|
|
the-nose journalism
Hey, it works, which explains its lead over CNN
By Kevin Downey
In the weeks following the events of Sept. 11, America was dazed, in shock and anxious for every latest news tidbit on the terrorist attacks and the anthrax incidents that followed.
These days, with the war in Afghanistan going well and their feelings finally sorted out, Americans are just plain ticked off.
Or so it would seem judging by the shifting audiences of the two leading cable news channels, CNN and Fox News.
CNN may be the long-established leader in hard news, especially of the international sort, but Fox News is the clear leader when it comes to news features laced with attitude and pugnaciousness.
Attitude and pugnaciousness are very much in these days, which explains why Fox News is seeing its audience increase over CNN's.
"One thing that Fox News offers, which its competitors are a little less likely to offer, is that its reporters are more opinionated," says Jamie Rhind, media director of Avrett Free & Ginsberg.
"It’s more than reporting. They have taken a stance on issues. Perhaps people want that from newscasters now and not just the news."
Fox News, which is best known for its outspoken primetime host, Bill O’Reilly, and its reputation for being considerably right-of-center, has edged past CNN among households.
In November, Fox News had a 1.3 household rating in primetime in homes in which Fox News is available to CNN’s 1.2, which was down about 25 percent compared to last year.
Fox News ranked No. 8 among all cable networks and had an audience that was up 27 percent from the year before to just under 950,000 households.
Fox News is available in about 9 million fewer homes than CNN and falls short of its rival by about 100,000 homes in primetime.
Fox’s edge in household ratings, however, signifies a shift in viewing from September, when ratings for all of the cable networks increased sharply.
CNN at that time had a 2.0 household rating to Fox News’s 1.5.
"CNN really retained its leadership position in September," says Bill Marchetti, an analyst with Paul Kagan Associates.
"That goes back to the Gulf War, when CNN was the only player. Its reputation for good war coverage has carried over; there’s something of an old habit there."
The current ratings shift to Fox gives an indication of how the cable news networks in general are splintering into smaller niches.
CNN is increasingly considered to be the more credible network that viewers turn to when news breaks. Fox is developing a reputation for in-depth analysis, while MSNBC is still forming its identity.
"CNN is known for its ability to cover a breaking story, while Fox is pretty much straightforward news," says Doug Seay, senior vice president at Publicis & Hal Riney.
"If it’s not a breaking story, it becomes a tossup. All of the news networks are doing better right now, but Fox News is the one that has been able to surpass CNN.
"That’s not because one is better than the other. But it’s like a town with two newspapers; the market can support both."
Virtually all of Fox News’s win is attributable to O’Reilly’s "The O’Reilly Factor."
"I’m not sure how he’s gotten so big, but I think it’s from being very cocky and opinionated," says Rhind.
It is the only show on Fox News that beats CNN in head-to-head competition in primetime.
At 8 p.m., O’Reilly averages 1.5 million households compared to CNN’s 1.1 million for "The Point with Greta Van Susteren."
CNN’s "Larry King Live" and "NewsNight with Aaron Brown," at 9 and 10 p.m., beat Fox’s "Hannity & Colmes" and "War on Terror" by more than 31 percent.
Meanwhile, CNN’s Headline News, which updated its format this past summer, has benefited from the changes.
Along with Fox News, it’s the only cable news network that has a bigger audience now than it did last year. Its primetime audience is up 36 percent.
|
CABLE NEWS
NETWORKS |
|||||||
|
Monday-Sunday Total Day |
|||||||
|
# |
Network |
Nov. 2001 |
Nov. 2000 |
% Chg | |||
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
||
|
5 |
CNN |
0.9 |
784 |
1.0 |
757 |
-10 |
4 |
|
6 |
Fox News |
0.8 |
625 |
0.8 |
424 |
0 |
47 |
|
11 |
MSNBC |
0.6 |
412 |
0.7 |
411 |
-14 |
0 |
|
26 |
Headline News |
0.3 |
253 |
0.2 |
188 |
50 |
35 |
|
26 |
CNBC |
0.3 |
252 |
0.4 |
270 |
-25 |
-7 |
|
Primetime (Mon.-Sun. 8 p.m.-11 p.m.) |
|||||||
|
# |
Network |
Nov. 2001 |
Nov. 2000 |
% Chg |
|||
|
Rtg% |
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
Rtg% |
(000) |
||
|
8 |
Fox News |
1.3 |
948 |
1.3 |
747 |
0 |
27 |
|
9 |
CNN |
1.2 |
1056 |
1.6 |
1245 |
-25 |
-15 |
|
16 |
MSNBC |
0.7 |
528 |
0.9 |
577 |
-22 |
-8 |
|
33 |
CNBC |
0.4 |
341 |
0.5 |
345 |
-20 |
-1 |
|
38 |
Headline News |
0.3 |
262 |
0.3 |
192 |
0 |
36 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research from Nielsen Media Research data. |
|||||||
December 4, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
Printer-Friendly Version
|
Send
to a Friend
Cover Page |
Contact
Us
