Spring Break
No Surprise: FOX News' Viewership Declining
Brandon Nadeau
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Commentary
This summer I was visiting my grandfather when my cousin's husband came by with his kids. While I had turned on CNN earlier, he switched it to FOX News. I questioned this change and I was told, "I watch it because it's funny." I guess less people are laughing these days at the right-wing clowns that populate the 24-hour news network. Ratings are in sharp decline for FOX's 10-year anniversary. In August, FOX's daytime programming lost 7 percent from a year earlier and the primetime ratings, Bill O'Reilly's turf, lost 28 percent.
At the same time, CNN is seeing an increase of 35 percent overall and 21 percent daytime. Nine years ago, FOX surpassed the world's first 24-hour news network in the ratings, a year ahead of the expectations of the network's founder, former Republican think-tanker Roger Ailes. "Fair and Balanced" isn't as attractive as "The Most Trusted Name in News" these days. While FOX is still beating both MSNBC (whose Keith Olberman has seen an increase in ratings of 55 percent in the last year) and CNN, the gap is quickly narrowing and for the first time ever, FOX is declining in viewership.
To be honest, I don't see this as surprising. As I write this, I'm watching "FOX and Friends." The main story is the Amish School shootings where they have interviewed three people in the last 20 minutes. Each person gets asked the same series of questions. On CNN, there is a series of analysts explaining the situation, going over all the angles and trying to calm people down. FOX is going nuts. People from all over the heartland and South are calling in and sending in e-mails about how they are afraid that there will be a shooting at their children's school today. One caller quoted Billy Graham saying, "When we had prayer in school, we didn't have guns."
Most critics point out these differences as why FOX is in decline. CNN tends to report much better, usually from where the story is, whereas FOX usually commentates on the news. Also important is the obvious bias presented by FOX and its newsmen. Tony Snow spent years on FOX News doing the news before President George W. Bush pulled him back into politics as his press secretary - (he was a speech writer for Bush's father.) After 10 years of a hard right slant, people have gotten tired of such a bias and a blind following to the Republican right.
At the same time, CNN is seeing an increase of 35 percent overall and 21 percent daytime. Nine years ago, FOX surpassed the world's first 24-hour news network in the ratings, a year ahead of the expectations of the network's founder, former Republican think-tanker Roger Ailes. "Fair and Balanced" isn't as attractive as "The Most Trusted Name in News" these days. While FOX is still beating both MSNBC (whose Keith Olberman has seen an increase in ratings of 55 percent in the last year) and CNN, the gap is quickly narrowing and for the first time ever, FOX is declining in viewership.
To be honest, I don't see this as surprising. As I write this, I'm watching "FOX and Friends." The main story is the Amish School shootings where they have interviewed three people in the last 20 minutes. Each person gets asked the same series of questions. On CNN, there is a series of analysts explaining the situation, going over all the angles and trying to calm people down. FOX is going nuts. People from all over the heartland and South are calling in and sending in e-mails about how they are afraid that there will be a shooting at their children's school today. One caller quoted Billy Graham saying, "When we had prayer in school, we didn't have guns."
Most critics point out these differences as why FOX is in decline. CNN tends to report much better, usually from where the story is, whereas FOX usually commentates on the news. Also important is the obvious bias presented by FOX and its newsmen. Tony Snow spent years on FOX News doing the news before President George W. Bush pulled him back into politics as his press secretary - (he was a speech writer for Bush's father.) After 10 years of a hard right slant, people have gotten tired of such a bias and a blind following to the Republican right.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ryan
posted 10/04/06 @ 11:16 AM EST
It's funny you accuse Fox News as being populated by "right-wing clowns" and having a "hard right slant". Well, you probably never sat and watched this channel for an extended period of time. (Continued…)
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