Hope CNN said “enough” with biased coverage

News of the Justice Department’s release of the redacted affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate from early August brought the Friday 26 news cycle to light. august. According to the document, the FBI told a judge that there were “probable reasons to believe” that classified national security documents had been improperly taken to “unauthorized” locations and that there were likely “evidence of obstruction”.

All three major cable news outlets saw an uptick when the affidavit was released. Fox News Channel dominated the noon hour with 2.12 million total viewers, including 257,000 in the key 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. An hour before (11 a.m. to noon), FNC attracted a total of 1.71 million / 227,000 adults aged 25-54.

FNC then slid to a still-powerful total viewership of 1.8 million at 1 p.m. and 1.6 million at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the other two news networks, CNN and MSNBC, maintained their relative increases for over an hour, as follows:

CNN

11am-12pm: 0.708 million viewers (135,000 adults 25-54)

12 p.m.-1 p.m.: 1.019 million viewers (192,000 adults 25-54)

1-2 p.m.: 0.956 million viewers (195,000 adults 25-54)

2-3 p.m.: 0.822 million viewers (176,000 adults 25-54)

3-4 p.m.: 0.896 million viewers (216,000 adults 25-54)

4-5 p.m.: 0.922 million viewers (204,000 adults 25-54)

MSNBC

11am-12pm: 0.913 million viewers (78,000 adults 25-54)

12 p.m. to 1 p.m.: 1.346 million viewers (137,000 adults 25-54)

1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: 1.421 million viewers (159,000 adults 25-54)

2-3 p.m.: 1.340 million viewers (129,000 adults 25-54)

Not only did the latest news boost the networks early in the morning, but it also all increased from the previous Friday (August 19). In the noon to 3 p.m. window, MSNBC grew the most in both raw numbers and percentage: +81% (1.37 million, vs. 0.76 million – +610,000 viewers); Fox News Channel increased 13% (1.84 million, from 1.625 million); CNN, noon to 5 p.m., was up 33% (935,000, from 702,000).

With recent inflation concerns, Fox Business Network (FBN) has been the most-watched business outlet for the past 15 consecutive weeks. From August 22-26, including August 26 when the Dow Jones plunged 1,000 points over fears of a possible government interest rate hike, FBN averaged 205,000 viewers per business day (from Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), a 13% lead over CNBC (182,000 viewers). FBN’s 4 p.m. show “Kudlow” led the week’s business news with 308,000 viewers, while weekday morning show “Varney & Co.” (257,000) was second.

Cable News Averages for August 22-28, 2022:

Total day (August 22-28 @ 6am-5:59am)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.440 million viewers; 202,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • MSNBC: 0.820 million viewers; 89,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • CNN: 0.524 million viewers; 103,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • HLN: 0.179 million viewers; 55,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • CNBC: 0.178 million viewers; 46,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • newsmax: 0.117 million viewers; 15,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • The weather channel: 0.105 million viewers; 23,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.101 million viewers; 11,000 adults aged 25 to 54

Prime time (August 22-27 @ 8-11pm; August 28 @ 7-11pm)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.206 million viewers; 287,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • MSNBC: 1.310 million viewers; 128,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • CNN: 0.632 million viewers; 132,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • HLN: 0.225 million viewers; 60,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • CNBC: 0.176 million viewers; 63,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • The weather channel: 0.153 million viewers; 26,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • newsmax: 0.147 million viewers; 18,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.048 million viewers; 7,000 adults aged 25 to 54
  • NewsNation: 0.048 million viewers; 6,000 adults aged 25 to 54

Top 10 most watched TV news (and top programs from other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in the total number of viewers:

1. The Five (FOXNC, Mon 8/22/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins.) 3.428 million viewers

2. The Five (FOXNC, Wed 8/24/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins.) 3.398 million viewers

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 8/22/2022 8:00 p.m., 60 min.) 3.373 million viewers

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu 8/25/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.277 million viewers

5. The Five (FOXNC, Thu 8/25/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins.) 3.263 million viewers

6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 8/23/2022 8:00 p.m., 60 min.) 3.260 million viewers

7. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 8/23/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins.) 3.230 million viewers

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 8/24/2022 8:00 p.m., 60 min.) 3.148 million viewers

9. The Five (FOXNC, Fri 8/26/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins.) 3.055 million viewers

10. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Tue. 8/23/2022 7:00 p.m., 60 min.) 2.943 million viewers

18. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 8/22/2022 9:00 p.m., 60 min.) 2.473 million viewers

149. Inside Politics (CNN, Fri. 8/26/2022 12:00 p.m., 60 min.) 1.019 million viewers

203. Live with Bill Maher “Episode 610” (HBO, Fri 8/26/2022 10:00 p.m., 55 min.) 0.755 million viewers

390. Forensic Files “As The Tide Turns” (HLN, Mon. 8/22/2022 11:30 p.m., 30 min.) 0.386 million viewers

420. Kudlow (FBN, Wed 8/24/2022 4:00 PM, 60 mins.) 0.324 million viewers

463. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 908” (CNBC, Thu 8/25/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.276 million viewers

556. Highway Thru Hell “(1012) Heavy Liftoff” (TWC, Wed 8/24/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.227 million viewers

793. Newsnation: Rush Hour (NWSN, Mon. 8/22/2022 5:00 p.m., 60 mins.) 0.127 million viewers

Top 10 cable news programs (and top programs from other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in adults aged 25 to 54

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon, 8/22/2022 8:00 p.m., 60 min.) 0.478 million adults 25-54

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 8/23/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.464 million adults 25-54

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu 8/25/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.458 million adults 25-54

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed, 8/24/2022 8:00 p.m., 60 min.) 0.447 million adults 25-54

5. The Five (FOXNC, Mon 8/22/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins) 0.419 million adults 25-54

6. The Five (FOXNC, Tue, 8/23/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.402 million adults 25-54

7. The Five (FOXNC, Wed 8/24/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins.) 0.396 million adults 25-54

8. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon 8/22/2022 9:00 PM, 60 mins) 0.392 million adults 25-54

9. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Wed 8/24/2022 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.392 million adults 25-54

10. The Five (FOXNC, Fri 8/26/2022 5:00 PM, 60 mins) 0.390 million adults 25-54

50. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Monday, 8/22/2022 9:00 p.m., 60 min.) 0.233 million adults 25-54

65. CNN Newsroom (CNN, Fri 8/26/2022 3:00 p.m., 60 min.) 0.216 million adults 25-54

175. “If I Were You” Forensic Records (HLN, Mon 8/22/2022 11:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.136 million adults 25-54

191. Real Time with Bill Maher “Episode 610” (HBO, Fri 8/26/2022 10:00 PM, 55 min.) 0.130 million adults 25-54

234. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 908” (CNBC, Thu 8/25/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.117 million adults 25-54

532. Why Planes Crash “Who’s Flying” (TWC, Sat 8/27/2022 12:00 AM, 60 Mins) 0.060M Adults 25-54

665. Mornings with Maria Bartiromo (FBN, Fri 08/26/2022 08:00, 60 mins.) 0.038 million adults 25-54

704. Newsnation Prime (NWSN, Sun 8/28/2022 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.034 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

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