Like mother, like daughter. Like father, like son.
  Children are wont to mimic their parents’ behavior, and the adage appears to hold true for cable viewership as well.
   There’s no denying that 2003 was a year when news networks saw significant ratings gains among adults, thanks to ongoing war coverage and the newsworthiness of pop culture, including Ah-nold’s election to governor and the latest Michael Jackson scandal.
  What’s surprising is that children’s ratings for the top cable news carriers – Fox News and CNN – saw big growth for the year as well.
   Among adults 25-54, Fox News' primetime ratings increased 45 percent in 2003. Similarly, children 2-11 and 6-11 ratings experienced gains of 33 percent and 100 percent respectively.
   CNN’s 25-54 rating grew at a similar clip with 43 percent growth over 2002, and its children, kids 2-11 and 6-11, showed 31 percent and 20 percent growth in ratings as well.
  Of course, news is still not a priority for most children. Despite the growth, neither Fox News nor CNN could compete with Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network for a slot at the top of the ratings, with Fox News ranking No. 23 among 2-11s and No. 29 among 6-11s and CNN at No. 31 and No 32. In comparison, both networks ranked in the top 10 among 25-54s.
   But the influence of adults’ viewing habits on their children can’t be ignored. Each network that varied 15 percent or more from the previous year among adults 25-54 was similarly reflected in kids 2-11 ratings.
   Viewership declines were shared among children and their parents as well. CNBC, which suffered a 28 percent decline among 25-54s also saw drops of 57 percent and 60 percent among kids 2-11 and 6-11.
   In addition to news variances, a handful of other networks also registered consistent growth and decline among kids and adults. Bravo, buoyed by the success of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” grew 63 percent in ratings among 25-54s and also saw 22 percent growth among kids 2-11 and 17 percent among 6-11s.
   ABC Family, presumably a haven for shared family viewing, suffered the most consistent decline of any network among adults and children. The network was off 17 percent among 25-54s but plummeted 45 percent and 49 percent among kids 2-11 and 6-11.