All Cable New channels ratings crash except Fox!

Yahoo news.com ^ | 1/1/03 | Craig Offman

[Aquinasfan]

That radio guy that screams that they put on every day is obnoxious too.

Although I like the part of his schtick with his sideways looks and his happy feet. He's always looking around like the BATF is about to bust through the windows. Cracks me up.

[LS]

I am not so naive as to think Fox isn't biased, because there is no such thing as "objective" news. That was a fabrication of editors in the late 1800s to separate themselves from the party organizations' control. For about 100 years, they managed to conceal their bias well through journalistic "standards," "fairness" practices, and, most importantly, through the METHODOLOGY by which reporters gathered the news---but it never left.

Notice how the first paragraphs/lead-in to ANY story begin now with people, usually an individual. Notice how the actual "news" is now buried 3-4 paragraphs down even in sports stories!!!. This inevitably presents a "slant" from the get-go. In the past, the brevity and succinctness of reporting FORCED biased writers and editors to write (to an extent) "just the facts" and leave the opinions for the editorial pages. Not any more. The methodology changed to ENCOURAGE them to indulge their biases.

All Fox does is offer a conservative interpretation ALONG WITH the liberal view, and the liberals think, as Trman said, "it's hell!"

[LS]

Er, it's the #1 rated morning show, and is #2 to ALL shows except "Spongebob Squarepants." I love it. It is so refreshing to to see dour Katie or serious Diane or that elitist snob Charlie.

[LS]

And "the worst Christmas shopping season" blah blah is a LIE. The "season" was defined as the period from Thanks. to Christmas, which was ONE WEEK SHORTER this year. Of COURSE it would be worse than last year.

[strela]

we lose the satellite a few minutes during really bad storms.

That is really the only downside I have ever experienced with satellite (and I've had mine for 5 years now). Compared to the local cable service, which provides only 25 or so channels and is $20 a month higher than my satellite service, satty is the way to go at least for me.

[LS]

Dave, you---and the reporters---also, though, have to note that ON-LINE sales hit an all time high, and I think were up about 50%. People are not going to malls as much because they can buy on-line. We did MUCH of our Christmas shopping on line this year.

[PatrioticAmerican]

"Nothing but the TRUTH"

What is Alan Colmes? He certainly is a lying liberal. "Fair and balanced" doesn't mean giving my liberal propaganda and lies in order to balance the truth.

[jackbill]

As far as the worst Christmas Season in 30 years, it was. That is economic fact.

I think that it's horse-hockey. They are counting the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which were as few this year as they ever get. And to exclude on-line sales makes it even more horse-hockey.

[George W. Bush]

Fox & Friends does have its high points from time to time. In the midst of the usual morning show drivel, Edie gets in some shots from the hardline conservative position. It's interesting to observe that the two men are actually a little more dovish than she is and are portrayed by the script as just not quite as bright or well-read. So Edie models a sharp-witted and well-informed woman conservative but one who is pretty and funloving. And she probably mentions the merits of concealed-carry gun permits (she has one) at least once a month if not more often. Fox and Friends may not be everyone's cup of tea but it has it's place. Hey, it's morning television. What can anyone actually expect to achieve with it? If anyone recalls the 2000 presidential debates, the morning after the first one on F&F was priceless. They sat there ridiculing and laughing at Gore for 15 minutes (downright rude ridicule) and then brought him on-air (segue from laughing at him to interviewing him in about 3 seconds, TOTAL humiliation). That alone was worth all the dreck they air all the other mornings.

The decline of the ABCNNBCBS machine was an already perceptible trend for years. So this dip in their numbers isn't that surprising. The greater focus on news since 9/11 has just accelerated this among audience segments that had previously simply not looked closely at the bilge they were being spoonfed by the media. But the gravity of 9/11 and the possibility of personal danger from terrorism and the complacent attitude of liberal pols/media has awakened quite a few people who just didn't pay much attention previously.

Another overlooked factor here is that the Big Three (ABC/NBC/CBS) are all organizations with aged liberal anchors. Rather/Jennings/Brokaw completely dominate and control their organizations and their staff can only reflect their own opinions. Think Fidel or Stalin and you get some idea of the diversity they really seek. Occasionally, they're forced to tolerate the presence of a more conservative reporter or perspective but they're innately hostile to it. And that opinion comes through to the audience pretty clearly.

And on the topic of old anchors, notice that Fox is appealing to younger viewers in their merchandising of commercials. Like the Fox Network, Fox News is focusing on younger audiences which are the most desirable for advertisers. Furthermore, the entire senior staff of Fox is, on average, about 15-20 years younger. Compare Brit Hume/Sheperd Smith to what ABCNNBCBS offers. Peter Jennings looks like some viperous old queen by comparison. Ditto for Rather and Brokaw. Wheel the lot off to a retirement village now. The problem the networks have is that they don't have adquate younger (liberal) news personalities to replace them. So they're stuck with news organizations that are based on a Stalinist model with aging viewers and declining advertising prospects. For conservative media, the outlook is very bright.

As far as the current whining being done against Fox and right-wing talk radio, I welcome it. It only accelerates the decline of the Left's media because it is so transparent to the viewer.

[PhiKapMom]

Returned right before Christmas after almost a two-week vacation to the west coast to see my daughter get married and sight-see and was shocked to find Fox News on the cable system of every hotel we stayed in. In fact, Fox News was circled in red on the listings in the hotels.

I asked the desk clerk at the Holiday Day Inn in El Paso what had happened. She told me that they had so many requests for Fox that they requested it be put on their cable. She told me that Fox was going on the Holiday Inn cable systems across the Country where it was available. Same thing with La Quinta in Albuquerque, NM.

A year ago my youngest daughter and I made that same trip and NOT ONE hotel had Fox News Channel on their cable!

[George W. Bush]

FNC is pounding the competition with far fewer total households with cable access to their programming?

Some of Fox's numbers come from being available via Dish and DTV satellite. A very sizable number of these sat subscribers are in rural locations and can't get cable. So, given the choice to pay extra to watch ABC/CBS/NBC affiliates or to just get the Premium package which include Fox, people choose the package with Fox News. Besides, rural people hate the Big Three more than anyone else. So Fox has a strong captive viewer base in rural America upon which to build market share.

Personally, I don't know any rural person who will watch the Big Three news shows on satellite if they can watch Fox instead. It's so universal that no one even mentions it. We've all switched, albeit quietly. I'd expect that half (or more) of Fox's 600,000+ viewer rate is rural.

[RottiBiz]

sort of like his J-Lo faux pas. ;-)

Please tell me what that was. Somehow I missed it.

I love Shep, too. He doesn't take himself too seriously and exudes youthful energy.

What a contrast with the dour, pompous newsreaders on the other channels.

[rabidralph]

DirecTV's basic package for $31.95 includes Fox News.

[riri]

We were watching TV tonight to check out the local weather storm warnings, and the ABC news was on

Same thing here my husband had on the local drivel during dinner and it went into whichever one of the former big 3 has Brian Williams. My husband and I were laughing because every story, though they did not come right out and say it, seemed to imply the world around us was crashing down. Only due to the hearless, mean Republicans. Who, ironically, I don't think, have cut a single government program.

The first story had an unemployed single mom who has been out of work for two months and can't find a job though she has filled out numerous applications. They proceeded to show her walking into her pretty nice single family home and surfing the web on her personal computer. I kept thinking what kind of job did she have, that involved filling out an application, that managed to get her a pretty nice lifestyle. If I had to depend on jobs that involved filling out applications, I'd be living at the YWCA, surfing the web at the local library. But, why interject common sense anyway?

[snopercod]

After 3 1/2 years with no TV, I finally broke down and installed Dish Network. I opted for the 150 channel plan specifically so I could get Fox Network News.

I have to tell you, though, even with 150 channels it's pretty hard to find anything decent to watch.

[snopercod]

Tell me how strong the economy is right now.

It's risky to generalize, but in my own case, this is the first Christmas in my 56 years that I have ever been involuntarily unemployed. We spent less than $100 on presents for our families, and the only thing we bought for ourselves was a Dish Network dish.

[Alissa]

I watch Fox and Friends every morning. I can't tell that one is more conservative/liberal than the others. Sometimes Steve Doocy is more conservative and sometimes it is Brian, the sports guy. Sometimes ED takes the liberal stand. However, one of the three is always playing 'devil's advocate.' I think this is intentional.

[FreedomPoster]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/806185/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/788947/posts

If you can't get the vid from the links in those threads, FReepmail me with your real email, and I'll send the vid as an attachment. It's totally hilarious.