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JAY LENO: “The Cartoon Network beat CNN and CNN — of course desperate to get these ratings back up — they’re getting a little too desperate. Look who filled in for Larry King the other night. Take a look.”
PETER GRIFFIN: “You know what really grinds my ears? Lindsay Lohan. Hah? Lindsay Lohan with all those little outfits.” (MSNBC)
CNN is the big loser in the latest cable news ratings numbers and Fox News is the big winner. But what do the numbers really mean?
We’ve got coverage from MSNBC, TV Newser, Fairness and Acurate Reporting and the Huffington Post.
First up The New York Times says CNN’s dip was big, but the more important story is Fox News’ ever-climbing popularity.
“Bill O’Reilly, whose show commands the biggest audience in prime time with 3.65 million viewers, was up 28 percent, and Glenn Beck was up 50 percent from a year earlier.”
Not only did O’Reilly and Beck gain steam, ratings show Fox News has become the cable news king.
TV Newser says the conservative network dominated, taking the top 13 spots on the Nielsen ratings, shutting out CNN and MSNBC from the top 10 altogether.
At least one writer for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting says while the numbers seem dire for CNN and amazing for Fox don't read too much into it.
“Journalists who publish Nielsen numbers ought to explain that the data are not simply measures of popularity, and they are not produced as a service to journalists or the public. The figures are gathered to provide advertisers with complex data about viewer habits.”
But an analyst for The Huffington Post says the Obama administration might want to pay attention to these numbers.
"The cable viewing numbers have, over the past six years proved at least as reliable as the pollsters. They were almost exactly right in the last presidential election. So, I would suggest that Democrats get their house in order..."
So what do you make of the latest ratings? A big deal -- or not so much? Leave us your thoughts in our comments section.
Writer: Chance Seales
Producer: Nathan Giannini
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