Archives: July 2006

Middle East Conflict: Fox News Has Top 55 Telecasts On Cable News Since July 12

Middle East Conflict: CNN Up 113 Percent In Demo Compared To Year-Ago

Middle East Conflict: CNN Combines “Visceral Coverage” & Intelligent Analysis

Middle East Crisis: ‘This Week At War’ Host John Roberts Is On The Front Lines

Middle East Crisis: “Shep Smith Is Once Again Being Absolutely Riveting”

Middle East Crisis: FNC #4 On All Of Cable

Middle East Crisis: FNC’s Guest List

Middle East Crisis: Week of July 17 Ratings

Middle East Crisis: Greta #1 In Demo

Middle East Crisis: More Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Moody Tells FNCers “How Not to Label the Holy City”

Middle East Crisis: Anchors Away

Middle East Crisis: Another ‘Cost Of War’ Must-Read By CNN’s Cal Perry

Middle East Crisis: “Up-Close” Coverage Has “Power To Distort The Overall Picture”

Middle East Crisis: Couric Would Go

Middle East Crisis: Annan On CNN, Bolton On FNC; Putting CNN On Top Of The Car…

Middle East Crisis: Lower Third Experiments

Middle East Crisis: Couric Wouldn’t Go?

Middle East Crisis: Thur. Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Williams Back In NYC

Middle East Crisis: Tired Of Lara Logan?

Middle East Crisis: Cooper To Beirut

Middle East Crisis: Schieffer & Logan

Middle East Crisis: Where’s Sadler?; Shep’s ‘No-Spin Analysis;’ Distorted Reporting?

Middle East Crisis: Gibson Heading Home

Middle East Crisis: Wed. Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: 360′s Intros “Sound Like A Jerry Bruckheimer Movie”

Middle East Crisis: Hemmer’s A Star, Dobbs’ Opinion, Two Arab Journos Shot…

Middle East Crisis: Why Bob Stayed Home

Middle East Crisis: “Not A Safe Place”

Middle East Crisis: Shep Under Fire

Middle East Crisis: A.M. Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Green Room Diplomacy

Middle East Crisis: Evening Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Rita Cosby’s First “Instant Special” Airs Tonight On MSNBC

Middle East Crisis: Duck & Cover On FNC

Middle East Crisis: Israel Forbids Live Pictures Of Rocket Attacks On TV

Middle East Crisis: Monday Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Sunday Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Shep To The Scene

Middle East Crisis: Williams To Middle East

Middle East Crisis: Gibson To Jerusalem

Middle East Crisis: If Anyone Can Stop The War, It’s Anderson Cooper

Middle East Crisis: Cable Coverage Notes

Middle East Crisis: Deployments

ABC’s David Wright Needs A Flak Jacket

“CNN’s Lebanon Problem”

Middle East Crisis: Coverage Notes

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Fox News Channel had the 55 highest-rated telecasts on cable news during coverage of the Middle East conflict. Here’s an Excel spreadsheet of the top shows. The top telecasts all belong to The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes, and On The Record. CNN doesn’t appear until #56, with an edition of Larry King Live. (#57 was the HLN car chase.)

When the numbers are crunched, July will be FNC’s highest rated month in 2006. Final July ratings come out on Tuesday…

The conflict in the Middle East has created a ratings spike for all the cable news networks, but especially for CNN.

Since the crisis escalated on July 12, the network is is up 113 percent in the 25-54 demographic and 62 percent in total viewers, compared to the same time period in 2005. CNN has averaged 272,000 demo and 653,000 total viewers in total day since the 12th.

CNN’s growth hasn’t challenged FNC’s position at #1 though. FNC has averaged 374,000 demo and 1,090,000 viewers in total day, up 36 percent in the demo and 15 percent in total viewers compared to the year ago. MSNBC has averaged 120,000 demo and 269,000 viewers in total day, up 60 percent in the demo and 35 percent in total viewers.

In primetime, in the two weeks since the shooting started, FNC is up 9 percent in the demo (to 555,000) but down 8 percent in total viewers (to 1,857,000). CNN is up 85 percent in the demo (to 366,000) and 43 percent in P2+ (to 996,000). And MSNBC is up 44 percent in the demo (to 156,000) and 26 percent in total viewers (to 357,000).

CNN data. July 12 through July 27.

On Thursday, I posted some criticism MSNBC’s Scarborough Country for drifting into tabloid fare. But perhaps we shouldn’t judge a show until the ratings come out. Rita Cosby subbed for Joe Scarborough (in her old 9pm time slot) last week, and Country was #1 in the demo Thursday night.

MSNBC peaked from 9:30 to 9:45pm, when Cosby talked to the guys from American Chopper. The second highest rated quarter hour came from 9:45 to 10pm, when Cosby covered a shark attack and some Tori Spelling gossip.

Also, among live programming, the show was #2 on Wednesday, right behind Countdown. (Monday and Tuesday’s numbers were considerably lower.)

The week of July 17 was also notable. A tipster said Scarborough Country “was #2 among MSNBC live shows last week in the key 25-54 demo.” He added: The fact is, the stories Joe’s recently been doing are helping the numbers…”

> Tonight: Tucker Carlson guest-hosts at 9pm…

MSNBC.com’s 10th anniversary celebration is concluding tonight with a party at Top of the Rock in New York City. At anniversary day events in Redmond on July 21, every MSNBC.com staffer signed his or her own anniversary flag, an insider says. Today, the flags are flying on the poles surrounding the Rockefeller Center ice rink. Look for a full post-party report tomorrow…

25-54 demographic: (LS)

Total day: FNC: 313 | CNN: 160 | MSNBC: 93 | HLN: 107 | CNBC: 56

Prime: FNC: 366 | CNN: 228 | MSNBC: 83 | HLN: 115 | CNBC: 64

	5p:	6p:	7p:	8p:	9p:	10p:	11p:
FNC	Gibson:	Hume:	Shep:	O’Reilly:	H&C:	Greta:	O’Reilly:
	319	281	374	386	339	327	296
CNN	Blitzer:	Dobbs:	Blitzer:	Zahn:	King:	Cooper:	Cooper:
	174	151	231	238	178	267	278
MSNBC	Hardball:	Tucker:	Hardball:	Countd.:	Investig.:	Investig.:	Headlin.:
	119	46	76	66	75	109	43
HLN	HLN:	Prime:	Beck:	Grace:	Beck:	Grace:	Showbiz:
	138	105	108	154	97	93	154
CNBC	Kudlow:	Cramer:	Money:	Poker:	Cramer:	Deutsch:	Money:
	85	36	55	85	55	53	27

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CNN Exchange is getting a lot of attention today. Check out stories from the AP, Reuters, BetaNews, and ZDNet. CNN.com’s new user submission section doesn’t officially launch until tomorrow, but you can submit an I-Report now by clicking here.

“CNN Exchange invites YOU to connect with the news: Share your stories, your pictures, your videos wherever you see the I-Report logo. Weigh in on the blogs. Click your way through QuickVotes and more,” the site says.

CBS News has announced extensive coverage plans for the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The coverage will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 6, the day after Katie Couric‘s CBS debut, with a primetime special titled “Five Years Later — How Safe Are We?” It’s hosted by Couric, EP’ed by Susan Zirinsky, and scheduled for 10pm. The Early Show and the CBS Evening News will also begin anniversary coverage that day. Other notes:

> Face the Nation, CBS News Sunday Morning, and 60 Minutes will provide coverage on 9/10.

> Harry Smith will anchor The Early Show from Ground Zero on 9/11.

> Couric will anchor the CBS Evening News from there, too. (Lara Logan will report from Afghanistan.)

> CBSNews.com will provide a live webcast of all 9/11 commemorative events.

> “A CBS News/New York Times poll will be conducted to determine how Americans feel about the state of national security and other related issues five years later.”

Dan Abrams is adding an editorial director to MSNBC’s management team. Davidson Goldin has joined the cable news net from The New York Sun, where he was a columnist and acting city editor.

Goldin will report to Abrams. “Together with Meghan Schaefer in her new role as Senior Executive Producer of Dayside Programming, David will assist Susan Sullivan with the editorial content of our live coverage — everything from scripts and teases to chyrons and presentation,” Abrams said in a memo this afternoon.

Goldin has guested on MSNBC and other nets numerous times. He produced for Fox News before moving to NBC in 1996. In 1995 he was a political reporter for NY1. Click continued for the full memo…

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Following up on this weekend’s Variety report:

The AP says Fox News “has settled a lawsuit that asserted that female employees were subjected to vulgarities and obscenities, including derogatory comments about pregnant women, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Monday.”

More: “The settlement, submitted for approval in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, includes $225,000 for four women who said they were subjected by a Fox vice president to a sexually hostile workplace, the EEOC said in a statement. It also includes steps, such as training and revised policies, to prevent any future discrimination and retaliation.”

> Update: 4:23pm: “Starting in January 2007, Fox News will be required to change its policies and procedures and provide training on federal discrimination law, court records say. The vice president will be required to participate in an individual training session starting in May 2007.” –Crain’s New York Business The Crain’s report was incorrect, FNC says.