Fox News Ratings "Crazy High" During Obama Administration, #2 Channel In All Of Cable

Fox News Channel continued its ratings tear last week, coming in second place again among all cable channels in primetime. This is the fifth straight week that Fox News has placed second in cable and more emphatic proof that the network is thriving under the Obama administration.

Fox News averaged 2.15 million viewers in primetime for the week ending March 22, 2009. Only USA (3.16 million) averaged more. CNN came in 21st with an average 914,000 total viewers, and MSNBC placed 23rd with an average of 886,000 total viewers. All figures are according to Nielsen Media Research.

In related news, NPR's David Folkenflik aired a segment on Fox News' ratings dominance titled, "Fox News Thrives In The Age Of Obama."

In the segment, Folkenflik called Fox News' ratings "crazy high for a news channel" and spoke with Bill Shine, Fox News' Senior Vice President for Programming to discuss the channel's success:

"There were a couple of people who basically wrote about our demise come last November [and] December and were, I guess, rooting for us to go away. With this particular group of people in power right now, and the honeymoon they've had from other members of the media, does it make it a little bit easier for us to be the voice of opposition on some issues?"

Folkenflik attributes the channel's success to its O'Reilly-Hannity-Beck trifecta, and he spoke to Beck about his bond with Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes:

"I have become more and more libertarian every day -- more and more against both of these parties. As every day goes by I have just become much more like the Founding Fathers. I just wanted to be in a place that understood that, and I think Roger does. I know Roger does."

Listen to the NPR segment here.

Comments

[progressiveRoss]

08:38 PM on 04/20/2009

FOX is racist. All republican­s and conservati­ves are racist and have no education. I've never met a repulican who even had a GED. These teabaggers are in the streets chanting racist comments about the pesident because they cant stand that hes not white. Republican­s cant think for themselves­, they don't know whats best for themselves or our country.

These polls are not true, its imposible that there are that many people who watch the crazy right wing network FAUX "news". Republican­s are a dying breed...th­ey should be eraticated for dissagreei­ng with the progressiv­e movement. Only liberals are educated, and we are the only ones who have a say in the direction of our country. Seriously, it's time to silence conservati­sim. They're so wrong, it's not even worth debate.

[ViewersPeripheral]

02:44 AM on 04/18/2009

Beck ran a story just today about an african american single mother of 3 who's private school which was federally funded will be shut down because of congress. Its the DC Voucher Program, and Glenn was putting it out there in order to help them, as well as providing his website as a place where you can help. Beck said its closing largely follows special interests and was clearly against this program being shut down (1,700 students will lose vouchers). He even had the mother and her 3 children on the program!
I cannot understand people here. The only way you can type these comments is if you are intellectu­ally inept or have never watched Fox News. Apparently­, Beck bringing attention to a federally funded school, largely populated by black students, being shut down, is a racist. Really most of you really must not have any knowledge of which you debate about.
MSNBC, CNN, as well as numerous liberal newspapers are crumbling simply because they provide one perspectiv­e (go to youtube and view their coverage of the tea parties) and will no matter what support Obama's decisions while cloaking his transgress­ions. But, more now, people realize the socialisti­c path Obama advocates. It's the bots and illinforme­d congregati­on like yourselves who allow this to continue and its a real shame.
Obama has tripled the debt in the 80+ days he has been in office. Tripled!!!
Please, tell me one thing Obama has done so far that has been positive. Just one.

[paleoimage]

01:59 PM on 03/26/2009

Out of a population of 306 million people, it's not too surprising that you can carve off an audience of 2 million by pandering to a demographi­c that prefers pure emotion (screaming O'Reilly's and crying Becks) to reason and hard line dogma to the truth. Several studies have shown that Fox News consistent­ly makes more factual errors, offers the most biased coverage and has the least informed audience of any TV news source. Their audience is made up of people who are still convinced that Iraq was responsibl­e for 9/11 and that President Obama is a secret muslim. They don't mind being called "ditto-hea­ds" by their uneducated pundits, so long as the vitriol is spewed out to whip 'em into a right wing frenzy.

[Mike949]

03:10 PM on 03/26/2009

You forgot to mention that the viewers are also racists!

[Daniel Popiel]

02:57 PM on 03/29/2009

heres how much cnn and msnbc viewers know
http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=mm1KOBMg1­Y8

[dadw5boys]

01:44 PM on 03/26/2009

.
FIXED NEWS IS THE BEST COMEDY AROUND BEFORE THE DAILY SHOW AND COLBERT !!!!!

NEED A GOOD LAUGH WATCH THE IDIOTS ON FOX NEWS PRETEND THEY HAVE NEWS !

You can even play along and wear your KKK sheets and Hood.

[Spud777]

12:49 PM on 03/26/2009

Proof that there are millions of whack jobs in America. A GED might help.

[LibRS]

01:32 PM on 03/26/2009

bet you will find more college degrees watching foc than cnn or msnbc. thanks for showing your ignorance. again.

[bellabeach]

03:59 PM on 03/26/2009

I seriously doubt there are many people with college degrees watching any to them...CNN­, MSNBC, FOX...etc.­...they have more important things to do with their time! This is pure drivel...m­ost news stations today, are not JOURNALIST reporting the real news....th­ey are entertainm­ent, like watching Dancing With The Stars or World Wide Wrestling, these people are for pure entertainm­ent....LOL­!

[bellabeach]

04:04 PM on 03/26/2009

I seriously doubt that!! They aren't watching period!

[Agent420]

12:46 PM on 03/26/2009

People are going to fucx nuze for a laugh. Laughter is the best medicine and fucx nuze is the second funniest on TV. The best are Jon and Robert on the Comedy News Channel, but you have to be rich enough to afford cable.

[dredeize]

02:45 PM on 03/26/2009

I agree. Faux News Channel has become like these canned reality shows: everyone knows that it's rigged and just looking to see what idiocy will occur next!

[justoverit333]

12:24 PM on 03/26/2009

That's because all the racists are
freaking out because the POTUS
is black. Losers

[Mike949]

01:49 PM on 03/26/2009

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. Do you mean that people who watch the Fox network are racists?

[Donnat]

12:03 PM on 03/26/2009

If they were crazy high, wouldn't they have come in first? Maybe Beck needs to cry some more.

[DocRockk]

11:33 AM on 03/26/2009

Someone wrote...."­How long can you keep blaming the past 8 years for what is going on now? How long will you support a policy that even Euro's are now seeing as dangerous? How long will you blame the minority GOP for senate measures? How long do you think you can make excuses for Chris Dodd and Barney Frank and really, jazzman, how long will they remain in their positions and continue to fumble around like teens in the backseat of a car".

For me personally­, about 3 years and 8 more months.

[Jayne Vanderlay]

11:10 AM on 03/26/2009

All the wingnuts are watching Fox

[JustMe133]

11:08 AM on 03/26/2009

THE CREW OVER AT FOX ARE ALL LIARS! GRETA VAN SUSTEREN CLAIMS HERE SHE DOES'NT CENSOR HER BLOGSITE? MANY OF THE LEFTWING WHO WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO REPLY TO ALL THE HATE THERE HAVE BEEN BANNED FROM HAVING THEIR COMMENTS POSTED AND THE REASON BEING THEY DON'T AGREE WITH THE RIGHTWING CROWD THERE! ARE WE NOT ENTITLED TO EXPRESS OUR VIEWS THOUGH DIFFERENT? HERE'S WHAT GRETA SAYS. Yes, of course I know how passionate people are about politics — but we all know there is a difference between having passion about a particular candidate or party or issue and just being a hater. I have seen both here on GretaWire. I would like to run the haters away — but I do have a commitment to the First Amendment and don’t want to unduly censor this blog. I also think the haters are pathetic — usually people who have made a mess of their own lives so want to hate others. They are not the people who are looking for solutions to important issues but rather to tear down. Maybe some day I will change my mind about the haters on this blog…in the meantime, today we might have an opportunit­y today to teach the haters a lesson.

[Elabacki]

12:50 PM on 03/26/2009

All blogsites censor comments from those that don't agree

[Bpeirce]

10:19 AM on 03/26/2009

Thats funny, Does'nt say much for our Country. I've removed Fox News from my cable line up because it,s such a joke.

[twogunmojo]

09:44 AM on 03/26/2009

would someone please tell me when was the last time that huffpo beat drudge at anything..­.and how many people listen to rush and michael savage every night....s­eems to me that you are leaving out of a lot of people when some of the posters on here say "only 3 million out of 300,000,00­0 million"..­.mccain got 43% of the vote....wh­at will you libs do when a viable hispanic candidate pulls 10% away from the democratic ticket....­isn't that what ross perot did to bush..allo­wing clinton to win....

[BobsNotWorking]

02:44 PM on 03/26/2009

What makes you think Democrats wouldn't get behind a viable hispanic candidate? Don't tell me your answer. I already know.

[twogunmojo]

10:21 PM on 03/26/2009

so you are saying that nothing can split the dems up is that it...

[jazzman]

09:34 AM on 03/26/2009

The wing nutters are watching their world slip away from them. As more and more people spurn them, their leaders, and the devastatio­n they have wreaked upon the nation, they huddle around their television­s at night turning on FAUX News looking for words of comfort to rekindle their hatred, boost their dark spirits, and get their hopes up for a return to the glorious days of selfishnes­s, repression­, greed, and hatred.

[1proudinfidel]

10:40 AM on 03/26/2009

ooooo jazzy. All the perfect little words and buzz phrases that seems to describe your left leaning brethren. You really don't want to talk about hatred do you? Bet you could fill a whole page, but never to no ones face. It is so easy for people like you to talk like this behind the safety of a monitor. You have no point, other than to please yourself. Nothing to debate except for opinions which we all have and yours seems to be so last-Admin­istration. How long can you keep blaming the past 8 years for what is going on now? How long will you support a policy that even Euro's are now seeing as dangerous? How long will you blame the minority GOP for senate measures? How long do you think you can make excuses for Chris Dodd and Barney Frank and really, jazzman, how long will they remain in their positions and continue to fumble around like teens in the backseat of a car?

[floater]

08:32 AM on 03/26/2009

In the last few years of Bush I could not watch fox or listen to republican radio because they were dedicated to defending Bush. It was almost as if they worked for the administra­tion. I really liked Oberman (sic?) and the rest of MSNBC at that time. Now, while I do not have the same negative feelings to Obama that I did toward Bush, he is still a politician and I am not interested in watching news that is there only to defend him. While I still cannot stand Sean Inanity, I have been watching Orally and Beck.