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Posted on 09/02/2004 7:56:50 PM PDT by wagglebee
For the first time in the history of television, a cable news network had more viewers than the "big three" in covering an event. Fox News Channel delivered unprecedented and historic numbers for Tuesday night's coverage of the Republican National Convention.
According to the ratings, Fox News had 5.2 million viewers; NBC, 5.1 million; CBS, 4.4 million; ABC, 4.3 million; MSNBC, 1.6 million and CNN, 1.5 million.
The obvious question is why has a cable news network like Fox been able to attract more viewers than NBC, ABC and CBS? The networks have a clear advantage because they are in more households in America and are not restricted to cable.
The answer is one that their competition simply does not want to hear, and that is that Fox News is “fair and balanced” and the American public knows it!
I happened to be channel surfing immediately after the Republican convention was over on Wednesday night. Democratic Sen. Zell Miller had delivered the keynote address, a harsh denunciation of John Kerry and the Democratic Party. On the other channels the news anchors and reporters were visibly upset by what they had heard. In fact, they were just plain angry.
Their liberal bias was not even disguised – it was “in your face”! The talking heads on the other cable channels and networks kept saying over and over: “This is the angriest convention in the history of politics. Zell Miller gave the angriest speech I have ever heard in American politics!”
The reality was that the liberal networks were in a rage that the message of the Republican convention was effective. They felt threatened and intimidated, and it showed on their faces. So much for “fair and balanced.”
Yet on Fox News the talking heads Bill O’Reilly, Greta Van Susteren and Sean Hannity all looked calm and composed, even when interviewing liberal politicians and representatives of liberal organizations. There was no bias, no angst – they simply reported it like it was.
Obviously, America sensed that and that’s why Fox pulled in 5.2 million viewers.
Chris Matthews of MSNBC, who masquerades as objective, is always showing his hand. Matthews asked Zell Miller something to the effect of “Do you really think John Kerry is going to defend the nation with spitballs?” Zell answered with something like “It was a metaphor. Do you know what a metaphor is?” Would Matthews have asked that kind of tough question of John Kerry?
Peter Jennings had to remind everyone before Zell’s speech that the senator was retiring. Why the editorial? Why the dig? Why not just air the speech as Fox News did, without all the spin and hype?
The reason Fox News' audience is growing is because the network is living up to its promise of “fair and balanced.” In any other industry besides television news the CEOs and executives would hold themselves accountable and examine why they are losing market share to their competition. Then they would immediately make the necessary changes to win back that market share.
But in the television news business it seems you have entire networks willing to go down because of their ideology. In effect, it doesn’t matter what their customers want. They are not willing to respond to the marketplace even if it means losing ratings and viewers.
When you hear the wrath the other networks have toward Fox News, it comes down to one word: jealousy. Fox News has what they wish they had – loyalty and respect from their viewers. No wonder Fox News is growing.
Fox won again last night and tonight will make it a hat trick!
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I seem to remember that CNN and MSNBC did well during the Demorat convention. I think it is a reflection of whose supporters have something to watch.
I know the RATS are scared by virtue of the vociferous reaction to Zell's speech. GO W!!!
In all fairness, during the Dem convention CNN was ahead. It's only natural that Republicans are going to watch Fox during our Convention. Agree?
But the total numbers were 4 million less.
CNN was ahead of Fox, but not the alphabets. Tuesday and Last night CNN came in DEAD LAST. Even PMSNBC beat CNN the past two nights! That is just embarassing.
But CNN's numbers were nowhere near the numbers that Fox is getting. Personally, if I'm just watching a speech, I go to the channel with the best picture whatever it is, it's the "commentary" and interview numbers that make this huge.
Yup. People will go where they feel comfortable and their beliefs aren't belittled or challenged.
I suppose you are correct--I got a bit upset with them for some things the other night but after looking at the competition I quickly came back. The other networks are complete trash.
I just finished watching Bush's speech on FNC. A couple of times I switched to KCBS to see if they were broadcasting it. They were but there was no audio. I guess KCBS doesn't have any money left for maintenance!
What competition?
just as RUSH said today about voters this election:
IT"S the Reagan Democrats and conservatives watching FOX.
I agree.
With all due respect to the author,it was not a tough question. It was a stupid question to suggest that Miller intended the "spitball" comment to be taken literally.
Actually, it was hyperbole - but nevermind! The speech was masterful.
BTW, his delivery of the spitball line reminded me of an old time humorist who told offbeat stories of bucolic life. One had the punchline, "No ma'am! Hot steel balls!"
And it is a further wonder that Fox is not available in many areas that the omnipresent CNN has them locked out of.
Let's see:
Fox gets 5.2 million people to watch and ABCNNBCBS gets 16.9 million. Looks to me that Fox came in last.
Sort of. I watched C-Span but yes, conservatives are more likely to watch Fox and Libs watch CNN> Though quite a few here like watching Chris make a fool of himself. LOL
BUT, CNN didn't beat the Alphabets in coverege. The Aplhabets are FREE TV. FOX DID!! Huge upset has just occured here!!
Now I have complaints with Fox but I love that OLD media is getting it's butt kicked.
You are exactly right. For instance, today, Fox referred to the SBV ads as "attack" ads. It would be more objective to refer to the SBV ads as "rebuttal" ads. Ads calling Bush a NAZI and Hitler, etc are "attack" ads.
They must not remember the fire and brim stone speeches of George Wallace. Or the insane ravings of Al Gore for that matter.
Zell hie them where it hurts and he hit them with the truth.
The Dems weren't watching either convention. A large number of Dems are ignorant and/or apathetic and can't read a ballot.
CNN was ahead of FOX at the Dem convention by a few hundred thousand viewers. FOX is ahead by around 4 million. I agree that FOX isn't especially conservative, it just presents both sides of an issue, which I think is what most people are looking for.
The paying advertisers will not see it your way. The paying advertisers are boss, you ain't.
Tonight while MSNBC was airing General Tommy Franks, O'Rielly was bloviating with that ugly, stupifying.. Bill Mahr!
Did a lot of channel surfing and got the best on MSNBC and C-Span.
FOX News is biased, the alphabets as well as CNN and MSNBC are nothing more than Leftist propaganda mills, churning out BS as gospel.
Was there bias? You bet your sweet ass there was!
That is why FoxNews wins.
Its the New Media, and it works.
The old media is stuck in the past, and it appears to be unaware of its obvious demise.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.
Thanks for the ping!
"The paying advertisers will not see it your way. The paying advertisers are boss, you ain't."
Whenever I post, I always seem to draw friendly fire.
It's hard for me to rejoice in FoxNews' success when their non-liberal coverage of a conservative event barely leads the pack. The rest of the pack is unified in deceptive liberal spin and reaching many times more people with that spin than Fox is reaching with the "Fair and Balanced" approach. It's good news for Fox but there is little reason to rejoice that the truth is winning.
Most people are still watching the lies
You also make the mistake that the Americans who watched the nets are mindnumbed robots who cannot think for themselves. You're absolutely, howingly wrong if you think all those people are monolithically swallowing the lies of the nets without questioning them. Sure, perhaps 50 percent are slaves to the opinions of the nets, However, you're a glutton for abuse if you think all 100 percent of them are mindslaves.
The trends are going against the negative view that you choose to hold. I'll choose to notice the relevant trend going the Republican way. You choose to wallow in what you perceive to be the Godawful Now. You choose to suffer. So be it. We're all free. I'm not even going to try to convince you anymore because your mind is made up. You've made your choice. Live with it. Embrace it. Love it. Live it.
"Why is Fox news Clobbering the Competition?"
Easy answer... Well over 40% of sentient Americans consider themselves conservatives. We get our news from the New Media; the Internet, Blogs coming on strong too, we simply aren't captive of the MSM anymore; and we voted a long time ago (Sorry Ran Blather, Tom Lockjaw, and Peter the Canadian); you lost. We've got the Internet and the MSM lost it's monopoly (THANK GOD!!!).
We simply don't want, or accept, the MSM spin anymore; that leaves us with FOX...
I haven't watched the MSM newscasts in years now... And I never will again...
Bush's national TV audience topped Kerry's speech at the Democratic convention in July by just over 3 million viewers, among those watching Big Three commercial networks ABC, CBS and NBC and the three leading cable news outlets -- Fox, CNN and MSNBC.
The Republican meeting as a whole also drew bigger audiences than the Democrats, averaging 22.6 million viewers over four nights at New York City's Madison Square Garden, compared with 20.4 million mustered by Kerry and his party in Boston in July.
Meanwhile, Fox News continued its unprecedented ratings dominance over this year's Republican convention, edging out not only its cable rivals but each of the major broadcast networks by drawing 7.3 million viewers to its telecast of Bush's address.
That marked the third straight night Fox has surpassed its larger broadcast rivals in the first case of a cable channel attracting more viewers than any of the three major networks during a scheduled event covered by all of them, experts said.
NBC ranked second on Thursday with 5.9 million viewers, followed by ABC with 5.1 million and CBS with 5 million. CNN finished fifth with 2.6 million viewers while NBC's sister cable channel, MSNBC, brought up the rear with 1.7 million.
Fox benefited from the fact that its audience is "ideologically very much aligned with the Republican Party" and apparently turned out in larger numbers to watch the GOP convention than the Democrats, said independent network news analyst Andrew Tyndall.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=597&e=2&u=/nm/20040904/tv_nm/campaign_media_convention_dc
Thanks for the ping.
But in the television news business it seems you have entire networks willing to go down because of their ideology. In effect, it doesn't matter what their customers want. They are not willing to respond to the marketplace even if it means losing ratings and viewers.
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