MSNBC's Ratings Are Collapsing
By Noel Sheppard | February 12, 2011 | 13:42
Whether it's the departure of Keith Olbermann or the weakness of the new prime time lineup, the ratings at MSNBC are collapsing.
Take a look at how this so-called news network fared Thursday:
As you can see from the numbers published by TVNewser Friday, CNN beat MSNBC every hour throughout Thursday's extended prime time with the only exception being Lawrence O'Donnell at 8PM.
Yet even his numbers were nothing to brag about, for he has now slipped under Olbermann's typical average of roughly one million viewers. Rachel Maddow's numbers in the following hour are also well off her normal million, and Ed Shultz at 10PM is really stinking up the joint.
Another concern for MSNBC execs should be their network's loss to CNN all of those hours in the crucial demographic of folks aged 25 to 54. As that is a big determinant of advertising rates, Thursday's demo numbers were a disaster.
Most embarrassing for MSNBC has to be Cenk Uygur's performance at 6PM. Not only is he getting handily beaten by CNN's "Situation Room," but he's also almost getting quadrupled by Fox's "Special Report."
And therein may lie the real mistake of MSNBC's after Olbermann's departure.
Maddow, O'Donnell, and Schultz had built decent audiences - for MSNBC, that is! - in their respective time slots. By moving Schultz to 10 and O'Donnell to 8, the momentum has been effectively squelched.
But the real key is Uygur.
As I noted the day after Olbermann's surprise announcement, pitting Cenk against Bret Baier seemed foolish. This clearly is not a man ready for prime time, and by having him at the precipice of television's most-trafficked hours is way beyond his talent and experience at this point in his career.
As a result, MSNBC is almost giving this hour to Fox and CNN while destroying any momentum the network used to get from Schultz in that slot.
The time has likely also come for MSNBC to reconsider "Hardball" at 5 and 7. With Uygur's lousy numbers sandwiched by Matthews', MSNBC is basically forfeiting three straight hours leading up to the supposed heavy hitters in their lineup.
That doesn't seem like a sound business model for a network that had been regularly besting CNN all these hours.
Consider too that MSNBC trailed CNN in average total viewers throughout the day Thursday, and was tripled in this stat by Fox. The same was true in the all important demo.
How things have changed, for two months ago I observed that with CNN's plummeting ratings, it was becoming irrelevant.
With this new pathetic lineup, it appears it's MSNBC that's fast approaching such insignificance.
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Comments
And there it is -
Submitted by Ashrak on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:54pm.
This is exactly why the mem lately hasbeen Beck's falling numbers....
Projection is the only thing the progressives have left.
At this point, the spiral into the abyss is unstoppable. And there, folks, is exactly why Olberman bailed. He knew it was happening and chose to get out while the getting was good. As a consolation prize, he gets to claim it all fell apart because he left.
AOL is about to experience the same thing.
The only choice these folks have is to start telling the truth. If they do so, the leftist agenda gets hit from all sides. If they don't, then they continue decline until the implode totally and are gone. As for CNN, it will outlast MSNBC bcause of its international structure, but it too will collapse eventually.
Between the 06 and 08 elections, they thought they had killed the conservative mindset. In reality, what they really did was breath life back into it.
Olberman "bailed"?
Submitted by bobdog on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 9:01pm.
I think "bailed" is an overly generous word. He didn't exactly fall on his spear. Management fired his venomous butt.
I am not saying things are
Submitted by Jack Bauer on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:59pm.
I am not saying things are terminal for MSNBC, but the FBI is now able to MONITOR all their viewers with an agent each...
All of the above Mr Obama? --- How about ALL OF THE BELOW, instead.
What remains to be seen is....
Submitted by c5then on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:56pm.
If Comcas is willing to subsidize this most likely money losing "network" the way that NBC/GE was.
I think that GE just chalked it up to their lobbying efforts and wrote it off. I'm not so sure that Comcast is going to be willing to throw multiple millions of dollars at this partisan/activist lobbying effort.
Part time Congress with term limits! - No more professional politicians. Let's start rebuilding the Republic!
Not a bad idea,
Submitted by BMorgan53 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 9:33pm.
but the thought on professional swarm of unrestrained bureaucrats is even more frightening
Advocacy for Laziness
Submitted by Unsane on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 9:57pm.
Term limits - a lazy solution for lazy voters which in the end will make lazy voters even more lazy.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
ahahHhHhHAHahaHHah.....(wipes tear)
Submitted by NeoKong on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:57pm.
Cenk Uygur going up against Bret Baier. Who thought THAT was a good idea....? Heckuva job. Hey...wasn't Uygur bragging just the other day how he was going after Fox ?
"I want to put them back in the cave they came from....I also plan to beat them in the ratings and make them fear me."
It seems the only thing in the cave are his rating.
From what I can tell about
Submitted by killa37 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:08pm.
From what I can tell about this Turkish twerp, ANY day is going to be way beyond his talent or ability at ANY time of his career!!!
And, ummmmmmm - hey Junk - how's your civil campaign going with shoving FOX back into the cave that they crawled out of???
Fat Edward The Arsonist: dead dead dead last. LOL
Submitted by SickofLibs on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:13pm.
OK, slightly better than Behar/HLN, but I don't count them
It's a difficult decision for
Submitted by stratman on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:57pm.
It's a difficult decision for the Left on which lying nutroll to watch at that hour. Ed wins by virtue he is more likely to spontaneously combust on camera. Never underestimate the attraction of a train wreck.
Also, you have to change the channel after the Maddow mud pile hour in order to watch Behar. That takes effort.
The audience for 'nuts' is
Submitted by Cowboy on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:59pm.
The audience for 'nuts' is limited, even among the left.
How humiliating!
Submitted by StanO360 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 7:24pm.
Your bragging point is "your have better ratings than the Behar show!"
Tingles, one foot in a rubber room.
Submitted by Texndoc on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:15pm.
He really is looking like he's going to need a spot on Dr. Krauthammer's couch. Really disheveled lately, like he should be put on koo-coo watch, or something.
BTW, O'Reilly said it lately....
Submitted by Texndoc on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:17pm.
....sort of puts things in perspective: the lowest rated Fox News show at any point of the day has higher numbers of people watching than the highest rated MSNBC show at any time.
Or that until midnight
Submitted by Cowboy on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:06pm.
Or that until midnight reruns, they are higher rated than all of the other 3 combined.
Or that Fox News has more
Submitted by ThisnThat on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 10:23pm.
Or that Fox News has more than 1M viewers in every timeslot, whereas the other 3 networds has barely 1M viewers in exactly 1 timeslot - CNN's Blitzer @5p, which BTW is force-fed to all the airports across the country right as business travelers are leaving for their destinations.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Couldn't happen to a nicer group of people...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:25pm.
And the best of all this, are Cenk Uygur's ratings...I love that these numbers come on the heels of his ludicrous blatherings in an interview earlier this week that he planned to "...beat Fox and be number one in the ratings" and that he would "...make them (Fox) fear me."
Hmmm...I wonder if Uygur is still singing the same delusional song after seeing these numbers?
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
Cenk's delusional song
Submitted by ThisnThat on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 10:28pm.
I wonder if Uygur is still singing the same delusional song after seeing these numbers?
Sadly, the answer is yes. Cenk's delusions are a result of him inventing a story that is directly opposed to the facts -- something every lefist the world over does dozens of times a day. Cenk has no more ability to tell the truth about himself than he does in telling us the truth about national and world events, which is exactly why he and all the other leftists have no viewers.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Cenk: "The tanks are not in
Submitted by Jerry on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 10:34am.
Cenk: "The tanks are not in Baghdad! The streets will run red with the blood of American infidels!"
I have been watching the
Submitted by ricklail on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:28pm.
I have been watching the ratings for weeks. I saw MESSNBC losing more and more viewers. I know they aren't going after the same crowd but The Cartoon Network eats them alive. One other thing I love. Oprah's network is a big flop. Owl Gore's drawing 18,000 viewer. What does this tell folks about liberal networks?
Even BET beats out MESSNBC. I always compare MESSNBC to the ratings for the WNBA. The WNBA does better than many of their shows. Tingles is right on the WNBA border line.
Not sure "collapse" is right term
Submitted by Gat New York on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:48pm.
It is like saying when you are on your own 5 yard line in football and get a penalty for half the distance to the goal line - there was not much to collapse from to begin with.
Good point...Maybe...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:07pm.
MSNBC's ratings are "continuing their freefall" might be a more accurate phrase... ;-D
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
I was thinking the same thing
Submitted by killa37 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:59pm.
I was thinking the same thing - how can your numbers 'collapse' when they were allready in the tank, compared to the rest of the industry?? I guess the real nail in the coffin would be if Olberdork starts to pull his usual number of whacked-out listeners over at ALGORE's network - if anybody has it on their TV!!!
Junk Anger of the Fresh Turds
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:09pm.
is very close to getting flushed back to the sewer from the toilet he popped out of.
The line-up shuffling was a mistake . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:10pm.
Most of Special Ed's audience is in bed by 10:00pm.
MSNBC is the TV version of Air America, and its ratings suffer accordingly.
Good analogy...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:38pm.
MSNBC is the TV version of Air America, and will likely end up meeting the same fate.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
Is that what time
Submitted by Cowboy on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:57pm.
Is that what time 'insitutions' set for bed time?
Will that last
Submitted by Tjexcite on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:14pm.
Will the last member of MSNBC please turn off the Government subsidies GE owned China made compact florescent light bulb when they leave the building. Or they could turn it off now and no one would notice.
Rush is right. Again. He's
Submitted by Slyrr on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:15pm.
Rush is right. Again.
He's said over and over. The key to ratings is content, content, content.
MSNBC isn't sinking because of its hosts. Granted, the hosts are all obnoxious, sneering, ill-mannered and insolent morons. But even so, if the content of their shows was good, they'd have viewers.
The country is fed up with left wing Democrats pretending to be 'journalists' and claiming to be 'objective' when even an innocent child could tell these people have chosen sides. They are apologists and propagandists for Democrats and Obama, and therein is the reason for their continued collapse.
The Democrats have jumped the shark with their radical agenda and their unconstitutional laws. When the plot is right out in the open, it can't be kept secret.
The Democrats are spitting in the faces of the American people, and its the job of Obama's media to tell us it's refreshing rain water. And everyone knows it. They showed on Mythbusters that you CAN polish dung. But even if you make it glossy, its still filthy and it still stinks.
I suspect we will very
Submitted by Free Stinker on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:18pm.
I suspect we will very quickly find out if Comcast is in business to make a profit, or if they merely want to allow MSLSD to keep regurgitating DailyKos talking points
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Good Lord
Submitted by ripper58 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:24pm.
FNC absolutely DOMINATES!!! Wonder why that is?
Wow! Oprah Denies Jesus is the Only Way to Salvation & Heaven
Submitted by im41 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:29pm.
Here is a video of Oprah spreading her New Age Eastern religion, or at least attempting unsuccessfully to indoctrinate these Christian ladies.
Wonder why her new network is
Submitted by ricklail on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:42pm.
Wonder why her new network is in the crapper?
Their ratings problem couldn't possibly be that the views
Submitted by virginia republican on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:34pm.
they're esposing are a crock of crap. It's gotta be, as with Obama's programs, a failure to communicate with the dumbass masses. Yeah, that must be it.
Compare and Contrast
Submitted by sherlock1 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:53pm.
Bill O'Reilly (whom I dislike) says to Obama "I'm not in business to make you a success."
Chris Matthews (whom I dislike intensely) says to his audience "It's up to us to make Obama a success."
For every media personality that thinks like BOR, there are 10 that think like Tingles. The whole edifice of American journalism is propagandized to the core.
It's product is worthless to a citizenry that seeks to be informed. It is only of value to Democrat politicians who seek to be fatuously aggrandized and simultaneously immunized from public criticism.
The COMCAST people should have checked under the hood
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:09pm.
If they had, they would have noticed there was no motor.
LOL - Now they're stuck with a powerless lemon that can't even get out of its own way.
-Dave
Looks like GE got to dump
Submitted by Cowboy on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:54pm.
Looks like GE got to dump this pig none too soon. I'm speaking of the network, but...
What you mean a guy
Submitted by libfail on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:05pm.
Whose only experience talking politics is on a podcast aired on Youtube doesn't do a good job with his own hour of tv? Shocking
You all miss the point
Submitted by jcpenny on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:46pm.
The reason these "non-fiction" stations line up the way they do is that the majority of the folks that would prefer to watch the losers in the ratings are not interested is forgoing good fiction during these time-slots: soap opera re-runs, sitcoms, reality shows, et al. There are still half the people in the US that think that Fox is lying and Maddow is a Saint. They just don't bother to tune in to know what they already FEEL.
Be careful prophecizing the demise of TV broadcasts for the illiterate by citing "news" ratings. The shift in this country towards mind-numbed, dependent masses continues with or without MSNBC viewership.
Freedom isn't free unless the government gives yours away.
Apparently Thursday was unusual
Submitted by dave_worrell on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:51pm.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/category/cable-news
Just checking the numbers, it seems Thursday was an anomaly. Seems like O'Donnell and Maddow average around a million viewers on a typical night.
The "anomaly" occurs over and over again
Submitted by ThisnThat on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 10:48pm.
You better check Friday, Feb 4 out before you tout those 1M viewer numbers for O'Donnell and Maddow there, guy. That makes two out of the 5 days that are "anomalous"..
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
A question to ask is
Submitted by Ashrak on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 6:28pm.
Why aren't MSNBC and CNN growing their viewerships? Why aren't they gaining ground? They change their lineups, they change their hosts, they change their formats and they even try copying gimicks, yet they are stagnant or falling.
Why is that? Could it be that Andrew Breitbart was correct when he said - It's not your business model that sucks, it's you that sucks". Could it be that their content attracts the days moonbats for a while, and loses just as many as it gains? Could it be that they are like buckets of water with a hole in the bottom of it?
Those networks are failures and will remain that way until they get the picture, until they finally see that the people are rejecting the garbage they put out every day. At some point, the only ones watching will be those addicted to watching train wrecks.
Ah, MSNBC. How I love watching you flounder!
Submitted by Phryj1 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 8:55pm.
So, any bets on who's going to be following Olby over to Current TV next?
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
The Numbers
Submitted by TylerP on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 9:05pm.
The only thing I do not like is that somewhere Oberdouche is thinking what a mistake it was for Comcast to fire him.
NBC is Collapsing MSNBC is Gone.
Submitted by Avitar on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 12:30am.
There is only half a decade before the Collapse of top MSM outlets is a mater of routine.a
Wednesday #s were wildly different
Submitted by OffTheLows on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 12:40am.
guessing that people who watch msnbc switched to cnn for better international news w/ what's going on in egypt. If those #s continue to hold up, there could be trouble though at MSNBC. 200k in the demo is the bar they should hold above.
MSNBC will be designated "too big to fail"
Submitted by p-squared on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 2:00am.
It will be merged with NPR and funded through presidential executive order with funds saved from cutting ammunition out of the defense budget. Peacekeepers and nation builders don't need bullets, but America needs a balanced source of all the progressive news that is fit to broadcast.
Rather, MSNBC will be judged too 'bad' to fail.
Submitted by acaiguana on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 7:08am.
So, there you have it.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana notes from the Underground' (Soon to be at theaters near you)
DailyKos and Huff n' Puff kooks are punishing AMessNBC...
Submitted by OxyCon on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 3:47am.
...for firing Olberdunce.
Comcast better be working on a plan to revamp their line-up with respectable human beings asap or the ratings are only going to get worse.
One of these things is not like the other... tata ta
Submitted by acaiguana on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 7:06am.
One of these days the brilliant and sound business driven management of MSNBC and ABC and CBS and the Home Shopping Network (huh? - sorry) will run into a blank wall that causes them to rethink their models.
How any of these networks (cable... I know) can begin to lecture anyone, the people or the government or business, on the 'correct' way to do stuff - like make a clean profit; live within their means; balance the budget... etc - is way beyond my pay grade.
The Left is so quick to tout its intellectual superiority to the rest of us plebes - it remindes me of the old story of the engineer, the architect and the economist on the desert Island with a five gallon can of beans.
The engineer tries to open the can and fails. The architect tries to open the can and fails.
The economst smugly stands back and says:
"It's simple, really. FIRST assume a can opener."
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana notes from the Underground' (Soon to be at theaters near you)
Ed is lowest of the low
Submitted by Cactus Kurt on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 10:15am.
The dropoff in ratings for Braindead Ed is dramatic. Hide the matches 30 Rock. Keith who?
confessions
Submitted by Catherwood on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 11:05am.
I have to confess that as an exercise in looking into the face of the enemy, I have made myself watch msnbc and cnn. To state the obvious, while watching these left-wing outlets, it becomes immediately crystal clear that the commentators look down upon the entire South and it's people. Mathews and Olberman are probably the worst. They can't hide their disdain for fly over America and it's people. I think this is the main reason that their rating are in the tank. People quickly tire of having their ways of life sneared at and belittled. Even liberals have to see and hear the contempt these commentators have for anyone who does not toe the liberal line and think like they do. I guess the irony is that in theend, it is they who lose because more and more viewers choose to watch shows where they are not insulted and talked down to. Check out Katie Couric's ratings if you have any doubt about this. People don't just not watch her; they despise her.
Left wing site like Huffpost
Submitted by dennyf51 on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 12:56pm.
I agree that the death knell is ringing, but if you go to media matters or hufffpost, the posts by these people that believe in these sites are humorous, but sad and maybe a little scary . They talk about Fox being so slanted and lying about everything, but never have proof except from other progressive sites, all heresay. They are convinced that MSNBC is truthful and fair, and it'sshameful that they never question the validity of these programs and talking heads. Take a look if you haven't, it's eye opening what our kids are learning in college today from the liberal bastions of education.
MSNBC Tanking
Submitted by redhawk on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 3:59pm.
Perghaps the final demise of Msnbc will be a merger with the Gore Tv audience of 6 1/2 viewers...
FOX Dominance
Submitted by redhawk on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 3:57pm.
Fox "forgot" to compare Fox and Friends Am show Vs the Cup of Joe with Mike b taking a hosing from a Brit no less:http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/02/14/mika-brzezinski-gets-a-spanking/
This shows the total clueless ness of Pretend Journalists on MSNBC.. but then...
It will be merged with NPR
Submitted by bagtree on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 5:29am.
It will be merged with NPR and funded through presidential executive order with funds saved from cutting ammunition out of the defense budget. Peacekeepers and nation builders don't need bullets, but America needs a balanced source of all the progressive news that is fit to broadcast.
wholesale handbags, women handbags, wholesale purses
SPAM
Submitted by Unsane on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 6:27am.
Apparently folks we got ourselves a spammer named bagtree.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)