Confessing Error: Some People Do Prefer Defeat to Victory
Nine years ago, when FoxNews sprinted past CNN to become America's number one news network, I attributed its ratings gains to the election of George Bush and the triumph of Fox-watching conservatives. I figured conservatives would be savoring their victory while liberals were averting their eyes in disgust. For the next eight years, I measured political sentiment in the United States by comparing the size of the FoxNews audience with the combined size of the CNN/MSNBC audience. In this space, I even predicted, with reasonable accuracy, the percent by which Barack Obama won the election based on the split in the news audience.
Now, seven months after Barack Obama's victory, CNN's ratings have gone down the drain. From May of last year to May of this year, CNN lost 22% of its total primetime audience. MSNBC was down 2%, while FoxNews was up 24%. In the key advertising demographic (25-54), Fox was up 31%, CNN was down 37% and MSNBC was down 26%. In hard numbers, Fox had 109,000 more viewers than last year while CNN lost 113,000. CNN averaged fewer than 200,000 25-54 viewers in primetime. Even MSNBC averaged more viewers than that.
Total day was nearly as bad, with Fox up 24% and CNN down 7%. MSNBC was down 2% in total viewing. Fox is beating CNN almost two-to-one in most categories.
There's no need to throw any more numbers at you--Fox is gaining, CNN is wilting. Why is this happening when the country still seems about 58-42 in favor of Obama? My best guess is the passion of those who detest Democrats, liberals, and in particular, Barack Obama.
Conservatives seem so angry at their loss, so ready to blame Obama for all their problems that almost 400,000 more of them are watching FoxNews this year than they did last year. I think they turn to Fox for comfort and confirmation. They need to hear the ranters and ravers tell them that it's not their fault, it's all because of those "Socialist Democrats." I have believed for years that it's "comfort and confirmation" that drove conservatives to talk radio. Now it's television, too.
I had thought better of the television audience, particularly younger viewers who tended to watch CNN and MSNBC. But even that's gone now--Fox leads in 18-49 year-olds.
Here are the best excuses I can think of: maybe a lot of middle-of-the-roaders have just tuned out on all the cable news noise. Maybe other people have better things to do with their lives than listen to pandering pundits. Maybe more generous souls accept that Obama's doing the best he can in a very tough job, and they don't want to hear the details because they know the stars are not shining on America right now.
But, then again, maybe all of the above are wrong. Maybe it's simply the need for an enemy, the desire to detest is greater than the power to tolerate; maybe it's the need to blame somebody else for the bad things that are happening in our lives that drives viewers to Fox. Perhaps those viewers are the next generation of the rich socialites in the old New Yorker cartoon, who dressed up to go to the newsreel theatre and hiss FDR. Only now they can do it at home, watching FoxNews. Maybe the joy of defeat is underestimated.
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The reason that I stopped watching CNN was because their news is just too biased for me. I want to see news that covers both sides of the story and not because it's democratic or rebublican based news. I get more of a balanced news coverage from FOX NEWS then I do from CNN so while I Feel I'm more of a democrat I don't want to see news that's only democratic because I want to form my own opinion.
SO CYA CNN
According to Reese, as a 34 year registered democrat, I should watch CNN out of party loyalty.
Bunk.
CNN is a clown act that is tiring to watch or listen to. It is completely lost.
I make it a point to change channels every once and a while and have found that CNBC is much better at confronting issues because they bring on at least two points of view for each topic. Yes, it gets loud sometimes, but i would rather watch two people debate than listen to arrogant and low-talent CNN stars try and spoon-feed me what they think I should hear.
Perhaps Mr Schonfeld the answer for these ratings numbers is a little simpler than you might think. In this country we have a long history of our media being the watchdog with respect to government. It doesn't matter if there is a conservative, a liberal, a Democrat, or a Republican in office. The average American is looking to the media outlets to shine a light of scrutiny upon the administration. With such a popular President news stations need to be careful not to abandon what John Q Public sees as their job indeed their duty historically. For if they are perceived as being too much of a cheerleader they risk alienation and loss of credibilty with their viewership. Americans quickly grow tired of softball questions and contrived interviews. When CNN and MSNBC go back to their hard hittting journalistic ways they will be rewarded with viewers.
Try adding some thoughtful Conservatives to your roundup, and not the circus characters so often thought of as "conservatives". Let them speak without being outnumbered 3:1 or belittled before and after their appearance these are just a few of the techniques CNN and others have used to ensure everyone knows, "if you agree with these people you are stupid and evil".
Do it then watch your ratings come back. Even if liberals disagree with them they will enjoy a thought provoking perspective. The only reason I bother writing is because we are at serious risk in this country of establishing two, biased sources of news and political instability is sure to follow. I believe a free press is a requisite for a free country, and we are getting further away from both every day.
I congratulate you on the quantitative accuracy of your analysis, but you missed the reason CNN is losing viewers. In a word, boredom. Sure Conservatives watch Fox because it supports their world view, and because it is the only medium that does so, but even liberals are tuning in because they seek an intellectual challenge. Having read THE NEW YORK TIMES cover to cover last weekend on the train back from NY I was struck how the MSM plays the same core points ad nauseum. Essentially, "Bush is evil", "it was all Bush's fault", "you must support abortion", "everyone feels this way", and "if you don't agree with our position on everything, you are stupid and/or uneducated".
Liberals do tend to be well educated, but may not agree with everything put out by the MSM. Some are pro-lIfe (Nat Hentoff), support the second amendment etc.. The message put out by the MSM including CNN, is if you don't support EVERYTHING you are wrong. And not only wrong, but stupid and probably evil.
All of this is based on an intellectual arrogance that is both undeserved -- you only need to see newscasters unscripted one time to know the truth -- and tedious to the consumer. In the end it is that desire for a different perspective, and to be challenged, even if the viewer believes the medium is wrong, that drives liberals, moderates and conservatives to look for a change. Fox is the only "different" medium out there.
One reason CNN is losing ratings is because, you know, the election is, like, over? I don't need my politi-porn fix every day like I was getting last year. And that's OK, because the politics of anger is so "last year".
Too bad the sore losers never figured that out. They're still angry.
The irony that such supposedly intelligent and urbane individuals are utterly incapable of acknowledging the obvious is simply too rich for words.
Major media will contine in its death spiral until conservatives are given equally prominent roles in reporting and editing. You can't have balanced reporting when only one side has a seat at the table.
Of course, the underlying problem with that solution is that lefties can't tolerate differing points of view.
Wow, it just blows me away how liberals choose to describe conservatives to suit their needs.
I thought that conservatives were supposedly the brilliant minds behind big business, big oil, big banks, and big military, but, in this article they are stupid, brain-dead, unemployed dolts who just watch Fox to pacify their own sorry lives. Liberals need to make up their minds. Are conservatives evil geniuses, or, are they all just a bunch of rednecks? They obviously can't be both. Well, maybe conservative talk shows continue to thrive because, even though they may be slanted in their own viewpoints, they at least have the courage to invite people with opposing views onto their shows. In the meantime, Olbermann, Maddoff, Mathews, and now the ridiculous cement-headed Ed Schultz continue inviting guests onto their shows that make Schumer and Pelosi look like right wing whackos.
On,an even more bizarre note, MSNBC's hosts are wasting increasingly larger chunks of their shows ragging on Fox hosts. How stupid is that? If I never watched Fox, I would sure want to after watching the MSNBC hosts in action, just to see what all the fuss was about. What is the old showbiz adage? "Any press, no matter good or bad, is still good press." Maybe MSNBC should focus a little more on journalism and good debate, and a little less on the contempt that they have for FOX which is increasingly demolishing MSNBC in the ratings race with each passing week.
The real story is not that Fox has 100,000 new viewers the real story is how small the number of total cable news viewers is compared to the US pop. The few millions who watch cable news each day are only c. 1% of the total US Adult pop. The real story is how few people actively watch any news or try to get 'news' information. My fear is the vast majority of american's operate off of head lines and sound bites - actually that would explain a lot.
Maybe Fox is growing for the same reason that people watch reality shows where people chew up and swallow whole pig uterus. Maybe people like to be grossed out. Or perhaps it's because people of sound reasoning ability have given up on Cable news, as the Obamas have, and are instead reading good books and talking to each other in the evening. One can only hope.
Reese,
I never watch any of the news on TV. I think Fox's popularity is partly due to the fact that it seems to be set on many of the TVs in bars, health clubs, airports, car washes, etc. I have no idea why, as it's 24-7 fear mongering.
A lot of people have simply moved on and we get our news mostly from the web.
Still way too many people watching Fox, I agree. CNN is not much better. CNN used to be great before Ted Turner sold it to the bad guys.
I have an HD plasma TV and too often the visuals on Fox are just tons better than CNN. CNN doesn't look all that much different than in its Ted Turner days.
Don't be so cocksure that CNN is pro-Obama. Think about who they had on delivering news during the election. Look closely and ask yourself if they were the people you would have on the air, if you had your druthers, to inspire confidence in Obama.
CNN just isn't a good watch. Dumb decisions like dropping Myles O'Brien doesn't help. This is the 21st century and you cut your science and tech team? They deserve to lose. I have no sympathy for them.
Maybe, just maybe, people watch Fox for a different viewpoint since all they get is a liberal viewpoint from ALL other TV news outlets. I don't want my news to come with any slant. Just give me the facts and move on without a viewpoint. I am smart enough that I don't need any talking head to try to influence my decision making on any event. If the news story is that a cat got stuck up a tree and the firefighters are trying to get it down, don't try to tell me why I need have empathy for the cat's plight or that that cat's freedom is being infringed on by an overbearing government agency. Just tell me the stupid cat is stuck and move on
OMG, I think you really believe that Fox is unbiased. That is a truly frightening concept. You obviously have a computer. Why don't you try an experiment? For one month, go all over the web to a variety of sources and read what's going on in the world and in the country. In the second month, continue reading the news from a wide variety of sources, but also watch Fox every day and compare. Then ask yourself if Fox is simply reporting or is it perhaps true that Hannity, Beck, and the morning show in particular aren't doing everything they can to convince you that republican thinking is good and everything else is bad. If you're honest with yourself, you'll see for yourself. You may still choose Fox News, but it won't be because you honestly believe they're unbiased. There's a reason why Poppy Bush said, (unknowingly on live radio,) to Rush Limbaugh, "How's our man Ailes?" Ailes is the guy in charge of Fox News. Wake up my friend. You've been duped.
The author forgets about the magnetism of a spectacle in assuming that everyone who watches FOX agrees with it. Plenty of people simply watch FOX News in order to see someone do something ridiculous. I'd attribute its gain in 18-49 year olds partially to that and partially in the general flight of the audience to the internet.
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