be on your 2010 income.
I wonder what the average giving of a FOX viewer is vs. an MSNBC viewer. Two to three times more?
@@
December 30th, 2010
10:14 am
By the looks of things, jay’s left-wingers aren’t even embarrassed to admit their love for Spongebob.
Weird!
larry
December 30th, 2010
10:14 am
Faux so called -news = Nick Jr.
IM out .
Keep up the good fight!
December 30th, 2010
10:15 am
Bosch…yes, see for yourself….one correction though…it was not Onion it was Weekly News Tabliod.
Bosch
December 30th, 2010
10:15 am
“which questions how our government is forcing items like health care down our throats”
Yes, damn that government for wanting everyone to pay for it instead of just those who have insurance….damn them.
“Yes, Liberal Jay, there will be death panels”
Will be? Seriously, Bill, you are speaking in future tense — there already ARE death panels.
The cable news numbers are in | Liberal Media Books
December 30th, 2010
10:16 am
[...] Jay Bookman digs a little deeper, though, and finds some interesting related data. MSNBC beat CNN for the second straight year among viewers 25-54, and for the first time beat CNN among total primetime viewers as well. The numbers for CNN are truly abysmal, not only compared to Fox and MSNBC, but compared to its own numbers of a year ago. Total primetime viewers of CNN fell by 34 percent compared to 2009. [...]
Paul
December 30th, 2010
10:17 am
Heh, heh, heh
Jay, you included enough in this to hit 400 or 500 comments today. Let the games begin!
“That makes him the king of cable news talk, but well behind network news shows. ”
I think it would be more appropriate to compare cable news talk show with network news talk shows. I know the source article included that program plus Hannity and others as ‘news’ shows, but even the hosts of the programs cited are clear they have opinion shows, not news shows.
More relevant for news was this line: “In terms of total viewers, Special Report joins the top five cable news shows, as host Bret Baier has taken the show to its highest ratings ever.” I know, I know, the two straight news shows – Brett Baier’s and Shepard Smith’s – are not generally talked about by the left wing, probably because there isn’t much to criticize as far as straight news reporting (I can here the fingers clicking “MediaMatters” on their keyboards).
Isn’t the obligatory putdown of “With roughly 1 percent of America watching, his numbers” a little like saying “Only one half of one percent of US Households bought oatmeal last week.” To a company like Quaker, operating within its niche, that may be a great percentage. Total population is not an appropriate denominator. “course, one could say “Only 3 percent of America watched NBC News…”
Many here make the case Stewart and Colbert are not news shows. Heck, Stewart and Colbert don’t pretend such. I think the viewership of those shows, who do not watch or read hard news shows, says more about the viewership than it does about the ‘competition.’
TaxPayer
December 30th, 2010
10:17 am
Actually I suppose it is sad that SpongeBob, the epitome of childhood innocence, has been dragged down into the gutter with the likes of anything Fox. It must be opposite day.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
December 30th, 2010
10:18 am
Dear Bosch @ various times, my analysis of O’Reilly is that he is a conservative of the Isakson cut – not exactly a Limbaugh, if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, even though he is far to my left I do enjoy his show, where everybody argues and nobody agrees about anything – warms the cockles of my heart to think there are people out there who have beliefs that have thought-through.
I used to watch the Simpsons for the same reasons, but I fell out of that habit about five years ago. Now it’s just O’Reilly and Bret Bair.