Will Slow and Steady Win the Race?

Was this FishbowlDC reader right when he opined that “Hardball will own 2006″?

Maybe or maybe not, but Washington Whispers reports that MSNBC is making some inroads against (no, not cable giant FOX News) CNN.

Little MSNBC is making an advance during the key 6 p.m.-to-9 p.m. period, hounding Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room, Paula Zahn, and Lou Dobbs…First, let’s be clear: CNN has more viewers. But, as they say in TV, only the “demo” matters, and in the key 25-to-54 demographic that ad rates are based on, MSNBC is nipping at CNN. Here, The Abrams Report has seen a 35 percent jump in just a year, though it still lags behind Dobbs. But Hardball With Chris Matthews, up 52 percent, edges Blitzer by 1,000 viewers in the demo, and Countdown With Keith Olbermann, up 39 percent, ties Zahn…At CNN, they note that total viewers are still higher and say that any February pop was due to MSNBC’s Olympic coverage.

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