What's Next For The Cable News Channels?

Over the last three months of the 2008 presidential campaign, ratings for the cable news channel MSNBC were up 158 percent over the same period a year earlier. They were up 101 percent for the Fox News Channel. On Comedy Central, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" hit a record high of 3.6 million viewers for a guest appearance by Senator Barack Obama on Oct. 29.

For cable channels with strong points of view, it was a very good election.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[bioluminescence]

I think history will bear me out on this, when television doesn't know where to go it goes goofy. Fox will be the first out of the blocks.

Hannity will have a new segment in his show, Raslin with Sean. No angry words. Just a couple of oiled up guys locked up in some old fashioned raslin (you know wrestling).

Not to be outdone, O"Reilly will force Congresional guests to describe new legislation using only hand gestures.

My personal favorite will be when Fox'N Friends broadcasts a new cooking segment, "Highlights of the Bush years: files that weren't accidentally incinerated by the White House staff."

[Bitsko]

I don't watch the cable news networks, so I don't care. Nyah nyah.

[RRoadrunner]

Fox will do the usual, spew hatred and nonsense. There is plenty for the other networks to do. How about real investigative journalism?

[Wiserone]

And, BECAUSE "What the Fix" News spews that hatred and nonsence will give MSNBC a running format to report each and every night. It's a gift that keeps on giving, sort of like Palin. The Rethug's just don't get it and it can be delicious to observe. Popcorn and fuzzy slippers at the ready.

[wayoutleft]

as a longtime MSNBC viewer i can reassure you all that there is no need to fear any accidental forays into objective journalism from the cable news networks. obama sychophancy is yet in its infancy. there will be a tremendous need in the coming years to divert attention to the family, white house basketball games, jogs on the beach, abjectly fawning europeans, and what have you- and away from the actual course of events. MSNBC is highly skilled at obama public relations and their skills will be required for at least the next eight years. for instance, obama must be positioned relative to the investment banking squeeze play: he claims it if it works; if not- it belongs to bush. he drops the no more gitmo sop at the same he is silent on the extension of the war for 3 more years or more. MSNBC also "broke the story" that HRC was up[ for Sec of State in a way that made it as difficult as possible for her to turn down.

[plages]

Here's your answer: http://rosenblumtv.wordpress.com/

[Carolab]

I intend to keep on supporting Keith fully and continue encouraging others to watch him. Maybe we can get the RW talking heads to calm down if we clobber their viewership.

[brynn6]

I think the best thing that could happen would be for MSNBC to get rid of "Mourning Joe" and replace him with Ariana! I'll even propose the new show title "Ariana in the A.M."

[Wiserone]

I second getting rid of Joe the Blowheart in the A.M. This morning he didn't like it in the least that the woman economist that is a regular went toe to toe with his bias's about the Rethug's and the economy. He didn't like it that he couldn't "lecture" her. She has more education in her little finger about the economy than he can ever even wish for. So, watch for her to be a "non" regular in the coming weeks. Especially since she also tore into Buchanan and basically told him that the 1980's are OVER!!!

[LHoney]

Wow, sorry I missed that!

[SammyD]

I think they should all stop or change to entertainment. After this election, I realize major networks and cable news are all crap. They do not employ journalists but entertainers. I'll get my news online from other countries where I can get the facts from jornalists.

[ebanks84]

All Keith and Rachel has got to do is find the crooks that keep trying to swindle the people. They're still out there and I'll keep on looking at them because I like hearing the truth.

The Republicans won't go away without a fight so FOX noise will always have some junk up their sleeves. Keith and Rachel will keep them straight I'm sure.

[williamina]

weird

[anonimost]

anyone who stops paying attention will find themselves in the same boat we are in today. power... to the people. own your power, peeps.

[anonimost]

hahahahahahahaha. how about reporting on a catastrophic financial collapse? gee, i guess that 's not worth reporting on. oh, there is always celebrity drivel to obsess about. why, i just want to spend all my time being indigant about brad pitt dumping aniston for angelina. now, that's important. ha!

[AmbivalentGuy]

What will happen to cable news?

The ratings game will become the ridiculously obvious driving force of the content.

We'll see some programmatic personality disorders, the numbers will fall
and then we'll be back to a Nancy Grace expose on coworkers who steal lunches
level of discourse

The younger viewers who turned on Stewart, Colbert and KO will gradually disappear.
Real politics isn't as funny as the Bush years.

The genuine excitement's over, people are media savvy and they
won't stay tuned for manufactured excitement.

There will still be an audience for hate speech -
PIP with the weather channel.

There will probably be shows like Rachel Maddow
that try to bring back a civil level of discourse.

BUT, all those dream demographic viewers that
spiked the numbers before the election?
- they're back on their laptops and
clicking on their headline widgit when something catches their eye.
The phrase "tune in next time" is meaningless to them.

Those guys like KO who negotiated new contracts during the
last months of the campaign got killer $'s out of the election.

[lj9283]

Just my wild speculation but I think that the recent remarks by Mr. Murdoch that were somewhat disparaging of FOX News were the beginning of his pursuit to buy CNN. The recent additions to the CNN on air staff with strong conservative bent sure make it looks as though CNN is positioning itself to be attractive to Mr. Murdoch.

Imagine two news networks owned by Mr. Murdoch ranting conservative viewpoints. There are alot of people who believe the rants of Hannity, O'Reiley, and Beck (Moe= O'Reiley, Larry=Hannity, and Curley Joe = Beck). After all 46% of the people voted for McCain....that's alot of people, and it means that if only a little more than 4% of the voters move to the right......

If you think that his takeover would move CNN to the middle of the road, read what he is starting to do over at the Wall Street Journal: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/12/iwall-street-journali-mak_n_143368.html

Maybe I am just being paraniod.

[nellie]

I'm sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

[anonimost]

i wonder if Oprah's new network OWN is going to offer up a facts only newscast?

[ohiomark]

In the case of MSNBC, Obama will make them the "Offical News Agency" of the United States of Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) and Keith Olbermann will be the new "Baghdad Bob".

All other news outlets will has to kiss up to the President and Prime Minister Pelosi to keep their licences' current.

[ProfessorDuh]

News outlets don't have licenses, pal. You might try understanding the first thing about American governance before you comment.

[ohiomark]

Basic cable channels are all regulated by the FCC, even the ones who broadcast 24 hour news.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/csgen.html

I'm sure Obama will find a way to life difficut for them if they don't "go along".

[anonimost]

ohiomark will be the nation's official i diot.