CNN, MSNBC Gaining On Fox In Post-Election Ratings...

Eat The Press Rachel Sklar November 18, 2006 02:01 PM

On election night, the Democrats swept Congress, and CNN swept to a surprise victory over Fox News in the all-important 25-54 demo, beating out the perennial frontrunner to win the total day and coming within a hairsbreadth of meeting their total primetime numbers. The next day, CNN won it all -- the demo, total viewers, almost every hour from 10 am to 3 am. Compared to Fox's usual ratings supremacy, it was a rout.

In the week and a half since the election, the numbers have settled somewhat, and Fox is back to number one. But there is no denying the trend: CNN, and now third-place MSNBC, are steadily gaining in share, and Fox is, well, not. It's still the leader, but even before the election it was showing signs of slippage: Its October 2006 numbers reflected a 2% drop in total day and a 9% drop in primetime. CNN was up 15% in total day and lost only 1% in primetime -- while underdog MSNBC enjoyed a double-digit jump on both fronts with a 34% leap in day and a 15% hike in primetime, the only network of the three to post gains.

READ FULL STORY