Once again, MSNBC has demonstrated its dominance over the stodgy CNN and the rightist snake oil of Fox News. MSNBC’s programming grew more than twice as much as Fox during 2008:
The fact that this was an election year raised the numbers of all of the players, but in the end Fox took its usual place at the bottom of the scale of growth. On the other hand, MSNBC was the only network to finish the year with more viewers post-election than their average for the year. That’s because their rate of increase far exceeded what was given back after November 4, when audiences predictably declined.
As the new year kicks off, the battle for cable news supremacy will only heat up. MSNBC will continue to rely on of its powerhouse one-two punch of Keith Olbermann’s Countdown and the Rachel Maddow Show. Both programs continue to drive the network’s growth. CNN is sticking with the status quo. Their schedule is little changed for the year, with the exception of adding Campbell Brown, who hasn’t really made her presence known.
Fox News, however, is making several changes that seem to be geared to digging an even deeper conservative hole. This year saw the hiring of right-wing stalwarts like Karl Rove, Judith Miller, and Mike Huckabee, as well as Foxocrats and Obama opponents Lanny Davis and Howard Wolfson. In addition to that, they are losing Alan Colmes and debuting what they call a new “pure” Sean Hannity solo show. I’m sure they are happy to have filtered out the contaminants. Hannity also signed a multimillion dollar contract renewal, as did Bill O’Reilly. Brett Baier, a reliable Fox ideologue, is succeeding Brit Hume as anchor of their signature news program, Special Report. And later this month will see the premiere of Glenn Beck’s new program on the network for which he was born to work. His obnoxious, immature, fact-free squealing will fit right in on Fox.
These uber-conservative reinforcements called in by Fox News suggest that they are preparing for a new offensive directed at the incoming administration of Barack Obama. It’s hard to see any other justification for such a hardening of their right flank when political winds are shifting in a more centrist, post-partisan direction. Consequently, in the new year, Democrats and progressives had better be vigilant and prepare for an onslaught of contemptuous attacks from the Murdochian Empire. Their troops are amassed on the border and the rising sun is illuminating a determined and disturbing red dawn.
I am laughing at your purdy words in defence of CNN and MSNBC.
I just don’t see it the same way as you.
We need the likes of FOX News to ride herd over the new government. Just the same way we needed MSNBC and to a lesser extent CNN to keep the Bush administration in line.
These people are not to be trusted anymore than this passing group. Just because you make like the empty prommisses of Obama over the same from McCain does not excuse the press from staying on their backs.
The press, like government is supposed to work for us. We can not trust the news guys to have our best interest’s at heart when being thrilled by a tingle up its leg. Get back to being doubting, suspicious, probbing curmudgeons.
You may be surprised to know that I agree with you in essence. The media does need to be skeptical and probing. We must not accept the words of any politician at face value.
That said, Fox is still not to be trusted. They are not a watchdog media enterprise that is looking out for the people’s interest. They are not an honest provider of news. Therefore, we don’t need them or their lies.
But we do need an independent and diverse media community to keep an eye on our representatives and to uncover their schemes, failings and corruption. It doesn’t matter which side of the political spectrum it falls.
FOX is the only program left that isn’t totally biased. MSNBC has terrible numbers and will only stay in business if some more rich left wingers pay their debts. Lucky they have GE in their pocket. Of course, GE is tanking also. They will have to invest more of the company in Iran. Of not is that Keith O. is up to 6 viewers now. Good job you idiot.
If you have 8 million viewers and increase that number by 40%, you have an increase of over 3 million.
If you have 1 million viewers and increase that number by 82%, you have an increase of less than 1 million.
I think I would take the 3 million.
You would take the 3 million? You would be a fool.
First of all, Fox does not have 8 times the viewers that MSNBC has. It’s more like 3 times (using total viewers). So if we take your calculation, with MSNBC’s growth each year twice that of Fox, MSNBC would overtake Fox in just 5 years.
Using the key 25-54 demo, in which Fox is only leading by 30%, MSNBC would overtake Fox in 2 years.
I would take that!
“Fox News racked up its seventh straight year as the most-watched cable news channel, delivering an average prime-time viewership of 2.1 million, 40% more than 2007, according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. CNN placed second with 1.3 million, up 69%, while MNSBC drew 920,000, a boost of 82%.”
Doesnt matter about the so called growth when MSNBC needs a damn miracle to even keep competition alive with CNN and Fox News based on viewship….also, where is the article discussing how MSNBC had to refund advertisers due to their subpar ratings??? Keep it up…Fox News has almost double the viewship as MSNBC.
Jesus !!!
THe pathetic and weak lefty freaks have really gone off the deep end.
How can anyone in their right mind question the journalistic integrity of FOX and not mention MSNBC?
The left losers are weak……they are always their own worst enimies. As we are seeing already, the shit colored president doesn’t knwo how to do anything but “campaign”…based on his speech last night.
Obongo is just as tainted with scandal as the clintons. And now they have teamed up!!! So just sit back and watch the self destruction.
Talk about pathetic…
Your ignorant and racist comment illustrates what is wrong with contemporary conservatism. It is rife with hatred and blind to logic.
One of the best things about Obama’s election is how much pain it will bring to bigots like you. Suffer, you pig. America voted against you.
Of course FOX will retrench in ultra conservatism, seemingly against all reason. And of course this nonsensical path will continue to weaken them and the GOP for years to come. And that’s IRRELEVANT to them.
They have always had JUST ONE GOAL — to loot our nation’s wealth and put all of it firmly into the hands of the “masters of the universe.” Everyone else be damned. They will continue to play this game as long as there’s still money left to steal in the national treasury. And there’s still A LOT of money left to steal (think Social Security).
Reforming themselves will never be a serious option for the Republicans or FOX. They are not what they pretend to be — a political party and a news organization representing an alternative point of view of how to make America great again. NO. That’s just an elaborate disguise they wear. They are mouthpieces and propaganda machines for the devastatingly destructive and greedy interests of big business (BIG OIL, BIG PHARMA, BIG BANKS, BIG MILITARY EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS, etc.)
It’s still many years away, but the end of both the GOP and FOX News is an absolute certainty. The American people have gotten wise to the lies and there’s no going back.
FOX News and the GOP will go down in flames. The only question is, how much more damage will we allow this beast to inflict on us before it dies?