Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bum start for CNN's 'Zahn' and 'Cooper' (Ratings for 7 and 8pm time slots down almost FIFTY PERCENT)
Media Life ^ | September 10, 2003 | Kevin Downey

Posted on 09/10/2003 9:02:27 PM PDT by Timesink

Bum start for CNN's
'Zahn' and 'Cooper'

Best hopes for stemming slide against Fox News

By Kevin Downey

    CNN's hopes of reclaiming No. 1 from Fox News Channel were dealt a major setback this week with the disappointing premieres of “Anderson Cooper 360” and “Paula Zahn Now.”

     The audience for “Cooper” on Monday was down 47 percent in the 7 p.m. time slot occupied last year by “Crossfire,” to 319,000 people, while “Zahn's” audience of 508,000 people was down 45 percent in the 8 p.m. time slot briefly occupied by the canceled “Connie Chung.” All figures are based on preliminary Nielsen Media Research data.

     CNN's new programs pulled in roughly one-third the viewers of competing shows on Fox News. Most notably, “Zahn” faced “The O'Reilly Factor,” which was watched by more than 1.4 million people despite having a guest host on Monday.

      Of course, first-night ratings aren't enough to determine whether a show will be a hit or not. Moreover, CNN has yet to promote the shows to the extent it did “Connie Chung.”

     But clearly the “Cooper” and “Zahn” debuts are discouraging.

     “I think they would rather have had it start out high, although there is a chance they can build it up,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media.

    “They are trying to make [the network] personality driven, which is what Fox News has been able to do with people like Bill O'Reilly. It seems Fox News has been able to create appointment viewing, but it's a little harder to be the second person in on that.”

     The audiences for CNN's new shows, which are actually reworked formats for CNN hosts, follow the network's disastrous performance this summer.

     CNN's primetime audience fell 15 percent from last summer, to 746,000 people, and was down 9 percent in August.

     Those declines can be attributed in part to comparisons to this time last year, when the first anniversary of 9/11 was approaching and a war in Iraq seemed increasingly likely.

     Fox News' audience, however, was up significantly from that time.

     The network's audience in the summer was up 22 percent, to 1.3 million people, and was up 20 percent in August.

     “People might be getting sick of the news and returning to other things,” says Deana Myers, an analyst with Kagan World Media.

    “Fox News has a little bit more sensational news, whereas CNN just tries to report it.”

     CNN's standing in the cable news race is not good for Teya Ryan, CNN's general manager, who is reportedly being nudged out of the network.

     CNN would not comment on that rumor, but if Ryan were to leave she'd add to a list of top executives who have left the network. Walter Isaacson, for instance, resigned as chairman earlier this year.

    The reason for the departures largely comes down to CNN's slump.

     The network was down again last week. Its primetime audience dipped 4 percent from last year, to 791,000 people. That was less than two-thirds the size of Fox News' 1.25 million viewers, which was up 34 percent.

     Among the adult 25-54 demographic that many news advertisers favor, CNN's decline has been more pronounced.

     Its audience in the demographic fell 13 percent last week, to 212,000 people, and was down 15 percent in August and 17 percent in the summer.

      In the same time period Fox News posted low- to mid-single digit increases. Last week its 25-54 audience of 340,000 people was 2 percent higher than it was in the same week last year.

     Perhaps CNN can take some comfort in the fact that it's still doing better than MSNBC, the No.3-ranked cable news network.

     MSNBC's audience in the 25-54 demo was down 53 percent last week, to 82,000 viewers. That is less than half the size of CNN's audience and less than one-fourth the size of Fox News' audience.

    “They are trying to do the same thing as CNN, but it's very hard for them,” says Adgate. “They put on some personalities, but they haven't clicked with viewers.”



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: andersoncooper; andersoncooper360; cablenewsnetwork; chickennoodlenews; cnn; cnnschadenfreude; conniechung; cooper; fnc; fox; foxnews; foxnewschannel; msdnc; msnbc; paulazahn; paulazahnnow; schadenfreude; teyaryan; zahn
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last
For those that don't remember, the "new" Serpenthead/Begala version of Crossfire last year itself caused CNN's ratings in the 7pm time slot to be decimated, so to lose 50% of those ratings is a true disaster.
1 posted on 09/10/2003 9:02:29 PM PDT by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: martin_fierro; reformed_democrat; Loyalist; =Intervention=; PianoMan; GOPJ; Miss Marple; Tamsey; ...

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times CNN Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.


2 posted on 09/10/2003 9:03:09 PM PDT by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
i wonder how many of those viewers are actually producers and assistants watching monitors in control rooms?
3 posted on 09/10/2003 9:05:39 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch (When I am asked what my political preference is, I answer "Christian".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
Schadenfreude-o-rama!
4 posted on 09/10/2003 9:08:20 PM PDT by TheBigB (I don't believe in Astrology. We Scorpios are skeptical.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
MSNBC's audience in the 25-54 demo was down 53 percent last week, to 82,000 viewers.

CNN and MSNBC could do much better by showing Andy Griffith reruns.

5 posted on 09/10/2003 9:14:53 PM PDT by DeFault User
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
The network's [Fox News Channel] audience in the summer was up 22 percent, to 1.3 million people, and was up 20 percent in August. “People might be getting sick of the news and returning to other things,” says Deana Myers, an analyst with Kagan World Media.

They throw in a moron's quote right after the data that directly refutes the quote. LOL! ... trying to make excuses for the implosion of CNN. btw, what is CNN anyway? are they still around? Havent watched them in years! :-)

6 posted on 09/10/2003 9:17:23 PM PDT by WOSG (Dont put Cali on CRUZ CONTROL.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
I never watch CNN ESPECIALLY after having Pau;l Begala and Carvile on Crossfire!! Are you saying that it isn't on anymore???
7 posted on 09/10/2003 9:21:02 PM PDT by Ann Archy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
Note to CNN Programming Buffoons: Liberal lies and distortions without a captive audience is not good for the bottom line.

Trying to emulate pMSNBC probably won't work for you either.

Crossfire failed because you confused Fox News Channel reality shows with Fox Entertainment reality shows....

8 posted on 09/10/2003 9:23:31 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
Key to ratings success? The TRUTH. Fox tells it. CNN doesn't.
9 posted on 09/10/2003 9:29:54 PM PDT by Ron in Acreage
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink

10 posted on 09/10/2003 9:31:16 PM PDT by Hazzardgate (RIP Paul Kersey)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ann Archy
I never watch CNN ESPECIALLY after having Pau;l Begala and Carvile on Crossfire!! Are you saying that it isn't on anymore???

It's still on, but it's been demoted to the 4:30pm Eastern time slot and cut from an hour to 30 minutes.

11 posted on 09/10/2003 9:36:40 PM PDT by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: nutmeg
Fox ping!
12 posted on 09/10/2003 9:37:04 PM PDT by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hazzardgate
Ha ha ha! Where did you find THAT?!
13 posted on 09/10/2003 9:39:25 PM PDT by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
Thanks for the ping, Timesink! I'll ping the FoxFan list.
14 posted on 09/10/2003 9:45:33 PM PDT by nutmeg (September 11, 2001 - NEVER FORGET)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: StarFan; Dutchy; Gracey; Alamo-Girl; RottiBiz; bamabaseballmom; FoxGirl; Mr. Bob; xflisa; lainde; ..
FoxFan ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.

15 posted on 09/10/2003 9:46:27 PM PDT by nutmeg (September 11, 2001 - NEVER FORGET)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nutmeg
Thanks for the heads up!
16 posted on 09/10/2003 10:11:13 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: nutmeg
Thanks nutmeg!
17 posted on 09/11/2003 12:38:57 AM PDT by lainde
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
There is so much delicious schadenfreude of late...should I feel guilty....NAH!
18 posted on 09/11/2003 3:40:23 AM PDT by CaptSkip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
It's the old "if the tree falls in the woods" question again.

10+ years ago, our TV was constantly tuned into CNN. Of course, that was before the choice of FoxNews was available. Now, we don't even know the number and it is never on. As for Keith Olberman and his ilk on MSNBC (or Tina Brown on CNBC???!!!): NEVER! My wife tunes into Chris Matthews every once in a while just to know what the Demo talking points are...

19 posted on 09/11/2003 4:07:29 AM PDT by ReleaseTheHounds
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
Man, if my business dropped 47% in one week, I'd be gone quick-like.
20 posted on 09/11/2003 4:26:10 AM PDT by Crawdad (I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no class.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson