Election Night 2009 Ratings: CNN Comes In 4th, Fox News Easily Wins

Election 2009 didn't prove nearly as successful as Election 2008 for CNN.

Whereas big news nights like Election Night were CNN's bread and butter during the 2008 presidential campaign, the network finished fourth Tuesday night, averaging just 826,000 total viewers in primetime and 227,000 in the Adults 25-54 demographic.

Fox News ratings soared to an average of 4,043,000 total viewers and 1,130,000 A25-54 to easily win the night and beat all three cable news competitors combined in both total viewers and the demo. MSNBC placed second in total viewers an average of 974,000 to HLN's 842,000. In the demo, HLN placed second with 341,000 to MSNBC's 308,000.

HLN did not cover the election returns.

Comments

[JerryLevy]

Am I reading this correctly? Did FOX more than double all the other cable networks combined?

[red33]

they were last for a reason. the purported CNN journalists, with a couple of exceptions, were feckless, clueless, and breathless. the pundits were also a mixed bag, but blowing hard.

a real snoozer. no news, no insight, no differentiation.

cnn has become limp and impotent, while the audience turns more incontinent. make sense?

[greysells2]

Did CNN use last night the military talking head that was taking money from the Pentagon at the same time as being on the payroll of CNN and supposedly offering "fair and unbiased" coverege of military matters? Or did they fire him for having an undisclosed conflict of interest and ethical standards that were unacceptable to a major news organization? Did CNN even 'fess up to this major lapse in broadcasting standards?

[greysells2]

Campbell Brown was terrible. She had memorized her meme that this was all about a vote of non-confidence in Mr. Obama. It seemed like she was articulating what the news managers thought would be the breathy approach that would garner ratings=money.

She really boobed when interviewing the author of a book called something like obamabots and pronounced it as oba mots. she was clueless. It was a priceless peek into her smugness and lack of smarts. It a zap moment.

[Travis bdboy]

Dead last you say....that should tell you what people think of the biased panel

they have on every election time......time to wipe the slate clean CNN

[ptrgamb]

On my cable system in Manhattan, CNN was booted a few weeks ago from Channel 10 all the way up to a somewhat harder to locate Channel 78, without much public notice. Even my cable system is bored by them. All ideology aside - I don't even see CNN as having one - CNN is just a total snooze. It no longer even seems to have a reason to exist.

[Kalel]

When I want to have tweets and facebook postings read to me I turn to CNN. When I want to know what the liberal and conservative slants on an issue are I turn to MSNBC and Fox respectively. When I want my news pretty straight forward I turn to NPR. CNN's problem is while trying to be fair and unbiased they've lost any sort of real identity with viewers.

[deman123]

FAUX KICKED THEIR ASS

[Franksa]

With the same old talking heads what else would one expect? Maybe if they when back to being "news reporters" rather than "news makers" they could get their mojo back.

[jhalvers]

As a person who used to love CNN, I say this should be a constructive lesson for them. They can crow all they want about how they are a 'real' news outlet, but the fact is that are not. They are as prone to opinionated news coverage as anyone else, it's just that they let political operatives sneak it on the air guerrilla-style these days. CNN used to mean quality programming, but it's cheap, throwaway junk just like FOX & MSNBC. I mean, even MSNBC has better legit news coverage during the day than CNN does. CNN resorts to lame, yawn-inducing human-interest stories (an ironic name if I ever heard one) rather than NEWS!!! Stories about kittens and 'strong' or 'heroic' men and women are not f-ing news.

[jimmygee]

The whole format is a turn off. It's always someone walking around a table questioning a panel of guests. And sometimes it's two tables! Sit down and relax! Quit these shows on race, we're not stupid people. Mary Matalin and James Carville are really bores and very predictable. Jack Cafferty is the only bright side. George Stephanopoulos has the best format on TV. He's casual, low keyed and is inquisitive with an array of guests. If anyone wants to see how it's done watch him.

[chronic]

CNN thinks appeasing the w@cko nutz of the r!ght wing will get them ratings.

Hey CNN, the w@ckos already have a home and its called Fox Snooze!

[austin4]

All the rightwingnuts,,were glued to the TV, watching Fraud News like the faithful tro//s, that they are. CNN,, will be a better Network,,,once Turner takes over.

[ECB]

CNN, listen up - Fire Dobbs.

[expired]

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[jhalvers]

Spam, but I'm glad to hear it.

[ldmason45]

How many ways are you going to have to split the 3 mil? The 4 dem congressmen from my state came out in the local newspaper and tv programs saying they will not support the pelosi bill. It seems they care more about their re-elections than kissing up to the pres or nancy. LOL