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Last week started out like every other week in recently memory as far as the nightly ratings went. But the numbers changed once the announcement was made that the "King of Pop", Michael Jackson, had died on Thursday afternoon.
Let's start with FOX, they were on track to sweep the Adults 25 - 54 demographic ratings with a first place sweep at 8PM, 9PM, & 10PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Thursday & Friday, they found themselves in second place in all three prime time slots. The regular programming average for the week (using a 4 day average that excludes special coded programming on Thursday at 8PM & 9PM) put FOX with the highest average at 8PM and second place at 9PM & 10PM. (I haven't gotten to say that in a very long time!)
MSNBC was doing well in the ratings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with second place finishes in time slots except for Monday & Tuesday night at 10PM when they slipped to third place. On Thursday & Friday, they they were consistently third except for Friday at 10PM when they placed fourth. MSNBC ran special programming on Thursday night from 8PM - 10PM and also on Friday night at 9PM. Their Adults 25 - 54 demographic average for regular programming put them in third place at 8PM using a four night average (not including Thursday), third place at 9PM using a three night average (not including Thursday or Friday) and fouth place at 10PM using a four night average (not including Thursday).
HLN had regular programming all five nights and wasn't doing as well as they have in past weeks even at the beginning of the week. HLN was in fourth place in all time slots except at 8PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and on Friday at 10PM when they moved up to third place. This put their average for the week (using a five night average) in fourth place at 8PM and 9PM. At 10PM, the five night average pulls them up to a third place finish. Sometimes other network's special proramming hurts you and in other cases it helps you.
Last but not least, CNN's ratings for the week. Viewers may watch CNN on a daily basis significantly less now than compared to last year, but when a huge story breaks CNN's ratings sky rocket. The ratings for Monday through Wednesday were similar to what we've seen over the last several months. At 8PM, they were in fourth; at 9PM, they were in third; and at 10PM, they were in second on Monday & Tuesday (with John Roberts and Campbell Brown filling in for Anderson Cooper) and dropped to third on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, CNN swept all three prime time hours (8PM, 9PM, and 10PM) with a first place finish. The impact this had on the average for the week, along with CNN using their regular programming line up to cover the Michael Jackson story, left CNN in second place at 8PM and in first place at both 9PM and 10PM.
One more note about CNN's ratings on Thursday & Friday... CNN had the highest Adults 25 - 54 demographic ratings on Thursday & Friday every hour from 5PM - midnight. They also had the highest Total Viewer ratings on Thursday every hour from 6PM - midnight and on Friday from 9PM - midnight.
1 4 night average used. Thursday night excluded for special programming covering Michael Jackson's death on FOX at 8PM & 9PM and MSNBC at 8PM & 10PM.
2 3 night average used. Thursday and Friday night excluded for special programming covering Michael Jackson's death on MSNBC at 9PM.
^ Courtesy Nielsen Media Research; Demographics where noted; Live + Same Day (LS) Fast Track Nationals.
10 comments:
These ratings do not surprise or impress me as far as CNN goes. According to John Stewart, who wanted us to meet him at camera two, for some serious conversation about 360, why don't we just call CNN, the Michael Jackson Station? You know, like at Disney Land, the Disney Station. CNN's excessive coverage of every minute, of every hour, of every day, since his untimely death occured, is enough to want to make a grown up mature adult, vomit.
Just this minute I turned off, serious minded Peggy Pilgrim, who happens to be sitting in for Lou Dobbs, when she mentioned the investigation into Michael's Will. To give her credit, she looked as though she was going to burst out laughing and I know his death is not to be taken lightly, but really.
Poor Michael, everyone used him and now CNN is "milking it to death," and that was not intended to be a pun. I called his family "pariahs," what is CNN? Now the gimmick went from the latest techno-something to Michael 24/7.
So yes, AC360 finally, finally beat Greta...only because Fox chose NOT to sink that low.
I refuse to congratulate Anderson Cooper for beating Fox news in the demographics. Is he really a serious minded journalist or a caricature of one that was??? This excessive coverage is absolutely over the top. At least let Don Lemon do the investigation and have Cooper report on something else, please, please let it go from every show! Whatever happened to President Obama?? Isn't he doing anything worthy that we should know about?
Those are really good numbers for CNN.
I saw the weekend numbers for CNN on
TVN and Don Lemon and Larry King had
some big numbers.
For obvious reasons, we all know that "the family," will speak more freely to Don Lemon and TJ Holmes, and that's how it should be. Please CNN, use the common sense you were not born with, and let these two anchors have their rightful moment in the sun, and allow Cooper and the rest of them, just to stay off to the side. Pale faced Cooper need not report on every aspect of everything.
As much as I dislike the Rev. Sharpton, and for that matter Joe, patriarch, Jackson, they'd both feel it was "less of an intrusion" if they were speaking to Don or TJ, and the viewing audience deserves nothing less than the truth from either of them.
Though TVNewser's ratings are not in as of this date and time, TV by the numbers did give a brief summation of weekend updates for the 27th, 28th of June. Accordingly Fox still out performed CNN's nonstop coverage of MJ. Fox lead with 1 million, to CNN's 900,000.
TVNewser is now reporting Monday's ratings and though AC beat Greta in the 18-54 demo, MJ talk is slowly loosing its pull. Greta beat him in totals. This is to be expected after CNN'S CONSTANT NONSTOP COVERAGE OF A POP STAR.
No one is denying that MJ was talented and WAS the great one in the eighties, but that is no longer the case and he has left us, with an image of a talented personality with a very tarnished image and many unanswered questions.
He will never, IMHO, be Elvis. Elvis had a large following in Las Vegas, MJ did not. Elvis was in poor health when he died but he had a good relationship with BOTH his parents and loved them dearly. His estate was also not ladened with debt. His ex-wife took 5 million and created a fortune worth close to 50 million, just by touring Graceland. Might I also add that his daughter was HIS, biological daughter, his only child, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind who her parents were.
Unfortunately, no matter how those around Michael spin it, Neverland will NEVER be Graceland....how oddly appropriate both are named.
It was a good week for CNN and AC.
Yes 360 rocks.
This is like Princess Diana. This story will
be around for a while.I noticed last night
that MSNBC has Allison Stewart doing MJ
specials.NBC has even hired Toure, who
used to be on AC360.
TVNewser is reporting that Greta is closing in on AC's demo's and she beat him not only in his own demographic, but totals as well.
TO CNN: Interest is on the decline on MJ. Time to report real news, you know, like Fox, which for the first time, I'd really agree has been fair and balanced as opposed to CNN which has not been.
I think we all worry too much about the ratings on CNN. FOX, HLN, and even MSNBC are more entertainment networks. When anything really important is going on CNN is where everybody turns. Anderson is doing the best he can with what they give him. He is not a "fluff" reporter. The Jackson coverage is really over the top and probably will be until after Tuesday. Then let's get back to what is really important - the economy, wars, healthcare. Can't wait!
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