The third quarter isn’t quite over on the calendar, but it’s over in the world of ratings. Fox has a lot to celebrate, but everyone else is wondering what the hell hit them. Here are a dozen things that may surprise you about the latest cable news ratings.
1. A perfect ten. All ten of the top ten shows are on Fox News, powered by the O’Reilly-Hannity-Beck troika.
2. Beck kicks butt. Glenn Beck increased the ratings for his time slot a remarkable 136% over the third quarter of 2008.
3. Lucky 13. During September, Fox had the top thirteen programs in cable news.
4. Dominance. The O’Reilly Factor has now been the top-rated cable news show for an unprecedented 106 consecutive months.
5. Better and better. Fox News is the only cable news network to post across the board year-over-year increases.
6. Up, up and away. Every Fox News program airing between 4 pm and 11 pm showed growth. Most had double digit growth.
7. We’re number three! We’re number three! Fox is now the number three rated cable network, trailing only ESPN and USA.
8. Dagger to the heart. Fox News had more total viewers and more viewers in the 25-54 demographic than CNN and MSNBC combined in both total day and primetime.
9. Grasping at straws. CNN regained the second spot in cable news because MSNBC’s ratings have collapsed.
10. Watch out below. MSNBC’s total viewers fell by 10% and the coveted 25-54 demographic fell by 21%.
11. He who will not die. CNN’s “Larry King Live” outrated MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in the 25-54 demographic by 17%, the largest margin since her show premiered last September.
12. He who is slowly dying. “Anderson Cooper 360” is down 56% year-to-year in total viewers and down 64% in the 25-54 demographic. No other cable news show suffered such a steep decline.
Source: Nielsen Media Research via MediaBistro.com
