You Stay Classy, Rog: Ebert Misinterprets Cable Ratings to Bash Fox Viewers as 'Indifferent to Japan'
Demonstrating the ability to go unhinged without provocation, movie critic Roger Ebert looked at this Hollywood Reporter item discussing CNN's audience increase on Friday as an excuse to tweet the following at about midnight Eastern time last night:
As poster "Hollywoodland" at Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood pointed out, Ebert's link doesn't even support his claim.
Looking at more comprehensive numbers, let's compare Media Bistro's cable news scoreboards for Friday, March 11 to Friday, March 4. One sees that while CNN's viewership went up astronomically, Fox's viewership also increased quite substantially (all figures presented are March 11 vs. March 4):
- Total Day, All viewers, CNN -- 2.532 million vs. 495,000, up 412%
- Total Day, 25-54 Demo, CNN -- 1.100 million vs. 169,000, up 551%
- Total Day, All viewers, Fox -- 2.273 million vs. 1.381 million, up 97%
- Total Day, 25-54 Demo, Fox -- 724,000 vs. 368,000, up 97%
- Prime Time, All viewers, CNN -- 2.645 million vs. 582,000, up 354%
- Prime Time, 25-54 Demo, CNN -- 1.163 million vs. 242,000, up 381%
- Prime Time, All viewers, Fox -- 2.719 million vs. 2.069 million, up 31%
- Prime Time, 25-54 Demo, Fox -- 754,000 vs. 488,000, up 55%
Further contradicting Ebert's claim, MSNBC's numbers compared to the other two cable networks barely budged. Each of MSNBC's four March 4-11 audience metrics grew by less than 25%.
If Ebert has a point, it's escaping anyone who looks at the numbers.Ebert also seems to think that the mere act of turning the TV on is some kind of proof that you care, i.e., that you're not indifferent. Zheesh.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Comments
The knee jerking
Submitted by Ashrak on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:12pm.
is turning into full blown convulsions.
Ebert is getting as goofy as
Submitted by Van Halen on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:31pm.
Ebert is getting as goofy as Matthews in his wild-eyed accusations and obsession of everything Rightwing.Roger took one on the chin
Submitted by Mike F on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:44pm.
I know, that was classless and ignoble in nature. very much unlike me. I'll try to hold my chin-up and muddle through this unfortunate indiscretion.
Indifferent to Japan?
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:45pm.
What's that doofus shooting his mouth off about now?Cool
Submitted by Mike F on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:48pm.
My jaw dropped after reading your quip.→ Mike
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:52pm.
Maybe Samson needed it. Heard there were 10,000 Philistines looking for him. But I heard he gave it back to the ass when he was through with it.Cool
Submitted by Mike F on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 3:38am.
After jawing it over with this little piggy, he said "not by my chinny-chin-chin."
Roger being Roger
Submitted by jpwcpa on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 11:05am.
He's been one of the more vocal critics of conservatives for some time now. So many people just want him to shut up and sing...err...review. Other than hiring hottie Christy Lemire for his new show, he hasn't done anything worthy of being shouted from the rooftops lately.So is he implying
Submitted by panzerakc on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:52pm.
that Fox News has had nothing to say about the disaster in Japan? I don't get Fox News any more, but I'm doubtful about that premise.What an embittered man!
Submitted by TexasMom0517 on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:55pm.
I used to love watching "Siskel & Ebert." How sad that Ebert has become such an embittered, petty man. What a waste.And yet...
Submitted by dervish on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:55pm.
Fox still won in prime time. Maybe more Fox viewers have jobs?Now
Submitted by Bob K on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 2:28am.
THAT'S a very good point, and likely true.Large percentage of increase based on low starting numbers
Submitted by nkviking75 on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 11:59pm.
I bet he's looking at the percentage of increase in viewership. However, the major reason the percentage of increase for CNN is so high is that the starting numbers are so low.“Always love your country — but never trust your government!" -- Bob Novak (1931-2009)
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Bingo!
Submitted by mang on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 3:23pm.
Bingo!If someone has watched Fox
Submitted by Riprap on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 12:44am.
If someone has watched Fox since the day before the earthquake weren't they already a viewer? So because more folks didn't START watching Fox on the day of the earthquake its existing viewers don't care about the devastation in Japan? How does that even work? Just looks to me like CNN had a nice jump. I Don't think it has anything to do with whether or not a particular group of viewers was indifferent or not. I'm not sure how he could read the minds of Fox viewers anyway but that's a different story.Doesn't CNN reach more homes?
Submitted by ConservaSerb on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 2:03am.
I was in an Indianapolis area hotel that didn't carry Fox News. I wonder how many of those "new" viewers for CNN didn't have the choice many of us have. I tried to find out how many "homes" CNN got into as compared to FOX, and this is all a quick search could find: From Wikipedia: For CNN: "As of August 2010, CNN is available in over 100 million U.S. households.[6] Broadcast coverage extends to over 890,000 American hotel rooms,[6] and the U.S broadcast is also shown in Canada" For Fox News Channel "As of April 2009, it is available to 102 million households in the United States and further to viewers internationally, broadcasting primarily out of its New York City studios."A wise & frugal government, which shall leave men free 2 regulate their own pursuits of industry & improvement, & shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. T. Jefferson
All CNN needs, is a
Submitted by JPTSO3 on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 2:14am.
All CNN needs, is a once-every-hundred-years disaster… every week, and it will be relevant again.Maybe it could be said that
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 8:00am.
Maybe it could be said that CNN viewers had a sick attraction to the images of devastation? I know I turned the news off after a while because I felt like a voyeur.Okay, so the American Idol watching, People Magazine reading...
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 1:05pm.
...jock-sniffer radio listening sheeple reached for the TV remote and turned on CNN after the quake hit Japan for a couple of days.
Big deal.
I am sure most of them have now returned to fretting over who will be the next Idol, what will become of Charlie Sheen, and how their team is lining up in the basketball tournament.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Maybe they should be
Submitted by dscott on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 4:22pm.
Maybe they should be listening to Glibert Gottfried make jokes about Japan's disaster to show their interest??? AFLAC fired him as the voice of their duck. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20473774,00.html Poor judgment seems to be contagious these days I guess this puts Kudlow's gaffe in perspective and cuts the legs out from under the liberal meme of evil capitalists. Notice how quickly the Kudlow controversy died. But heck they are trying to go after Glenn Beck as well claiming it was God who did it: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/glenn-beck-calls-quake-message-god-g... They have usual nonsense from the VIEW being spouted by the usual bad actors. Funny, for hundreds of years, when lighting struck, earthquakes shook and floods occurred commercial contracts called those ACTS OF GOD. It's nice to see liberals finally acknowledge albeit indirectly it's not really God to blame but just man's poor siting choices. SNARKHarley2002
Submitted by Harley2002 on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 8:25pm.
Ebert what a bitter little man.