• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

On Health Care Bill Sunday, The Cable News Winner Is...

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

... believe it or not, CNN! Yes, Fox News did have a sizeable advantage throughout most of the day, but starting in the 11 PM ET hour, in which the bill was voted and passed, CNN beat Fox News in all viewers as well as 25-54. Even third place MSNBC had big numbers during primetime - which, I'm sure, might have shattered previous airings of "To Catch A Predator" during that time slot...

Full story:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/23/cnn-has-big-ratings-day-during-health-care-debate/45829
 
At the risk of creating an argument...maybe the bulk of viewers decided they wanted actual events covered, and a reasonably balanced discussion of the health care bill, not a lot of screeching from freaked out tea partiers telling us that socialism is here, and health care is first step to a one-world government.

Just speculating...
 
Definitely a more balanced approach on CNN, for sure. And, for the record, they had pundits from both sides of the aisle.
 
Technically, it should not come as a surprise that CNN is the big network on a day when major news breaks (e.g. Michael Jackson's death). I guess the fact that because this particular story is associated with politics, the fact that one of the more politically-active cable news networks didn't get the bigger draw at the key moment of history (and that's not intended to be a biased comment - whether you're for or against health reform, it was history) may send a shock to some people.
 
Interesting to read the assumptions here about Fox News' coverage. Yes, Hannity was there for the actual vote, then it was Geraldo at 11 ET. Yes, Geraldo. Even conservatives were surely flipping over to CNN at that point. Did you look at the hourlies from 9P to 11P? You can actually see when Geraldo came on because Fox lost tons of viewers and CNN had their highest viewership of the evening. That was the hour when CNN clobbered Fox.

The lesson here is to always take a deeper look at why unusual things like this happen. There's usually a reason that goes well beyond the surficial assumptions cited here.
 
Having actually read the bill - a gruelling endeavor to be sure - I am more about the court cases. I did not bother watching the vote.
 
I usually avoid the news channels whenever events like this come up because I hate the "talking heads" format that they used. I rather watch a round table discussion than having to deal with satellite feed delays and the awkwardness that comes with it.

For this major vote, I watched C-SPAN until I got sick of the event. That's all I'm going to say about this subject.
 
BlueWanderer said:
I usually avoid the news channels whenever events like this come up because I hate the "talking heads" format that they used. I rather watch a round table discussion than having to deal with satellite feed delays and the awkwardness that comes with it.

For this major vote, I watched C-SPAN until I got sick of the event. That's all I'm going to say about this subject.
Click to expand...

My pushing up on 80 mother and some of her neighbors had a beer party, played cards, watched c-span and laughed at the proceedings.
 
BRNout said:
Interesting to read the assumptions here about Fox News' coverage. Yes, Hannity was there for the actual vote, then it was Geraldo at 11 ET. Yes, Geraldo. Even conservatives were surely flipping over to CNN at that point. Did you look at the hourlies from 9P to 11P? You can actually see when Geraldo came on because Fox lost tons of viewers and CNN had their highest viewership of the evening. That was the hour when CNN clobbered Fox.

The lesson here is to always take a deeper look at why unusual things like this happen. There's usually a reason that goes well beyond the surficial assumptions cited here.
Click to expand...

Well, there you go again, BRNot - blaming the liberal for everything. ;D
 
I think it can be reasonably ascertained from CNN's ratings lead over Fox News and MSNBC during important events like the vote on Sunday, the death of Michael Jackson and so forth, that more Americans see CNN (over MSNBC or Fox News) as a "news" channel. MSNBC and Fox News are infotainment channels. People watch them to hear extremists spout a viewpoint in which they already believe, to solidify their viewpoint, or to scream at the opposition for having said opposing viewpoint.

When people want real, objective news, though, they tend to turn to CNN or the networks, which makes it all that more depressing that the networks largely did not really cover the Sunday debate and vote. It means more people will end up with partisan talking points about health care reform than honest analysis.
 
justpassingthough said:
during important events like the vote on Sunday, the death of Michael Jackson and so forth,
Click to expand...
If these are the only two events that have registered for CNN ratings wins over the last nine months, they're hosed.

(I can't think of any others)
 
I was jumping from ABC to CBS to NBC at the end of the vote, to see what the nets would do and very sadly, only one of three bothered to break in with the results of possibly the most significant bill in decades. I will disclose that while I am a Universal Health care advocate, I was disappointed that when ABC broke in to announce the results, there was a "giddy" Diane Sawyer "gushing" about it passing. Didn't seem very objective at all.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom