Ratings At A Glance- Week of February 2, 2009

Ratings for the week FEBRUARY 2, 2009 - FEBRUARY 6, 2009

	8PM^Adults 25-54 FOX 775,600 CNN 316,800 MSNBC 412,400 HLN 450,800
	9PM^Adults 25-54 FOX 711,600 CNN 389,600 MSNBC 366,400 HLN 188,600
	10PM^Adults 25-54 FOX 471,800 CNN 455,000 MSNBC 258,800 HLN 269,600

FOX managed to do better last week than they did the week before. During primetime last week, they came in first place in all three time slots except for three times- Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10PM. Even though they only took the top spot twice at 10PM, the average for the week in the Adults 25 - 54 demographic still puts them in first place.

CNN had the second highest average demo at both 9PM and 10PM. At 8PM, the average for the week still put them in fourth place, but on Thursday and Friday, they came in third place.

MSNBC placed third during both 8PM and 9PM; fourth place during the 10PM hour. HLN had the second highest demo rating for the week at 8PM; fourth place at 9PM; and third place at 10PM.

^{^} Courtesy Nielsen Media Research; Demographics where noted; Live + Same Day (LS) Fast Track Nationals.

This weekend, I came across an article in US News & World Report and although CNN is only mentioned in passing, I thought the article was worth mentioning...

It wasn't just the Fox News folks who were there for Special Report's new anchor, Bret Baier, when his newborn son was undergoing multiple heart surgeries. It was his competitors, too. "David Gregory wrote a nice note," Baier tells Whispers. And NBC's Norah O'Donnell and CNN's Ed Henry also checked in. Paul Baier, now 19 months old, was born with five major problems with his heart and almost didn't make it. At the time, Baier was Fox News's chief White House correspondent and frequently received calls and E-mails of support from President Bush and other well-wishers. "Tony [Snow] E-mailed almost every day. The first call I got was from Brit Hume, and he checked in all the time, and my big boss, Roger Ailes, called in a lot," Baier says.

And when Entertainment Tonight filmed a segment at Baier's Georgetown apartment this morning, the focus wasn't the recent Brit-for-Bret swap on Fox. It was on little Paul. He was a tad camera shy at first, which is unusual, say Bret and his wife, Amy. "He's definitely a ham. He likes to talk and entertain," Bret Baier says. But living with a busy newsman-dad might not be enough to push Paul into TV. "I imagine he might want to be a doctor after all the things he's been through," Baier says.

I don't watch FOX and I do my share of grimacing when they beat CNN in the ratings. This article reminded me that there is a personal aspect to the news that goes beyond which network you work for or root for.

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