Inaugural Viewers Flock to Fox

Broadcasting and Cable ^ | 01/21/05 | John Eggerton

[Pikamax]

Inaugural Viewers Flock to Fox

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/21/2005 4:59:00 PM

Fox News Channel won the coverage of George Bush raising his hand hands-down.

According to Nielsen ratings figures supplied by Fox, FNC's coverage of the inaugural ceremonies (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) on Thursday averaged 705,000 viewers in the key 25-54 news demo, over four times that of CNN, which averaged 168,000 during the same time. CNBC averaged 141,000.

Fox's coverage was up 30% over the 2001 Bush inaugural, while CNN was down 63% and MSNBC down 68%.

In total viewers, the numbers were FNC, 2,251,000; CNN, 779,000; and MSNBC 438,000.

[elhombrelibre]

Does this just mean Fox News or the entire Fox network?

[Pikamax]

Fox News.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/archive/2005_01_21_archive.asp#110634372013207829

Inauguration Ratings: CNN & MSNBC Way Down
CNN and MSNBC's viewership levels for yesterday's inauguration were down more than 60% compared to the 2001 inaugural, Nielsen data demonstrates. Meanwhile, FNC averaged 2,581,000 viewers during the inaugural, up 30% from 2001.

Yesterday, between 10am and 4pm, CNN averaged 779,000 viewers -- a 63% drop from 2001, when 2,085,000 viewers tuned in. MSNBC's viewership dropped 68% -- from 1,369,000 viewers in 2001 to 438,000 yesterday. "Jonathan Klein's first planned major news event tanked as CNN hemorrhaged more than half their audience from the 2001 Inauguration," an insider remarked.

Obviously, folks at CNN and MSNBC aren't happy. "It was a big night for Fox -- just like the Republican convention," a second industry insider said. But yesterday's inauguration wasn't as newsworthy as 2000's – there was no transition of power, and the stakes weren’t as high for Bush. "Cable isn't about celebration. Cable is about intensity and debate," the insider said. "Even though everybody tried to make a debate out of this, the speech was not controversial."

A CNN rep noted that its primetime average -- 1,353,000 -- was 30% higher than its Q4 2004 average. More numbers, in total viewers:

Between 10am and 4pm:

FNC: 2,581,000 / CNN: 779,000 / MSNBC: 438,000

Between 8 and 11pm:

FNC: 2,439,000 / CNN: 1,353,000 / MSNBC: 385,000

> During the inaugural address (11:58am to 12:20pm), FNC earned 3,570,000 viewers, compared to MSNBC's 563,000. CNN did not break out the address in its ratings.

> In total day, FNC averaged 1,769,000 viewers, up 49% over its Q4 04 M-F average, while CNN averaged 726,000 viewers (up 36%) and MSNBC averaged 396,000 viewers (up 45%).

> Ratings for the broadcast networks will not be available until next week...

[mdittmar]

Ooh,that's gotta hurt.

[Irish Eyes]

Interesting... I was disappointed in the FNC coverage of the inaugural.

[Keith in Iowa]

FoxNews...Megyn Kendall...red dress...yum...

[elhombrelibre]

But I bet you'd have been even more disappointed with the other networks.

[Drew68]

I tried to find channels that devoted the most coverage to protesters because schadenfreude feels soooo good!

Anybody have any links to pictures of angry protesters?

[NorCalRepub]

most likely FNC and this is not much of a surprise given that it was Bush and mostly Republicans and moderate to mod conservatives watch this type of stuff for the most part. Libs are usually out doing other things if you know what I mean...........

[John Lenin]

I tried to find channels that devoted the most coverage to protesters because schadenfreude feels soooo good!

Very liberal of you . Why ?

[Drew68]

Very liberal of you . Why ?

Because the wailing and gnashing of teeth is music to my ears. Plus, these "activists" never fail to entertain as they bring humiliation to the democrats and discredit their myriad of causes.

[John Lenin]

Watch C-Span, they have the best coverage of the lunatics on TV.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Yep, for this kind of thing watch C-span. No commentary no spin you simly watch and observe!

[John Lenin]

I'm sure the leftys sit around the hookah and watch reruns of themselves sucking up pepper spray talking about how much fun they had.

[Pride in the USA]

And still the "old media" keeps turning out the same biased news. You would think most of their sponsors would desert them as they continue to sink into irrelevance.

[Vigilanteman]

It is the same reason I had to tune into Dan Rather on election night once the result was clear to everyone but Danny Boy. It was just a laugh riot to see him describe all the ways Kerry could win without Ohio . . . and Ohio wasn't decided yet. This was about 2 a.m. in the east.

[MKM1960]

Yep, because I would bet big money that FNC is having to turn away advertisers. I wouldn't surprise me that NBC family of networks is having have to package the sales between Broadcast NBC news and MSNBC or else the the advertising rates at MSNBC and CNBC must be rock bottom about now. CNN may have hot spots like Larry King Live but I'm sure that they ain't bringing in the big bucks either. Let MSNBC and CNN hang themselves they will either go off the air or swing to the right. I would say right now there is a lot of soul searching going on in upper management because once they fall below the break-even point they are going to become a liability on the balance sheet the bean counters are going to start looking for more profitable use of studio space.

[JoJo Gunn]

Not me. Never mind the incessant jibber-jabber, with all its moronic whooshing noises and video feces floating and crawling on the screen, Fox is every bit the painted up dime store hooker that CNN looks.

C-SPAN has it's place.

[nicollo]

Me, I watched the parade on ABC from my office, which has no cable and poor reception of broadcast. The local Fox station was no better than the others in that all I wanted was to watch and not to have to listen to the jabber. I flipped stations desperately to find quiet, and only ended up yelling at the screen.

After a bit of this, while they were waiting for the President to come out of the Capitol, I just left it on ABC out of that twisted fascination with the bizarre: Jennings is a freak!

It reminded me of that day in March of '03 when I watched the felling of the Saddam statue in Baghdad. I had the same business going with the network news, and I had Jennings on as the pool camera honed in on the two Iraqis who paraded a banner around that circle. Jennings described the scene, and got all excited about what he thought were Iraqi protesters against the American forces. As the image came clearer, he read the banner, with increasing excitement "... Go.... Home... You.. U.S. ....

".... oh." Then, silence.

Yesterday, as the Prez came down PA Ave., Jennings wouldn't shut up about the protesters. Further down the road, the camera feed began to pick up that blurred P.A. noise of an event from afar. Jennings told us that it was one of the protesters who had obviously smuggled in a bullhorn. That sound got louder and louder, and clearer and clearer, until it was obvious that it was not a protester at all, but someone announcing the occupants of the cars that passed. When that was clear, Jennings said, "Oh, that's not a protester, it's a cheerleader for the President."

Too damned funny! I couldn't have enjoyed it more than to listen to this pinhead prove his idiocy once again.

[Drew68]

It is the same reason I had to tune into Dan Rather on election night once the result was clear to everyone but Danny Boy.

LOL! I did the same thing. I loved it! "Ohio's still to close to call. We're not going to call Ohio at this time." With 100% precincts reporting and Bush ahead by 100,000+ votes. It was almost sad. He was in such denial.