Compared to August 2012, MSNBC was down -28% in total viewers and -32% in the A25-54 demographic in total day and -36% and -32%, respectively, in primetime. MSNBC was the only cable channel to see viewership growth last August, thanks in part to live coverage from the Olympics.
“Morning Joe” was down -9% in total viewers and -17% in the A25-54 demographic compared to the same month last year, which actually was a better result than many of the programs that came later in the day.
In primetime, “The Rachel Maddow Show” posted all-time low ratings in total and demo viewers, down -43% and -47%, respectively. “The Last Word” posted a low in total viewers, losing -40% of its total viewer audience and -42% of its demo audience. at 8 PM, “All in” was down -48% and -42% in total and demo viewers, respectively, placing behind CNN for the hour.
In dayside, MSNBC was down double digits in pretty much every hour in total and demo viewers, including 6 PM’s “PoliticsNation,” which was down -31% and -37% in total and demo viewers, and 3 PM’s “The Cycle,” which was down -15% and -18% in total and demo viewers. One of the few programs to improve year to year was “The Ed Show” on Saturday and Sunday, which was up both days in total viewers, and in the demo on Saturday. This may help explain why the channel replaced the 5 PM edition of “Hardball” with the former weekend program.
Part of that loss has been viewers like myself. I've stopped watching Maddow. I gave All In a month or so, but have stopped watching that as well. Last Word really isn't much of an option for me, being that late at night (I'm up at 5 AM on weekdays.)
Much of this is the fact that I could basically turn on any other cable news channel and see the Village taking swipes at the Obama administration. Joy Ann Reid has been pretty good the few times I've seen her guest host. Ezra Klein remains abysmal in the same capacity, but for the most part there's nothing on MSNBC that differentiates itself from the other news guys, which I don't watch.
It's telling that the network's longest running show is Hardball, going on its 15th year soon. All the other shows have increasingly become more like Hardball, not less.
And I hate to say this, but losing Olbermann was the biggest blow to the network so far. Olbermann at least made for good broadcasting, and he was a pro. Hayes, Maddow, O'Donnell, not so much.
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6 comments:
And their solution is more Ed Schultz... Just what cable news needs, another blowhard.
I faithfully watched Rachel for years, and until recently tried to catch most of Chris Hayes. Even when they'd get too FireDogLakey for me, I respected their opinions, passion, and in Rachel's case, journalistic brilliance. I started tuning in less when they started going hair-afire over Manning, then the Snowden drama. I don't like David Sirota or Glenn Greenwald and I'm not going spend dinnertime with them.
I think what Maddow and Hayes don't completely understand or perhaps even care about, is that their audience voted for President Obama and still tends to give him the benefit of the doubt. Purity rants get old real fast. Unlike Fox's brainwashed audience, liberals in that prized demo use several sources of information and cutting one loose is not a big deal.
We differ slightly. I, too, greatly miss Olbermann. Rachel Maddow is the only show on TV that I faithfully watch and I think she pretty much has it all in 'one sock.' Hayes, Matthews, Finney et al, I have better things to do with my time.
So, with the exception of TRMS, we agree. For what ever it's worth.
Gotta agree with Chief; you can't lump Kindly Doc Maddow in with the others. Calling her not-"pro" is without justification. She's been an effective professional broadcast journalist much longer than you've been an amateur blogger.
And much longer than you've been an effective troll. :)
A year ago I'd have agreed with you. But Maddow, like Hayes, Schultz, and increasingly O'Donnell, has realized there's a lot of Villager prestige in relentlessly attacking President Obama from the left, and her most recent tirades have fallen well short of her usual well-researched arguments.
To clarify: I make a valid point that Doctor Maddow is an effective, professional broadcaster.
Since this conflicts with your opinion, you call me a "troll."
Message received; we're done here.
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