Fox News comes up big in year-end numbers

Lost Remote (& Media Bistro.com) ^ | 12/29/05

[LdSentinal]

TV Newser crunches a bunch of year-end cable news numbers for us. Of note: O'Reilly led the pack, with the most viewers overall and among the 25-54s. In fact, Fox News had 11 of the top 12 shows in 2005. Only CNN's Larry King Live busts in, at #6. This is the fourth year in a row at the top for Fox News.

Bill O'Reilly is the king of cable news again this year. He's #1 on the 2005 weekday program ranker, followed by H&C, Greta, Shep and Hume. The "Competitive Program Analysis" shows CNN's Larry King at #6.

The defunct NewsNight with Aaron Brown comes in as CNN's #2 program of the year, ranking #13 overall. Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room is CNN's #3 and Paula Zahn now is #4. Headline News star Nancy Grace ranks 25th on the chart, averaging 510,000 viewers for the year. Prime News was the second most-popular HLN show, averaging 335,000.

On MSNBC, Rita Cosby was #1. Chris Matthews (#2), Keith Olbermann (#3) and Joe Scarborough (#4) were all within 20,000 viewers of eachother. See it all for yourself:

2005 weekday program ranker (PDF)

For comparisons: Here's the 2004 ranker (PDF)

(Rankers courtesy FNC)

[wmileo]

How can anyone be surprised at these results? FOX is the best thing to happen to American Journalism in 100 years.

[Jason Kauppinen]

So I guess this really does prove that CNN sucks. :D

[RabidBartender]

Ha ha ha ha! Olbermann continues to suck.

[InvisibleChurch]

Yes, all very good and well, but what we want to know is, who is FreeRepublic.com's highest rated poster?

[Lemondropkid31]

LOL Go OReilly!!!! Hahahahahaha!!!

[Lemondropkid31]

I am afraid that it isn't me.

[ChadGore]

Memo the liberal MSM:

Loosing share?

Try the truth.

[SolidSupplySide]

Interesting that Larry King, CNN's best show, is almost even with Hannity and Colmes (opposite Larry King) in viewers over 54 years old. H&C is clobbering Larry King in younger viewers by a wider margin than first appears.

That kind of demographic does not bode well for LK (and CNN generally) going forward.

[2nd Amendment]

That's what you get(CNN, etc.) when you make the news rather than report it!

[SolidSupplySide]

And Larry King is 72 years old. He is going to hang up the silver microphone before long. What will CNN do without its top draw?

[Candor7]

TANK you media slime scum bags, TANK!

Huzzah Fox News!

[stephenjohnbanker]

Lazamataz

[shield]

They've also had some really great specials-thanks to David Asman-on our Christian Heritage. Brit Hume on his nightly show also had a segment by Major Garrett, showing how NO ONE IN EUROPE goes to church; do not claim any Christian belief whatsoever. The beautiful churches are empty. NO WONDER Euroweenies have become so nutty. Without any belief system except other than the State...will prove to be if not already one depressed group of people. Is this the real reason the muslims are taking over? Europe has become one very dark continent....darkness evades all of it.

[Signalman]

For viewers age 25-54, O'Reilly is getting almost
4 TIMES the viewers than Olbermann.

I love it.

[starbase]

Once Larry King retires I guess we can turn the lights out at the once mighty CNN.

[Gillmeister]

The damn "Conservative media"......lol. Fox News/Talk Radio/Washington Times VS. All TV channels/NY Times/Washington Post/All weekly news magazines/LA Times/etc.....

How about we swap, you can have Fox News and we'll take eveything else, Howza bout it?

[BullDog108]

Lazamataz

I concur!

[speedy]

And Larry King is 72 years old. He is going to hang up the silver microphone before long. What will CNN do without its top draw?

In a few years, he'll be old enough to move to CBS.

[wmileo]

I agree with your observations. I also viewed that segment by Major Garrett about Holland specifically and their lack of faith. I hate to say it but maybe the Muslims taking over Europe may not be as bad as we might think. Firstly, they at least believe in God. Secondly, it could serve as a wakeup call for the remainder of the Western World that it is time to take seriously the future of our way of life.