Greta Van Susteren Defends MSNBC Ratings Same Day MSNBC Announces Plans To Compete At 10PM

Fox News' Greta Van Susteren is well-known for taking to her blog to trash her former network, CNN. But last week she took the odd step of defending MSNBC against claims that their Inauguration Day ratings were disappointing. She posted on her blog Thursday:

Here is my theory: I think their viewership at MS/NBC got cut in half by NBC - their mothership which ALSO covered the events. CNN does not have a broadcast network to take their viewers so they kept their total audience. I don't know how much Fox Broadcast did to FNC or to what extent it had an impact on Fox News Channel, but NBC did have a large audience and I bet that means it stole lots of viewers from MS/NBC.

If you want to know how MS/NBC is doing you should look at routine nights not the spiked and unusual ones. What do you think? (Incidentally, MS/NBC has been doing very well recently.)

Greta explains that she posted the item in her ongoing effort to bring her readers behind the scenes of the cable news business. But one cable insider reached out to ask if the curious item had anything to do with Brian Stelter's New York Times article, published earlier in the day Thursday, that MSNBC is looking for a host to compete against Greta (and Anderson Cooper) at 10 PM.

The Huffington Post hears that Greta's contract with Fox News expires in mid-2010 — might that have anything to do with her sudden embrace of MSNBC? Or might she be hoping to team up with the third place network for a 1-2 punch against CNN and Anderson Cooper, who recently beat her in the Adults 25-54 demo for the 2008 year? If there's one thing for certain about Greta, it's that she doesn't like to lose — she likes to joke that Fox News took over the #1 spot from CNN the same month she came on board, and she often fixates about Anderson Cooper's ratings on GretaWire — so it wouldn't be surprising if the demo loss to AC 360 has led her to consider surprising moves, such as defending (or courting) a bitter rival.

Share your thoughts below, or email us if you know anything.

Comments

[JakeMontero]

Greta is/was right about the NBC/MSNBC conundrum. Stop haten on Greta.

[BlueLogic]

That Grendel van Susteren is a real piece of....work.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Anyone who watched Greta interview Palin, had to conclude that they are both Airheads.

[-0013]

Yeah Greta is one of those airheads who breezed through Georgetown Law school.

[gruyere6]

that's why its ranking is so low.

[gruyere6]

they rub each other, too

[Tom Payned]

I hate it when people continue to refer to MSNBC as the number three cable news channel.

MSNBC is not on a lot of cable providers basic package, CNN and FOX are. In the town where I live, CNN & Fox are on the basic package, but to get to the package with MSNBC, you have to move up two price levels,

I would like to see a comparison between how many households have all three channels available and compare the ratings in those households. I beleive that MSNBC would place higher or close the gap in an apples to apples comparison.

[AndThenOneDay]

It think it's basic in the NE. Where is it not on basic? And wouldn't that be a case of 'the market speaking', ie, that MSNBC isn't offered on basic because a very limited audience is anticipated?

I watch it all the time, but the market is the market, no?

[Tom Payned]

I live in Oregon. We have many small towns with small cable companies having no competition as they have long term deals in the county. My side of the city doesn't even offer cable as no line have been laid. We're a city of 75,000 and County of over 150,000.

Sure you can get Satellite but the broadcast networks don't have deals with any of the Satellite companies, (due to bandwith availability), are not allowed to transmit any other areas Big four, Due to the terrain getting the digital signal over the Airwaves are near impossible. The local channels will not grant waivers.

You will find this situation in towns throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Northern parts of California, Montana, Wyoming, N & S Dakota, to name but a few.

Heck we just got DSL a year ago.

[-0013]

There's no demand for MSNBC's brand of "news" many places in the country which is why it isn't on basic cable. I know a lot of people here hate the free market but if people in these non-MSNBC markets wanted to watch Olbermann and Matthews act like fools then their cable providers would pick up MSNCB. Supply and demand plain and simple.

[Tom Payned]

I know many people who don't want Fox Noise on their basic cable, but there it is. At least you have the option to tune them out.

As for the "free Market" how many people want 18 God channels, and 12 shopping channels as part of their basic cable?

However, I've never seen a basic package that doesn't include them.

In the county next door to us, MSNBC is not available on any price tier. That county is very rural and conservative and as there is only cable provider, (Satellite does not get broadcast networks. Keeping opposing views off the airways allows this provider to engage in censorship.

If your description of Olbermann and Matthews are correct, one would think you'd want everyone to see them as to you they are fools.

[WongChin]

You got to be kidding. Tom_Payned has said it all: it is an unfair comparison. Everywhere I go--hotels and temporary accommodations during travels--what I get are only CNN and Fox, whereas I watch MSNBC at my house 95% of the time (when they are not showing "Lock Up Raw"). And that's because it is only on MSNBC that SOME news people try to call a spade a spade. If that's acting "like fools" to you, then stay well in you Limbaughland. Wow! That actually sounds like Limbo! Go figure.

[MarkieBee]

Those ratings, Greta, are nothing another round of plastic surgery couldn't fix...

[tailgateshirts]

MSNBC doesnt have HD where I am and NBC does, plus NBC is over the air in HD as well.

Why watch MSNBC in reg instead of NBC, unless you had to hear Keith, Rachel or Chris talk

[GreatFutureForAll]

EXACTLY!!!

I kept changing back and forth from NBC to MSNBC and back again because I loved watching the inauguration in HD (and because I'm a big Lester Holt fan as he's the only "low key" news anchor that I know of).

I love the folks at MSNBC and may have watched the entire inauguration from their news channel had it been in HD.

Greta is right on point with this. She's even more correct than she thinks!

[Ydnic]

Here's what I don't get... If everyone else's channel list is like mine, MSNBC is 52 channels down the list from Fox News and 55 channels down the list from CNN.

Also, those with basic cable do not have access to MSNBC. No sure about Fox News. But, basic cable subscribers have access to CNN - I believe.

So, seems to me, if MSNBC could get a better channel position and be included in the basic cable package, their ratings would be a ton better than they are.

Apologies if my facts are incorrect. I welcome correction.

[MANK]

I pass on my Verizon package as it does not include MSNBC.

[Tom Payned]

On my Directv CNN is in the low two hundreds, MSNBC is on 356. I have no idea where Fox is as we have used the parental lock out, to block it.

Someone else wrote about HD and wanting to watch it in HD. I completely concur. I watched the Inaugural on ABC but switched back to MSNBC for the commentary.

[AndThenOneDay]

Cablevision has:

23: msnbc
24: cnbc
25: cnn
26: fox

Keeps it simple for the viewer to flip thru newsies when he wants newsies. It's not too bright to split them up if it can be avoided. By I still contend that MSNBC has a smaller market share because people choose not to watch it. I do, but others don't.

[-0013]

Yeah, it sure would take a lot of effort to remember what channel MSNBC is broadcast on and then punch it into the remote.

If American Idol was way down on the channel list people would make sure they found it.

[fentondem]

I watch a great deal of MSNBC but I would bet that many people who have hidef did what I and watched it on NBC.....come on guys at MSNBC lets go hi tech and hi def

[OMAguy]

Greta is an odd name for a guy.

[roblabrousse]

Best laugh I have had in a long time !!!

[proudcalib]

I am a regular MSNBC viewer who watched the inaugeration on C-SPAN. I preferred to observe the events of that great day without the distraction of the talking heads.

[huffyfan2]

You and me both. I have a name for the talkijng heads, I call them "Infotainers"

[instarx]

Second that opinion. Its a relief not to have to listen to the announcers. For example Matthews and Olbermann constantly at each other's throats; Blitzer's monotone drone; CNN's constant self-promotion, etc. Don't know about Fox - I took them off my tuner. None of that has anything to do with the event.

[dax49]

dykes of the world- UNITE

[RCLGuard]

Sell your soul, Greta Van Crooked Eye.

[tds1273]

Don't forget about C-Span. I'd wager that a large number of regular viewers of Maddow or Olbermann tuned into to C-Span as well.


I can't believe that I am defending a Faux host, but her creepy crush on Sarah Palin aside, during the whole Rev. Wright media cycle she was one of the fairest TV host to Obama and Wright, especially on that channel. She played more of the actual context of the clips and had some rather, surprisingly, interesting and fair interviews with some very respectable guests. I remember being kind of impressed actually.

That said, she does seem to really have trouble moving beyond Palin and random-missing-pretty-blond-girl story of the week.

[dougdl]

No way would you find viewers of Maddow or Olbermann tuning into C-Span. MTV I would believe.

[Sisto]

HD! MSNBC HD!!! Hello anybody out there!

[groovebak]

Thank you! I'd never switch to another channel if they switched to HD.

[DubiousAtBest]

Do you care about the hosts and what they have to say, or do you need extra HD detail of someone's lapel flag pin or something.

I really don't understand using HD as the deciding factor when choosing your news source.
That is frikkin re tarded.

[-0013]

Who cares if it's in HD or not? Do you really need to get a better look at Maddow's mug while you hear your "news".

Style over Substance - typical.

[LuckyLady6367]

I switched between NBC and MSNBC, because of the HD factor. NBC's colors were brilliant, even more so than CNN’s. MSNBC really needs to get with the program and HD itself. If it weren't for that, I'd have kept it on MSNBC. I love Brian Williams in the nightly news spot, but I prefer the banter between the MSNBC hosts much better. Come into the light (HD) MSNBC!

[DubiousAtBest]

Yes, the pretty pretty colors make the content of the news so much better.