What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

CNN Ratings Continue Free Fall (1 Viewer)

TripItUp said:

At what point does CNN look in the mirror and ask itself "why are people tuning us out?"

The sad answer to your question is "Not enough programming that resembles Hannity, Tucker Carlson, or Laura Ingraham."
 
I like CNN. Who cares about ratings? I’ve never understood why that is supposed to prove something. If I find something entertaining or informative (to me CNN is often both) then I enjoy watching. If not I don’t. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The guys I like the best on  are Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, and Cuomo. And Fareed on weekends. I won’t watch Wolf Blitzer; something about his voice bugs me. I love when they have Axelrod on- best  political analysis I’ve ever heard. Axelrod, Gergen, Carl Bernstein, Gloria Borger, Jeffrey Toobin- these guys are all excellent analysts and I enjoy hearing them every time: 

 
Well, to start with, this isn't all about you.....
Yes it is. It’s all about me. And if you dislike CNN then it’s all about you. That’s my point. 

In what other form of entertainment do we evaluate quality based on sales? Movies? Songs? Are you sure you want to go there? The results are always pretty depressing. 

 
Yes it is. It’s all about me. And if you dislike CNN then it’s all about you. That’s my point. 

In what other form of entertainment do we evaluate quality based on sales? Movies? Songs? Are you sure you want to go there? The results are always pretty depressing. 
These are the most watched news stations - your point is correct - just because they are popular doesn’t make them good.

*Just because their ratings are down doesn’t mean they aren’t popular and Trip knows that but wants to take a dig at the left

 
I struggled to find some sort of basis linked within these three links (Fox, Fox, and WashEx), and this appeared to be the only actual site worth pointing to

Q2 2019 Ratings: CNN Is a Top 10 Basic Cable Network in Total Day, but Remains Stuck Behind Fox News and MSNBC During Prime Time

In Q2 2019, CNN was a top 10 basic cable network in total day viewers (No.8 ), and has finished among the 10-most-watched basic cable networks in total day for 12 consecutive quarters.

However, CNN finished No. 15 in prime time, far lower on the basic cable totem pole than its main cable news counterparts, Fox News and MSNBC, which finished No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

CNN is touting its wins over MSNBC among adults 25-54, which is understandable considering the ad community takes this demo seriously. Plus, CNN’s win came despite the fact that MSNBC earned a lift from the Democratic primary debates during the final week of the quarter.

CNN has now outperformed MSNBC for 21 straight quarters in total day in the key 25-54 demographic, though the margin of victory wasn’t exactly massive. (134,000 vs. MSNBC’s 133,000).

The network also resonated in the demo during dayside hours, beating MSNBC for the 27th consecutive quarter in A25-54, and on weekends, delivering larger 25-54 audiences than MSNBC in both total day and prime time.

While there are some positives for CNN, there are also a number of negatives, the most obvious being that it remains third place during prime time.

Second, CNN was way down vs. Q2 of last year when it came to attracting adults 25-54: -38% in prime time and -34% in total day. When it came to total viewers, CNN was -18% in prime time and -18% in total day vs. Q2 2018.

The network also saw its average median age grow in Q2 (though it remains slightly younger than Fox News and MSNBC).

However, each of cable news’ big three seem to be losing younger news viewers, and it’s not a trend unique to CNN.

Here are CNN’s ratings for Q2 of 2019:

·         Prime time (Mon-Sun): 761,000 total viewers / 188,000 A25-54

·         Total Day (Mon-Sun):  541,000 total viewers / 134,000 A25-54

Erin Burnett Outfront ranked No. 2 in the 7 p.m. hour among adults 25-54 ahead of Hardball for the fourth consecutive quarter. Outfront has now topped MSNBC for 19 of the past 21 quarters in the demo, though it still trails Fox News and MSNBC in total viewers.

The 10 p.m. hour of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon had its third-highest second quarter on record in total viewers (833,000).

Lastly – On the digital front, CNN Digital viewing added a +2% lift to CNN’s TV audience in Q2 2019.

Below is CNN’s Q2 2019 ratings press release:

***

CNN Tops MSNBC in Q2 Demo For 21st Straight Quarter

Despite Democratic Debates on MSNBC

Beats MSNBC Throughout Dayside; Outperforms MSNBC on Weekends; Bests MSNBC on Sunday Mornings in Demo 25-54 

Key CNN Programs Surpass MSNBC for both the Q2 and Month of June in Demo Adults 25-54

CNN Ranks as Top 10 Network in All of Cable for 12th Consecutive Quarter 

CNN Films: Apollo 11 Ranked #1 in Cable News in Key Demos

***

CNN topped MSNBC in Q2 demo (adults 25-54) for the 21st straight quarter in total day despite the Democratic debates on MSNBC (135k vs. 134k). This is the longest quarterly streak since 2010. Duringdayside (9am-4pm), CNN outperformed MSNBC (136k vs. 108k) ranking #2 in cable news for the 27thstraight quarter, the longest streak since 2012.  On weekends, CNN delivered higher 25-54 audiences than MSNBC in both total day (110k vs. 75k) and prime time (126k vs. 77k), and bested MSNBC for 24 out of 24 hours on Saturdays and for 23 hours on Sunday among adults 25-54 during the quarter.  For the month of June, CNN and MSNBC tied in total day among adults 25-54 (127k).  CNN surpassed MSNBC during dayside (123k vs. 94k) and on weekends in total day (109k vs. 71k) and in weekend prime time (130k vs. 73k) in the key demo adults 25-54.  All of CNN’s Sunday morning programs posted more viewers than MSNBC in the key demo adults 25-54, ranking #2 in cable news for both the 2Q and month of June.  (Of note: MSNBC aired the Democratic debates for two nights in June, elevating their ratings data for both total day and prime time for 2Q-19 and June).

CNN’s morning news program New Day with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman (6-9am) had its third-highest second quarter on record among total viewers (460k), after 2018 and 2017.  The Lead with Jake Tapper (4pm) averaged 699k in total viewers and 151k among adults 25-54 during 2Q-19.  The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer beat MSNBC at 5pm (162k vs. 149k) and 6pm (168k vs. 167k) for the 20thconsecutive quarter and for the 13th straight month at 5pm. Erin Burnett Outfront (7pm) ranked #2 in its hour among adults 25-54, ahead of MSNBC’s Hardball (186k vs. 182k) for the fourth consecutive quarter and topped MSNBC for the month for the first time since April.  AC 360 (8pm) registered 892k in total viewers and 214k in the demo 25-54 this quarter.  Cuomo Prime Time (9pm) was CNN’s top-rated news program in both total viewers (936k) and among adults 25-54 (230k) this quarter and for the month of June (924k/221k).  CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (10pm) had its third-highest 2Q on record in total viewers (833k) and averaged 217k among adults 25-54.

During the second quarter (April-June), CNN ranked #9 in all of cable in total day among total viewers (545k), marking the 12th consecutive quarter that the network was a Top 10 cable network.  This is the longest quarterly streak in over 24 years (since 4Q-95). For the month of June, CNN also ranked as a Top 10 cable network in total day among total viewers (#9, 534k), for the 18th straight month.  For 2Q and the month of June, CNN had the youngest audience in cable news in total day and prime time and reached thelargest cumulative TV audience (among both total viewers and adults 25-54)

Key CNN Programs Surpass MSNBC:

Key weekday CNN programs surpassed MSNBC this quarter and for the month of June, posting higher demo 25-54 audiences including:  Early Start with Christine Romans and Dave Briggs (4-6am), CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto (9-11am), At This Hour with Kate Bolduan (11am), Inside Politics with John King (noon), CNN Right Now with Brianna Keilar (1pm), and CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin (2-4pm).

On Saturdays Smerconish, CNN Newsroom with Fedricka Whitfield/Ana Cabrera, S.E. Cupp Unfilteredand The Van Jones Show, all topped MSNBC in the key demo 25-54.  And on Sunday mornings, Inside Politics with John King, State of the Union with Jake Tapper, Fareed Zakaria GPS, Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter and CNN Newsroom all posted more viewers in the key demo 25-54 than MSNBC, ranking #2 in cable news.

CNN Films:

·          Apollo 11 (6/23/19, Sunday 9-10:48pm) ranked #1 in cable news among adults 25-54 (317k) and in younger viewers 18-34 (59k).  The film averaged 1.4 million total viewers.  Apollo 11 outperformed Fox by +109% and MSNBC by 260% in the key demo adults 25-54.

CNN Original Series:

·           Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta (4/13/19-5/18/19, Saturdays 9pm & 10pm) ranked #2 in cable news in total viewers (610k) and both demos 25-54 (137k) and 18-34 (33k) across the full season, topping MSNBC in its time period.  Among the key demographic adults 25-54, the series was up +62% vs. MSNBC in the time period.  Versus the prior four Saturdays in the time period, the Gupta-led series posted the largest growth in cable news, increasing +31% in total viewers and +12% in the demo 25-54.

·         The Redemption Project with Van Jones  (4/28/19-6/16/19, Sundays 9pm) ranked #3 in cable news in the key demo 25-54 (108k)  and among younger viewers 18-34 (26k) and averaged 413k in total viewers.  The Jones-led series outperformed MSNBC by double-digits in the demo 25-54 (+54%) in its time period this season.

·         United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (Season 4) (4/28/19-6/16/19, Sundays 10pm) ranked #2 in the time period in the key demos 25-54 and 18-34 across cable news.  The Bell-led series delivered 198k in 25-54, 562k among total viewers, and 31k in 18-34.  United Shades outperformed MSNBC by triple digits among 25-54 (+205%) and 18-34 (+210%) and was up vs. CNN’s prior four Sundays average among adults 25-54 (+40%).

 Median Age:  CNN attracted an audience that is two years younger than Fox and three years younger than MSNBC in total day. In prime, CNN is three years younger than Fox and four years younger than MSNBC. MSNBC is tracking at its oldest yearly median age on record in both dayparts.

Cable News TV Reach:  CNN continues to reach the largest cumulative TV audience (among both total viewers and adults 25-54) of any cable news network 2019-to-date making this the 18th consecutive year on record for the network.

Multiplatform Reach**:  In April 2019, CNN reached more people than any other cable news brand across TV and digital and reached more people ages 25-54 than any other news brand across TV and digital.

Out of Home Viewing:  2Q 2019-to-date in total day, CNN is averaging a +8.6% lift (+12k) among adults 25-54.

Digital Lift:  CNN Digital viewing added a +2% lift to CNN’s TV audience in 2Q 2019.


 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sucks that CNN ratings suck. They are head and shoulders better than Faux News. I don't really watch MSNBC either because they slant too far left. Their political analysis is spot on. One valid criticism is every news story is hyped as "breaking news" and they get a bit repetitive. 

 
I can’t imagine why people care about ratings. I always think it’s strange when Trump tweets about ratings like he’s roasting the network/newspaper. 

 
I can’t imagine why people care about ratings. I always think it’s strange when Trump tweets about ratings like he’s roasting the network/newspaper. 
To Trump everything he does is a reality TV show. He constantly hypes everything and tells people to "stay tuned". It's all a viewership ratings thing with this guy.

 
I can’t imagine why people care about ratings. I always think it’s strange when Trump tweets about ratings like he’s roasting the network/newspaper. 
Trump believes that ratings = quality.

His supporters have adopted this mantra and are now zealously proclaiming that CNN is low quality.

And, as I pointed out before, the irony of what Trump and his supporters are failing to recognize, is that they are implying that CNN was better when they pushed the Russia story.

 
CNN is dumb sensationalism. Every day they are praying for a plane crash or other disaster so they have something to cover 24 hours a day. The epitome of the truth is in the middle thoughtless garbage. "Here is a noble prize winning scientist discussing X, in which he spent 40 years becoming an expert on. Here is some guy we found behind 7-11 who disagrees with him. I guess the answer is somewhere in the middle!". 

 
Trump believes that ratings = quality.

His supporters have adopted this mantra and are now zealously proclaiming that CNN is low quality.

And, as I pointed out before, the irony of what Trump and his supporters are failing to recognize, is that they are implying that CNN was better when they pushed the Russia story.
Hannity has high ratings because Trump supporters are able to get the lies, fake conspiracy theories and bigoted stuff  they want to hear. Nothing to do with quality.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
CNN is putting together some great documentaries.

The Apollo 11 one.

The new 'Movies' by each decade are great.

Maybe that will be their niche.

 
Not that CNN is great but I think that this conversation is happening is exactly what’s wrong with cable news. News should be about the news, not ratings. Fox and to a lesser extent MSNBC trot out entertainment disguised as news. They do it because it’s effective, plays to partisanship and fits well with ADHD of the viewers. CNN does it too but just not as good as them.

 
I definitely dig some of the new productions they are coming out with--Like the movies one--although I think it was a tad long.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I like Fox having shows like "the five" or "redeye".  I work in a location that has news on 24/7.  The 5 is a nice break from the world is ending reporting I hear all day.  CNN would probably do well to trot out a show like that.  It would steal all the jobs from the late night talk shows, but there is obviously a market for it. 

 
Clearly CNN is getting desperate because they freaking put on Richard Spencer to discuss Trump's racist tweets.  I mean seriously this is just red meat to the people who think the network is trash.   The only reason I can see bringing him on was because he hates Trump as well but because he tweets racist #### and doesn't actually DO racist ####

 
The sad answer to your question is "Not enough programming that resembles Hannity, Tucker Carlson, or Laura Ingraham."
I will grant you that Fox News has an evening lineup that is extremely crazy and far right, but CNN has a nightly Democratic lineup with heavily liberal panels. Their 3 hours of prime time is  Trump bashing, very similar to what you will get on CNN. 

 
I like CNN. Who cares about ratings? I’ve never understood why that is supposed to prove something. If I find something entertaining or informative (to me CNN is often both) then I enjoy watching. If not I don’t. 
I watch CNN the most mainly because they at least pretend to be non-biased. Fox does have the best interviewer in Chris Wallace, and I respect some of their reporters/hosts, but CNN comes across in presentation (at least until they started putting up smug banners which doesn't help my argument). I generally respect Jake Tapper - he's not too different from Wallace. Overall, CNN is moving and heavily tilting left on most shows these days, but compared to MSNBC/FOX, it's tough to find anything that isn't overtly partisan (and CNN is also in that camp).

 
Of course. And while CNN’s opinion shows tend to be to the left  (though not to the extent of MSNBC), it’s news reporting is unbiased. 
That's also true of FOX. Brett Baier, Chris Wallace, Martha McCallem, Ship Smith are all fine. I don't have any large issues with Fox reporters who cover the news.

What I struggle with is when these non-partisan reporters (across all networks) appear on highly partisan shows. I do think that implies (rightly or wrongly) that they are in agreement with the host.

 
The guys I like the best on  are Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, and Cuomo. And Fareed on weekends. I won’t watch Wolf Blitzer; something about his voice bugs me. I love when they have Axelrod on- best  political analysis I’ve ever heard. Axelrod, Gergen, Carl Bernstein, Gloria Borger, Jeffrey Toobin- these guys are all excellent analysts and I enjoy hearing them every time: 
Shocking, you like all of the left wing hosts. Are you still claiming to be a Republican?

Bernstein is insane by the way. These analysts explain your point of views on this forum. That's not an attack on you, but explain why you lean so left.

 
That's also true of FOX. Brett Baier, Chris Wallace, Martha McCallem, Ship Smith are all fine. I don't have any large issues with Fox reporters who cover the news.

What I struggle with is when these non-partisan reporters (across all networks) appear on highly partisan shows. I do think that implies (rightly or wrongly) that they are in agreement with the host.
I agree with this. And it’s equally problematic when the partisan hosts are made a part of the debate questioners (like Rachel Maddow, and now I’ve heard Don Lemon will do it.) 

 
Shocking, you like all of the left wing hosts. Are you still claiming to be a Republican?

Bernstein is insane by the way. These analysts explain your point of views on this forum. That's not an attack on you, but explain why you lean so left.
Lol I don’t lean left on every issue. And compared to some of these Bernie types I’m pretty centrist. 

Its funny- I said Axelrod was the best I’ve ever heard. You know who was second best? Pat Buchanan. Here’s a dude I disagreed with on just about every issue, and he may have been an anti-Semite to boot. But damn when he was asked to give an opinion on political wins and losses and “the game”, he was incredibly sharp and insightful. 

Another conservative type I enjoy listening to is Rick Santorum. Couldn’t stand him as a senator, and I don’t want to listen to him make excuses for Trump. But he is excellent at analyzing the Democratic candidates and explaining their various strengths and weaknesses. 

 
I agree with this. And it’s equally problematic when the partisan hosts are made a part of the debate questioners (like Rachel Maddow, and now I’ve heard Don Lemon will do it.) 
Maddow did ok with it, but I'm generally against it. I know her point of view, but I tend to lump in Todd with her (even though it's clear where he leans without her help). Todd was also fine in the debate though and is a good guy.

I just prefer we stick with the networks best reporters who are supposedly down the middle in their coverage - goes a longer way towards credibility in the actual coverage.

 
Lol I don’t lean left on every issue. And compared to some of these Bernie types I’m pretty centrist. 

Its funny- I said Axelrod was the best I’ve ever heard. You know who was second best? Pat Buchanan. Here’s a dude I disagreed with on just about every issue, and he may have been an anti-Semite to boot. But damn when he was asked to give an opinion on political wins and losses and “the game”, he was incredibly sharp and insightful. 

Another conservative type I enjoy listening to is Rick Santorum. Couldn’t stand him as a senator, and I don’t want to listen to him make excuses for Trump. But he is excellent at analyzing the Democratic candidates and explaining their various strengths and weaknesses. 
Compared to the Bernie types, you're sane.

Axelrod is obviously a Democrat, but he's respectable and not a bomb thrower like too many on that network.

Santorum is one of like 4 Republican on the network so he appears on so many panels in a 3 against 1 (or sometimes beyond that). He's good for the fighting with other panelists.

 
Maddow did ok with it, but I'm generally against it. I know her point of view, but I tend to lump in Todd with her (even though it's clear where he leans without her help). Todd was also fine in the debate though and is a good guy.

I just prefer we stick with the networks best reporters who are supposedly down the middle in their coverage - goes a longer way towards credibility in the actual coverage.
Actually I would enjoy it if at least one conservative asked questions of the Democrats. Doesn’t have to be a rabble rouser- perhaps somebody like Hugh Hewitt. 

 
Actually I would enjoy it if at least one conservative asked questions of the Democrats. Doesn’t have to be a rabble rouser- perhaps somebody like Hugh Hewitt. 
That would potentially entertaining, but I can imagine the opposing party would have to approve the person, if not the questions. I doubt the network would want to get in the middle of that.

 
I don't watch any cable news, haven't in years.   The only national news I watch is ABC and that's only because it  comes on after the local news and my wife loves David Muir.   It doesn't bother me if CNN's ratings are down.

 
CNN's 24/7 Trump-bashing strategy doesn't seem to be working.

The beleaguered network's primetime hosts Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon celebrated Thanksgiving with the network’s lowest-rated week in primetime viewership in nearly three years.

Fox News averaged 2.2 million viewers during the primetime hours of 9-11 p.m. ET from Nov. 25 through Dec. 1, while MSNBC averaged 1.3 million viewers during the same time period and CNN managed only 643,000 average viewers. It was CNN’s worst performance in nearly three years and the liberal network’s worst turnout among the key demographic of adults age 25-54 in over five years.

 
Millennials largely don't GAF about Russia. The Russia ploy by the MSM is a Boomer scare tactic (which may well work, it certainly is on these forums).

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top