Nolte: Another Week of Catastrophic Ratings for MSNBC and Especially CNNLOL

An exterior view of the world headquarters for the Cable News Network (CNN) on November 17
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The week after Thanksgiving delivered a bonanza of huge stories and still CNN was only able to attract an average of 367,00 primetime viewers, which works out to about one-seventh the 2.493 million viewers who tuned in to Fox News.

MSNBC is also in the toilet, with about one-fourth of Fox’s average primetime viewers at just 632,000.

News-wise, this was the week of more nominations from President-elect Trump, this was the week the Daniel Penny trial came to a head, the week of the Hunter Biden pardon, a historic Supreme Court hearing to protect kids from being mutilated by trans-activists, all the drama about Pete Hegseth, and the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO.

MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinki and Joe Scarborough speak on stage at the New Yorker Festival on October 5, 2018, in New York City. (Thos Robinson/Getty for The New Yorker)

Nevertheless, for the week of December 2…

TOTAL PRIMETIME VIEWERS / DEMO VIEWERS

  • Fox News: 493 million / 280,000
  • CNNLOL: 367,000 / 67,000
  • MSNBC: 632,000 / 56,000

TOTAL TOTAL DAY VIEWERS / DEMO VIEWERS

  • Fox News: 693 million / 208,000
  • CNNLOL: 322,000 / 52,000
  • MSNBC: 459,000 / 40,000

Demo viewers are those in the 25-54 age range that set advertising rates. That’s the number that matters most to network executives, and during primetime, in all of cable, CNN ranks 26th in demo viewers. MSNBC ranks 29th. Fox ranks second only after ESPN.

Compared to this same week last year, per AdWeek, “Fox News was up by +36% in total viewers and +44% in the demo. During total day, the network also saw gains of +42% in the former category and +56% in the latter.”

Meanwhile, MSNBC has lost nearly half (-48 percent) of “both total viewers and the demo in primetime. During total day, the network was down a respective -41% and -47% in those measured categories.”

CNN, which was already in serious ratings trouble last year, has collapsed another “-22% in total viewers and -33% in the demo. During total day, CNN was down by -25% in total viewers and -35% in the demo.”

The baseline to be considered successful is at least one million total primetime viewers and 100,000 demo viewers. That might’ve changed with all the cord-cutting, but still…

The best way I can explain how dreadful these numbers are is this way… No one hates CNN more than I do. I might be tied with a few people, but my hatred is as deep as it is pure. Nevertheless, never in my wildest, hate-filled imagination would I have dreamt of CNN’s average primetime viewership collapsing to 367,000. Around 70 million suckers households still subscribe to cable. How is it even possible for CNN not to attract at least one percent of those folks?

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CNN anchors Jake Tapper, left, and Dana Bash, right, speaking to members of the audience before the start of the CNN Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Well, it all comes down to the following formula. CNN long ago alienated conservatives and Republicans. Then after years of hoaxes, hysterically destructive race-baiting, and endless hate campaigns, CNN lost all the normal people. And now, after losing a bitter, ten-year war against Donald Trump (that CNN assured its residual viewers would be won), the hate outlet has lost the far left.

Basically, one-tenth of one percent of the American population still watches CNN, and that number is so small, I can only assume it is sleeping junkies with needles sticking out of their arms. 

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