CNN: LOWEST RATINGS IN 15 YEARS

[gregg75]

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/cnn-slumps-to-15-year-primetime-low/

Highlights or LOWLIGHTS
Last night Piers Morgan had 39,000 viewers 25-54 (284,000 total viewers)
April......lowest rated month in over a decade
Maddow and Hannity are greatly beating Morgan at 9PM (on MSNBC and FOX News)

 

[recto101]

I'm not surprised here that cable news has low ratings. I stopped watching CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CNBC, and HLN. These channels don't provide good objective news content like all-news radio in my area of SFO. Also in my area Pacifica radio, NPR, CBS all-news (KCBS in San Francisco), ARNN (Web-only) and News Radio International (Web only) provides better news content. I know Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and other media critics have supposed evidence that shows that MSNBC, CNBC and Fox are propaganda. Also CNN and HLN are accused of bowing down to TMZ and National Enquirer to get national news content.

 

[TVCOOL]

CNN became 2nd place when Fox News came along.

 

[Markxxx]

It's funny because I read that all news (hard news) formats like WBBM NewsRadio 78 (Chicago) are growing more popular.

It shows there is a market for hard news, it's just moved to radio. I actually use the Internet to pull in the NewsRadio format type radio stations

 

[onairb]

I'm not surprised here that cable news has low ratings. I stopped watching CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CNBC, and HLN. These channels don't provide good objective news content like all-news radio in my area of SFO. Also in my area Pacifica radio, NPR, CBS all-news (KCBS in San Francisco), ARNN (Web-only) and News Radio International (Web only) provides better news content. I know Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and other media critics have supposed evidence that shows that MSNBC, CNBC and Fox are propaganda. Also CNN and HLN are accused of bowing down to TMZ and National Enquirer to get national news content.

The cable channels are too reliant on 'fluff' when they aren't simply abandoning traditional newscasts for blowhard talking-head 'opinion' shows. And, as you point out, this is a problem with all three channels, not just 'insert clever nickname for 'Fox News' here'.
CNN has been irrelevant since Bernard Shaw, and other anchors of his era, retired. MSNBC has been a train wreck at worst, and an unapologetic shill at best. Basically, anyone who isn't a homosexual communist...pardon me, a 'gay Progressive'...is suspect by MSBC's standards. Fox has a handful of halfway-decent regulars (Brit Hume, O'Reilly, Bret Baer, Huckabee) hidden with the Hannity and Van Susteren blabberfests, and all those interchangeable blondes.

 

[Mark Giardina]

It is no surprise to me that CNN has low ratings.

When I turn on the TV for news that is exactly what I want....news. Instead CNN executives feel the need to put before their viewing audience a series of so-called celebrities.

This trend started back in the early 1990s when CNN ditched (almost) their entire team of anchors and reporters that helped launch the network in order to hire (overpaid) individuals like Larry King, Connie Chung and Paula Zahn. That worked out real well didn't it?

Now there are a new batch of CNN celebrities: Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, John King; just to name a few.

CNN all but has abandoned the original concept of Headlines News and allowed it to morph into TMZ-supermarket tabloid version of the news.

Now not to pile blame on just CNN because MSNBC is no better. That network's agenda is more towards liberal-minded viewers, while FOX has the conservatives in their back pocket.

Maybe this is why I've started watch more of BBC America for international news coverage.

 

[recto101]

It's funny because I read that all news (hard news) formats like WBBM NewsRadio 78 (Chicago) are growing more popular.

It shows there is a market for hard news, it's just moved to radio. I actually use the Internet to pull in the NewsRadio format type radio stations

I read the ratings books and WBBM always have the 1&2 spots in the Chicago Market. In San Francisco KCBS always have the top 3 spots in the SFO ratings and NPR station KQED always have the top 3 spots in SFO. I know in DC WTOP gets the top 3 spots for all news. I watch the CBS Evening News with Pelley. i know He is the one that is bring back the Cronkite style news to the Network.

 

[recto101]

I'm not surprised here that cable news has low ratings. I stopped watching CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CNBC, and HLN. These channels don't provide good objective news content like all-news radio in my area of SFO. Also in my area Pacifica radio, NPR, CBS all-news (KCBS in San Francisco), ARNN (Web-only) and News Radio International (Web only) provides better news content. I know Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and other media critics have supposed evidence that shows that MSNBC, CNBC and Fox are propaganda. Also CNN and HLN are accused of bowing down to TMZ and National Enquirer to get national news content.

The cable channels are too reliant on 'fluff' when they aren't simply abandoning traditional newscasts for blowhard talking-head 'opinion' shows. And, as you point out, this is a problem with all three channels, not just 'insert clever nickname for 'Fox News' here'.
CNN has been irrelevant since Bernard Shaw, and other anchors of his era, retired. MSNBC has been a train wreck at worst, and an unapologetic shill at best. Basically, anyone who isn't a homosexual communist...pardon me, a 'gay Progressive'...is suspect by MSBC's standards. Fox has a handful of halfway-decent regulars (Brit Hume, O'Reilly, Bret Baer, Huckabee) hidden with the Hannity and Van Susteren blabberfests, and all those interchangeable blondes.

Dial Global recently dropped CNN Radio because of Low ratings on the news/talk stations that carried CNN TOH.

 

[cspotrun]

CNN is Sterile and Boring, you can't argue with the numbers.
i think for many CNN is seen as yet ANOTHER member of the "Main Stream Liberal Media". if they would do something that wasn't so Predictable, they might get some "Cred". in short, Liberal Talk Radio NEVER MADE IT, CNN, and to a larger extent msnbc isn't making it either.

 

[BlueWanderer]

Maybe this is why I've started watch more of BBC America for international news coverage.

Lucky, my PBS station airs the thirty-minute version of BBC World News at 11 but only on weeknights. It's still a thousand times better than having to sit through the mind numbing infotainment of current day American cable news.

Really the only good reason to keep those channels around is for live coverage of events. Even then, if it's that important enough the major networks will break programming to cover them. Of course, there's always the internet coverage if the bandwidth doesn't fail that is.

 

[formeraa]

CNN needs to focus on objective news. Let Fox News Channel and MSNBC pander to the extreme right-wing and left-wing viewers who basically want biased talk on television. CNN needs to shed all of these shows and do the news...be the best at it.

CNN should have destination newscasts for all time zones and should be live 24 hours per day, even when there is not "breaking news".

 

[LKellerIII]

CNN needs to focus on objective news. Let Fox News Channel and MSNBC pander to the extreme right-wing and left-wing viewers who basically want biased talk on television. CNN needs to shed all of these shows and do the news...be the best at it.

CNN should have destination newscasts for all time zones and should be live 24 hours per day, even when there is not "breaking news".

CNN in other countries is what we call "CNN International" here. It is a much better service, and delivers primarily hard news and analysis without the "infortainment" fluff. Unfortunately, my cable company no longer carries CNN-I.

Live 24/7 would be expensive, so that's probably why they don't do it.

 

[TVCOOL]

CNN is Sterile and Boring, you can't argue with the numbers.
i think for many CNN is seen as yet ANOTHER member of the "Main Stream Liberal Media". if they would do something that wasn't so Predictable, they might get some "Cred". in short, Liberal Talk Radio NEVER MADE IT, CNN, and to a larger extent msnbc isn't making it either.

CNN was the name brand for news since their launch in 1980 until the Fox News Channel overtook the #1 spot in cable news ratings in 2000.

 

[recto101]

It is no surprise to me that CNN has low ratings.

When I turn on the TV for news that is exactly what I want....news. Instead CNN executives feel the need to put before their viewing audience a series of so-called celebrities.

This trend started back in the early 1990s when CNN ditched (almost) their entire team of anchors and reporters that helped launch the network in order to hire (overpaid) individuals like Larry King, Connie Chung and Paula Zahn. That worked out real well didn't it?

Now there are a new batch of CNN celebrities: Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, John King; just to name a few.

CNN all but has abandoned the original concept of Headlines News and allowed it to morph into TMZ-supermarket tabloid version of the news.

Now not to pile blame on just CNN because MSNBC is no better. That network's agenda is more towards liberal-minded viewers, while FOX has the conservatives in their back pocket.

Maybe this is why I've started watch more of BBC America for international news coverage.

Wasn't Headline News (HLN) and CNN were supposed to be more like USA Today in terms of their News content in the 1980's and 1990's? I remember HLN always repeating the top stories every 30 minutes and it was a 30 minute cycle back then. I heard of the argument that 1010 WINS is like the NY Post of all-news radio and WCBS 880 is like the NY Times of all-News radio in the NYC market. At some point Time Warner looked at the ratings and saw that MSNBC and Fox were dropping their Tabloid format for all politics format and decided to run with content that came from TMZ/ Murdoch British Tabloid/National Enquirer.

http://www.premiereradio.com/shows/view/tmz.html

Check this out Time Warner's TMZ division has recently signed with Premiere Radio Networks (Clear Channel owned) to put the TMZ segments for the Clear Channel radio stations. Incidentally Clear Channel has distribution rights to Fox News radio and Fox Sports radio.

 

[searadiofreak]

I personally like CNN because of their lack of a "lean". But I guess I'm not typical, according to the ratings.

The answer to CNN's problems is not evident. If it was, they would just do it. They can keep shuffling anchors and/or shows, but they never seem to get over the hump. I am really stumped as to what they need to do. They do seem to be multi-ethnic in their approach, perhaps they take that to the next level, but I really don't know.

CNN does thrive on breaking news, and almost without a doubt, people will turn to them for this coverage. Maybe they become "The Breaking News" channel, and go to breaking news from all over the country. The downside is they would be covering news that doesn't matter to most, the upside would be it would be exciting and atleast pull in viewers for a short period of time, until they realize it doesn't really matter to them.

 

[KTN Corp]

I'm not surprised here that cable news has low ratings. I stopped watching CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CNBC, and HLN. These channels don't provide good objective news content like all-news radio in my area of SFO. Also in my area Pacifica radio, NPR, CBS all-news (KCBS in San Francisco), ARNN (Web-only) and News Radio International (Web only) provides better news content. I know Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and other media critics have supposed evidence that shows that MSNBC, CNBC and Fox are propaganda. Also CNN and HLN are accused of bowing down to TMZ and National Enquirer to get national news content.

I do the same in Houston. We are so lucky to have a Pacifica station along with NPR. I like Democracy Now! since they have the first scoop on the news that is reported on the mainstream media 6 months later, if at all! For example, the J.P. Morgan debacle happening right now was foreshadowed back in late March when DN invited a guest about Bank of America's business practices. Turns out both were gambling with depositors' money.

I don't bother with OTA or cable TV news anymore since the digital transition since they are slanted to the corporate interests. Radio is the only way I get my news and it's portable like a mobile phone unlike TV--not just at home, but in the car and my portable Sangean DT-400W.

 

[KTN Corp]

It's funny because I read that all news (hard news) formats like WBBM NewsRadio 78 (Chicago) are growing more popular.

It shows there is a market for hard news, it's just moved to radio. I actually use the Internet to pull in the NewsRadio format type radio stations

Radio is the wave of the future! TV news is moribund and like the Tavis Smiley Shows, TV news is boring to watch but radio is interesting to listen to.

 

[BlueWanderer]

I personally like CNN because of their lack of a "lean". But I guess I'm not typical, according to the ratings.

Well, when compared to MSNBC and Fox News I suppose. Perhaps, they have exported their "lean" or what I call foolish behavior to HLN.

 

[MarkW]

i think for many CNN is seen as yet ANOTHER member of the "Main Stream Liberal Media". if they would do something that wasn't so Predictable, they might get some "Cred". in short, Liberal Talk Radio NEVER MADE IT, CNN, and to a larger extent msnbc isn't making it either.

Your comment regarding MSNBC simply isn't true. Look at the ratings. They are doing much better than CNN, and have gone nowhere but up since adopting a hard left-wing lean in prime time.

Some would argue that NPR is liberal talk radio, and in many (but not all) large markets, NPR-affiliated stations post strong ratings.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

As far as average prime-time viewers, age 25-54 so far this month:
Fox News: 397,000 (3x CNN)
MSNBC: 218,900 (75% more than CNN)
CNN: 124,300
HLN: 94,400