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Virgin Galactic’s Space Odyssey Helps Cable Ratings Take Off

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2021

Getty Images

One of the notable news stories of the past week was when Virgin Galactic launched founder Richard Branson, chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses, lead operations engineer Colin Bennett and government affairs vice president Sirisha Bandla into space in a suborbital spaceflight aboard the aerospace company’s VSS Unity spacecraft on the morning of Sunday, July 11.

The one-hour space trip launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico at 10:51 a.m. ET and had traveled more than 50 miles above Earth, which the U.S. government considers to mark the boundary of outer space.

Branson proclaimed, “To the next generation of dreamers: If we can do this, just imagine what you can do.”

For coverage of the event, Fox News Channel edged just past CNN in total viewers during the 11 a.m.-noon hour, 1.479 million to 1.444 million (CNN’s most-watched hour of the week), according to Nielsen Media Research; it was vice versa between the two networks based on the key adults 25-54 demographic: CNN 275,000, Fox News 227,000. MSNBC trailed both cable news outlets with 1.116 million total viewers and 189,000 adults 25-54 — yet, this delivery was well above the network’s usual weekend figures.

Later on July 11, CNN debuted the first two episodes of its eight-part documentary series “History of the Sitcom”. Their initial telecasts topped all of cable news within the 9-11 p.m. time slot:

9-10 p.m.

History Of The Sitcom “Part 1: A Family Matter” (CNN) 1.399 million viewers
The Next Revolution (FOXNC) 1.279 million viewers
The Week with Joshua Johnson (MSNBC) 0.470 million viewers

At 10 p.m., part two of “History Of The Sitcom”, entitled “Sex & The Sitcom”, drew 1.257 million viewers. It aired opposite re-airings of Fox News’ “Sunday Night In America” (947,000) and MSNBC’s “American Voices” (405,000).

Also on July 11: HLN’s crime docuseries “Forensic Files II” premiered its second season with back-to-back original episodes. The 10-11 p.m. hour averaged 176,000 adults 25-54, besting the entire Sunday prime times of each Fox News Channel (150,000) and MSNBC (approximately 60,000).

Here are the cable news averages for July 5-11, 2021 — cable’s best mark for the week in total viewers based on total day was by Fox News Channel; the 21st consecutive week FNC has accomplished this feat.

Total Day (July 5-11 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

Fox News Channel: 1.175 million viewers; 193,000 adults 25-54
MSNBC: 0.752 million viewers; 100,000 adults 25-54
CNN: 0.598 million viewers; 125,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (July 5-10 @ 8-11 p.m.; July 11 @ 7-11 p.m.)

Fox News Channel: 2.046 million viewers; 309,000 adults 25-54
MSNBC: 1.266 million viewers; 156,000 adults 25-54
CNN: 0.833 million viewers; 184,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top CNN program with their respective associated rank) in total viewers:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.229 million viewers

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.153 million viewers

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.083 million viewers

4. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.770 million viewers

5. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.767 million viewers

6. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.622 million viewers

7. Hannity (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.564 million viewers

8. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.528 million viewers

9. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 7/9/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.508 million viewers

10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.473 million viewers

11. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.371 million viewers

47. Reliable Sources (CNN, Sun. 7/11/2021 11:00 AM, 60 min.) 1.444 million viewers

54. History Of The Sitcom “A Family Matter” (CNN, Sun. 7/11/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.399 million viewers

Top 10 cable news programs (and the top CNN and HLN programs with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.550 million adults 25-54

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.518 million adults 25-54

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.511 million adults 25-54

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 7/9/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.492 million adults 25-54

5. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.418 million adults 25-54

6. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.416 million adults 25-54

7. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.389 million adults 25-54

8. Hannity (FOXNC, Fri. 7/9/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.353 million adults 25-54

9. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.349 million adults 25-54

10. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.347 million adults 25-54

29. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Tue. 7/6/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.284 million adults 25-54

124. Forensic Files II “The Obsession” (HLN, Sun. 7/11/2021 10:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.182 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

Douglas Pucci

Douglas Pucci is a Bronx native and NYU graduate analyzing news television ratings for Barrett News Media. He did an internship at VH1’s “Pop Up Video” in 1997. After college, Pucci went on to design, build and maintain websites for various non-profit organizations in his hometown of New York City. He has worked alongside media industry observer Marc Berman for over a decade reporting on all things television, first at Cross MediaWorks from 2011-15 then at Programming Insider since 2016. Pucci also contributed to the sports website Awful Announcing. Read more: https://programminginsider.com/author/douglas/

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Ron DeSantis Still Prefers Cable News Over Social Media

“I was just in a room in Florida, so I didn’t really know necessarily what was going on.”

Published

21 hours ago

May 30, 2023

Ryan Hedrick

Ron DeSantis, the potential Republican presidential candidate for 2024, expressed to Newsmax host Eric Bolling that he doesn’t prioritize social media and prefers watching cable news over using apps.

According to Mediate, this statement comes after his unsuccessful campaign launch on Twitter earlier this week. On Newsmax’s The Balance on Thursday, DeSantis mentioned that Twitter had high expectations of attracting a large audience for the event.

When asked by Bolling whether he had received any communication from Rupert Murdoch, the executive chairman of News Corp, or Murdoch’s sons regarding his choice to launch his campaign on Twitter instead of Fox News, DeSantis responded by saying, “No, we didn’t. But I understand. Different people have different perspectives on these matters.”

DeSantis further admitted, “Personally, I’m not particularly active on social media. I prefer watching programs like yours rather than using apps. However, I acknowledge that social media holds great importance for many individuals.”

Explaining his decision to launch the campaign on Twitter, DeSantis highlighted the platform’s role in promoting free speech and how it had become an outlet for conservatives to voice their opinions and challenge established media platforms, particularly following Elon Musk’s involvement. DeSantis viewed this as a significant factor in his choice.

“They were anticipating a lot of people, but there were more people that tried to sign up than even what Twitter had anticipated,” he claimed. “I was just in a room in Florida, so I didn’t really know necessarily what was going on.”

Ryan Hedrick

Ryan Hedrick serves as the Assistant Program Director and Co-Host of the Morning News Express at WFMD. Prior to WFMD, he hosted an afternoon program at News Talk 103.7 FM in Chambersburg, PA. He has worked at Sirius XM in Washington D.C., WBEN in Buffalo, NY, and for stations in Baltimore, MD. He has also worked at WIBW-AM in Topeka KS, earning the Kansas Association of Broadcasters (KAB) award for Major Market enterprise reporting in 2016. To connect with Ryan, find him on Twitter @SureToCover.

News Video

Chadwick Moore Says He’s Been Banned By Fox News

“I’ve been canceled by liberal corporate media, and now I’m canceled by corporate conservative media.”

Published

21 hours ago

May 30, 2023

Ryan Hedrick

Chadwick Moore, a contributing editor at The Spectator and the writer of an upcoming biography about Tucker Carlson, asserted in a series of tweets on Sunday evening that he had experienced a form of professional exclusion known as “cancellation” by Fox News.

The situation unfolded when Moore mentioned that he could no longer appear on FNC for writing a book about Tucker Carlson.

“I’ve been banned from the network,” he added before reporting that Fox News employees had told him “privately that all on-air talent have been banned from saying the name ‘Tucker’ on air,” he said.

Recently, Moore stated that he could verify allegations claiming that Fox News terminated Carlson’s employment last month as a confidential provision of their $787.5 billion settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. This settlement arose from accusations of disseminating false information about Dominion Voting Systems on several Fox programs, including “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

“This is FACT: Fox News has a new policy (aside from banning me): they won’t plug any book from a guest unless HarperCollins published it,” said Moore. “You can’t be a guest on Fox unless you’re a Fox author…it’s all so hilarious and grotesque. Fox News will not let you promote your book unless Fox News publishes your book.”

“I’ve been canceled by liberal corporate media, and now I’m canceled by corporate conservative media. I think I’ll be fine. I couldn’t care less,” he added.

Ryan Hedrick

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Tucker Carlson Leaks Traced Back to Former Deadspin Editor

Burke, who is the husband of Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak, saw his home raided by FBI agents earlier this month.

Published

4 days ago

May 26, 2023

BNM Staff

The FBI has traced leaked videos of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson back to former Deadspin video editor Timothy Burke.

Burke, who is the husband of Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak, saw his home raided by FBI agents earlier this month.

A report from the Tampa Bay Times claims a letter was sent to Fox News by the FBI asking the network to preserve information and records related to the investigation for 90 days. The investigation at Fox News “concerns allegations of unauthorized computer access, interception of wire, oral, or electronic communication, conspiracy, and other federal crimes”.

The reportedly hacked material includes the subsequent leaking of unaired portions of Carlson’s interview with Kanye West, which included anti-Semitic remarks, and also the “FOXLEAKS” series from Media Matters that showed Carlson complaining about his relationship with Fox News, among other things.

Many pundits, notably Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk, have argued that Fox News was behind the Media Matters leaks. The letter from the FBI to Fox News says both Media Matters and Vice News — who published the West interview clips — have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Burke has been a prominent online video figure. He produced a video that has gone viral several different times showcasing local news anchors at all Sinclair-owned stations reading the same script about trust in journalism. He also co-authored the 2012 Deadspin report that showed revealed Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teo’s reported relationship and death of his girlfriend was a catfishing hoax.

BNM Staff