The ratings for April, 2013 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 682K Total Viewers / 234K A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 406K Total Viewers / 139K A25-54

Compared to April 2012 MSNBC was down -10% in total viewers and -1% in adults 25-54 in primetime. In total day, MSNBC was down -4% in total viewers and was flat in the demo. That said, coverage of the Boston bombing (and subsequent manhunt) on CNN and the Jodi Arias trial on HLN led to the channel placing fourth in the demo in total day for the month.

During dayside, MSNBC actually some substantial growth, with every show from 9AM-2PM up in both total and demo viewers. The most “Andrea Mitchell Reports” was up +14% in total viewers and +47% in the demo, while 12PM’s “Now” was up +16% in total viewers and +19% in the demo. “Martin Bashir” was up at 4 PM, improving +6% in total viewers and +41% in the demo.

The only MSNBC shows to be down in both total and demo viewers were “Morning Joe” (down -6% and -14%, respectively) , “PoliticsNation” at 6 PM (-15% and -11%, respectively), and 10PM, which is “The Last Word” and long-form docs (-8% and -6%, respectively).

Some shows, like “Hardball,” and “The Cycle” were down in total viewers but up in the demo.

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The ratings for Q1 2013 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 755,000 Total Viewers / 225,000 A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 431,000 Total Viewers / 141,000 A25-54

In Total Day, MSNBC leads CNN by just +29,000 Total Viewers and +19,000 A25-54 viewers. In primetime, MSNBC’s lead gets slightly wider: +165,000 Total Viewers and +51,000 A25-54 viewers.

Compared to the Q1 2012, MSNBC was down -6% in Total Viewers and down -1% in A25-54 viewers in Total Day. In primetime, the network was down -8% and -4%, respectively. Ratings for the cable news networks got a boost in Q1 2012 from debates and primaries during the Presidential election cycle.

It was a mixed bag for the network in primetime compared to the year-ago quarter. Ed Schultz‘s program, which is moving to weekends this month, was down -11% in Total Viewers and -4% in the demo. (Note: percentages are based on a blend of Live +7 and Live +3 data.) “The Rachel Maddow Show” was down -3% in Total Viewers but up +5% in A25-54 viewers, while “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” was up +2% and flat, respectively.

MSNBC grew among younger viewers in its late afternoon programming: “The Cycle” was up +13%, Martin Bashir‘s program was up +41% and “Hardball with Chris Matthews” was up +17% compared to Q1 2012.

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• Total day: FNC: 252 | MSNBC: 131 | CNN: 96 | HLN: 150

• Primetime: FNC: 263 | MSNBC: 226 | CNN: 130 | HLN: 178

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On a blog post on his website, Ratigan explains that after leaving MSNBC, he moved to San Diego county, CA, and worked on an organic, hydroponic farm. He decided to invest the money he earned from his TV shows and his book Greedy Bastards to ‘build a 30,000 square foot ‘farm incubator’ that can serve as the prototype for job-creating, water-saving, food-producing, veteran-led hydroponic organic greenhouses nationwide.

The goal is to create organic farm businesses nationwide, run by U.S. military veterans. Ratigan will be on ABC’s ‘The Chew” tomorrow and on “Martin Bashir” on MSNBC to talk about what his plans are, exactly.

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Shortly before 5pmET, the cable news networks turned their attention to breaking news that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has died from cancer.

Bloomberg TV’s Trish Regan reported Chavez’s death at 4:53pmET. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer followed at 4:55pmET, sourcing Venezuela television. MSNBC’s Martin Bashir was next at 4:57pmET, reporting that NBC News had confirmed Chavez’s death. Fox News’ Andrea Tantaros reported the news at the top of “The Five,” with the network getting independent conformation at 5:04pmET. Shepard Smith took over anchoring for FNC at 5:12pmET.

>Update: FNC went back to the “The Five” at 5:23pmET.

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The ratings for February, 2013 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 800K Total Viewers / 238K A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 433K Total Viewers / 141K A25-54

Compared to February 2012, MSNBC was down -3% in total viewers and flat in the demo in primetime (Note: percentages are based on a blend of Live +7 and Live +3 data). In total day the channel was down -5% in total viewers and -3% in the demo compared to last year. Given that February of last year was a big news month, with Republican primaries, debates and the death of Whitney Houston, the mild declines aren’t that bad for MSNBC.

In fact, a handful of MSNBC programs saw growth.

4PM’s “Martin Bashir” was up in both total (+21%) and demo (+31%) viewers, as was 12 PM’s “Now” which was up +8% in total viewers and +35% in the demo. “Andrea Mitchell Reports” was also up double digits in both categories. “Hardball” was up +17% and “PoliticsNation” was up +6% in the demo at 5 and 6 PM, respectively.

In primetime, “The Ed Show” was down -14% and -10% in total and demo viewers compared to last year, while “Rachel Maddow” was down -6% and -5% in those categories, respectively. At 10 PM “The Last Word” was down -7% in total viewers and -12% in the demo.

“Morning Joe” was down -5% in total viewers and -3% in the demo.

The full release from MSNBC is after the jump.

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MSNBC is facing criticism today about the editing of a portion of the legislative hearing on guns in Hartford, CT earlier this week. Neil Heslin, the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting victim, was speaking before a committee at which local citizens, including gun rights advocates, attended. MSNBC portrayed a portion of the clip — toward the end of Heslin’s 15 minutes of testimony — as though he was being heckled. The 33-second clip aired on Tamron Hall‘s show, Martin Bashir‘s show and later on Al Sharpton‘s show. Here it is:

But MSNBC edited out the fact that Heslin posed a question: “I wish … I ask if there’s anybody in this room that can give me one reason…,” he began. Fox News produced a segment today taking MSNBC to task over the edit. An MSNBC spokesperson tells WaPo’s Eric Wemple, “We’re reviewing the video in question.”

But the storyline continued into primetime, on Lawrence O’Donnell‘s show. Meanwhile, rather than talk around the issue, CNN’s Piers Morgan actually talked with Heslin. “It didn’t really faze me and it was no more and no less than I would have expected,” he said. “It wasn’t the answer to my question. It was a response.” But was it heckling? MSNBC, for one, has decided it is.

> Update: MSNBC will address the edit on Bashir’s show Wednesday.

> More: Ari Melber, filling in for Bashir, played the entire clip including Heslin’s question. At the end of the clip, Melber said, “Martin and many other who is saw Mr. Heslin’s testimony have called that interruption heckling. Some disagree. He wanted you to hear it in full so you can draw your own conclusion.”

Inside Cable News which has been closely monitoring MSNBC’s programming shift from news to opinion, has this take:

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The ratings for January, 2013:

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 790K Total Viewers / 235K A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 491K Total Viewers / 160K A25-54

“The Ed Show” at 8 PM was up +4% in total viewers and +23% in the demo. 9 PM’s “Rachel Maddow Show” was up +11% in total viewers and +32% in the demo. “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” was up +26% in total viewers and +34% in the demo. “The last Word” drew 240,000 demo viewers, just behind FNC’s  ”On the Record,” which drew 243,000.

Other highlights: at 4 PM, “Martin Bashir” was up +41% in total viewers and +102% in the demo, easily showing the most growth of any show on the network. Both editions of “Hardball” at 5 and 7 PM were up double digits in the demo, and up in total viewers as well. “PoliticsNation” at 6 PM was up +8% and +29% in total and demo viewers, respectively, while “The Cycle” at 3 PM was up +8% and +56%, respectively. The network’s weekend programming was also up.

In the morning, “Morning Joe” was up +10% and +27% in total and demo viewers.

The full release from MSNBC is after the jump.

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• Is it Morgan Freeman or Bill Russell?

We Tweeted this one yesterday, when just after 11amET, George Stephanopoulos mistook two prominent black men. “That’s Morgan Freeman, I think, right there on the Capitol steps. I’m sorry. That’s Bill Russell. Thank you, David Remnick.”

• Did Chris Matthews get chills?

Around 4:15, MSNBC’s Martin Bashir was talking with Rep. Elijah Cummings who said he was moved by Pres. Obama’s address. “It gave me chills and I don’t usually get chills.” Bashir used the moment to bring Chris Matthews into the conversation. “Chris, did you get any chills?” After some laughter and a long pause, Bashir picked up. “Sorry, Chris.” Then asked it more directly: “What was most moving to you, Chris, about the president’s speech?

• Clarkson, not Clarkston.

A deko error during MSNBC’s coverage misidentified singer Kelly Clarkson.

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“Nightline” was born out of the Iranian Hostage Crisis. The temporary program “America Held Hostage: The Iran Crisis” launched November 8, 1979 — four days after the Americans were taken. Frank Reynolds was the original anchor. Ted Koppel, then ABC’s chief diplomatic correspondent, was a contributing reporter and would take over anchoring duties in March 1980 when the show became known as “Nightline.”

“[Former ABC News president] Roone [Arledge] had decided a long time before that any time a big news story [broke], ABC News was going to do a special broadcast at 11:30 at night,” Koppel told TVNewser in 2009. “And one day, it was his dream that there’d be a story that had such legs to it, that was so enduring, that he would actually be able to seize the time period.”

Koppel would anchor the program for 25 years, until late 2005. After Koppel left, the show began a three-anchor format with Terry Moran, Cynthia McFadden and Martin Bashir, later replaced by Bill Weir, with a much — in Koppel’s words — “frothier” format. Indeed, tonight’s final 11:35 show includes Barbara Walters‘ sitdown with Mariah Carey. Tomorrow’s first show at 12:35 includes McFadden’s sitdown with the stars of Django Unchained.

But the formula worked. “Nightline” has been the #1 late night show for the last three seasons.

Still, with the move to even later night, “Nightline” producers will be as busy as ever as the network has promised an hour in primetime every week beginning Friday, March 1.

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The ratings for 2012:

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 905,000 total viewers / 287,000 A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 497,000 total viewers / 166,000 A25-54

MSNBC’s programming was up double digits across the board in both total and demo viewers in 2012, spanning the mornings, daytime and primetime. At 9 PM Rachel Maddow was up +36% in total viewers and +21% in the demo compared to 2011, while 10 PM’s “The Last Word” was up +21% and +19%, respectively. The weakest performer was 8 PM’s “The Ed Show,” which was still up +9% in total and demo viewers from 2011.

MSNBC’s dayside programming was also up big from 2011. At 12 PM “Now with Alex Wagner” was up +30% in total viewers and +29% in the demo, while the 3 PM hour, which featured both Martin Bashir and “The Cycle,” was up +39% in total viewers and +23% in the demo.

In the mornings, “Morning Joe” was up +2% in total viewers, and up +10% in the demo, delivering its best total viewership ever.

MSNBC’s release is after the jump.

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The ratings for November 2012:

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 1,284,000 Total Viewers / 447,000 A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 723,000 Total Viewers / 258,000 A25-54

“Hardball with Chris Matthews,” “PoliticsNation,” “The Ed Show” and “Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” had record months. “Martin Bashir” at 4pm and “The Last Word” at 10pm posted the best total viewer delivery in the history of MSNBC in those time periods.

MSNBC finished as the 10th most-watched network on all of cable and had the biggest year-over-year gain among any cable network in the top 30 for the month. Many shows had their best total viewer months since Nov. ’08, including “Morning Joe” — #2 behind “Fox & Friends” — and “The Daily Rundown” which drew the best 9am audience ever among A25-54 and “Jansing and Company” at 10am which had its best A25-54 delivery ever and the best demo performance in the hour since Nov. 2008.

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In its first two weeks (which included the July 4 holiday last week) “The Cycle” is averaging 383,000 Total Viewers and 77,000 A25-54 viewers.

Compared to the previous month, “The Cycle” is down -16% in the demo and down -5% in Total Viewers.

But MSNBC is fully aware that it takes any new show time to build an audience. A year ago today, FNC’s “The Five” — which “The Cycle” resembles — debuted. In its first two weeks the show averaged 1.25 million total viewers and 261K in the demo. So far for July “The Five” is averaging 1.83 million Total Viewers and 405,000 A25-54 viewers.

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If “The Cycle” sounds an awful lot like Fox News Channel’s “The Five,” that’s because it is a lot like “The Five,” except there will be four hosts instead of five. As it happens, when Ratigan was introducing the team, he referred to them as “The Four,” twice, and did not mention that the show was actually called “The Cycle.”

Of course, “The Five” is a knockoff of “The View,” which is in turn a knockoff of the many ensemble shows that came before it. What “The Five” did do though was prove than an ensemble show could work with a political focus on cable news, though one could also argue that the old “Crossfire” paved the way too.

The Huffington Post talked to EP Steve Friedman about the show.

“Cable television is programs about the news,” he said. “it’s no longer the news. Nobody turns on to find out what happens, because they already know from you guys. What people are interested in is listening and watching people give their take.”

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