The cable news networks have become the first option on television for breaking news and a strong second option for political news, as last summer’s Democratic and Republican national conventions showed.
   But for events like the funeral for Pope John Paul II, a greater percentage of viewers continue to prefer broadcast news instead of cable.
   Of the nearly 9 million total viewers who watched some of the funeral, which began at 4 a.m. last Friday, three quarters turned to the broadcast networks.
    CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC combined drew just 23.8 percent, or 2.1 million viewers.  Similarly, Ronald Reagan’s burial last June was a largely a broadcast event. Just 25.2 percent of its more than 35 million viewers turned to the cable news networks.
    By contrast, the first night of last summer’s Democratic National Convention, a larger share, 35.4 percent of all households watching the coverage, tuned to cable news channels over the broadcast networks. And 32.5 percent of all households watching the coverage chose cable during the final night of the Republican National Convention.
   During last November's presidential election, 32 percent of households watching election results tuned into cable coverage rather than broadcast.
   And when bombs started falling on Iraq two years ago, MSNBC, FNC and CNN combined for some 40 percent of the total households watching war updates during those first minutes.
   The lesson: When it comes to those really big historical events, viewers want to see the pomp and ceremony, but their real interest is in having the event put in perspective. Viewers prefer to see what the broadcast networks’ big names like Brian Williams, George Stephanopoulos and Tim Russert have to say in these situations.
   What’s interesting is that that still holds true when none of the former Big Three anchors were in the seat for the pope’s funeral, with NBC’s Tom Brokaw and CBS’s Dan Rather now retired and ABC’s Peter Jennings beginning chemotherapy for lung cancer.
   Funeral coverage began at 4 a.m. and lasted until 7 a.m. During that time period, Fox News Channel led with an average of 945,000 total viewers, followed by CNN with 926,000 and MSNBC with 292,000 (MSNBC measured from 3 a.m.). Among the target demo of viewers 25-54, Fox kept its lead with 372,000 average viewers, followed by CNN with 329,000 and MSNBC with 79,000.  
   Because of the early morning hour, the number of viewers tuned in to the Pope’s funeral was less than expected. In contrast, when the news of the Pope’s anticipated death broke at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, an average of 5.7 million total viewers tuned in. Again, Fox led with 2.5 million total viewers, followed by CNN with 2.2 million and MSNBC with 944,000. 
   In other cable news, the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles provided a ratings boost for WE: Women’s Entertainment. Its .44 primetime household average for Saturday, April 9, was up 91 percent over the same period last year and up 57 percent over the season-to-date average. 
   The one-hour wedding wrap-up special was the highest rated special ever to air on WE, with a .63 household rating.
   Lifetime got its second-highest rated documentary ever on Saturday with “Terror at Home: Violence in America” averaging a 1.4 household rating during its commercial-free premiere. 
   During the week ended April 10, TNT took the top spot among households in prime time with 1.8 million while Nickelodeon topped total day with 1.4 million. 
   Adult Swim sustained its total-day numbers in its second week in the ratings, ranking No.1 among 18-34s and landing in the top 10 among 18-49s and 25-54s. Spike topped primetime in the 18-34 and 18-49 demos while TNT took No. 1 in total day among 18-49s and 25-54, as well as in primetime among 25-54s.