What the Ratings Say About the State of Cable News
The third quarter of 2021 was not kind to CNN and paints a grim picture of MSNBC's future.
Here's a look at the top 10 cable news programs from 6/28/21 to 09/24/21:
MSNBC
In the top 10, there are nine Fox News programs and one from MSNBC. (Yes, that means 0 from CNN.) For past references, MSNBC routinely had at least one other show, The Last Word, in the top 10 besides Maddow. In July, The Last Word ranked 9th overall but fell to 15th this quarter, showing that MSNBC's dependence on Maddow raises questions about the network's future.
Though MSNBC re-signed Maddow through the 2024 election at $30 million per year, she has the option to terminate her nightly TV show in April 2022. Industry experts predict she will exercise that option and then launch a weekly program. So then what? Where does MSNBC go after Maddow leaves its daily lineup?
The truth is, Maddow is a unique talent. There isn't a single person in liberal media who can sufficiently replace her. I explain why here.
What will MSNBC do? Perhaps the network will settle with a safe, in-house candidate. NBC executives view Nicolle Wallace as the most obvious choice. However, Wallace is "obvious" only because MSNBC has failed to establish a solid bench. Instead, it has featured hosts like Joy Reid, Tiffany Cross, Ari Melber, and Chris Hayes. Hayes starts in primetime but plays like a benchwarmer.
Keep in mind, Maddow's 9 pm hour draws, on average, a million more viewers than the network does at 8 and 10 pm, which suggests that viewers tune in for Maddow, not the channel in general. Should Maddow's replacement draw numbers like Chris Hayes and Lawrence O'Donnell do in primetime, the network will not have a program in the top 10 of cable news by fall of 2022.
Maddow's departure from MSNBC's daily lineup will hit the network hardest where it hurts: in the key demo. Maddow ranked 8th in the 25-54 demographic in Q3 of 2021. All In with Chris Hayes was MSNBC's second-highest show in the category, at 22nd overall.
No network is more reliant on one talent than MSNBC is on Rachel Maddow.
CNN
Then there is CNN. Not to say this in a mockery tone, but there are no positive takeaways from CNN's third-quarter ratings. None.
CNN's highest-rated show, Cuomo Prime Time, ranked 23rd in cable news for the quarter. Though CNN leads MSNBC in the key demo in total day and primetime, that says more about MSNBC than CNN. To note, Anderson Cooper 360 ranked 15th among adults 25-54, the highest of any CNN program.
I've written at length about why CNN's ratings are declining. In sum:
CNN's tank-job began the moment Donald Trump left office. Like most trends in TV news, Trump is the explanation for CNN's fall. Trump made Fox News and MSNBC more of what they already were, but CNN reinvented itself during Trump’s presidency. CNN started over in 2016. Who is CNN right now? Its hosts and executives haven't told us — they don't know.
Furthermore, CNN does not have an individual star who draws considerably more viewers than the network's base. CNN does not have a Rachel Maddow, Tucker Carlson, or Sean Hannity. Instead, the faces of CNN -- Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, and Don Lemon -- are recognizable, though not difference-makers in the ratings. People know who they are on TV and don't like them. Stunning, is it not?
So, can CNN rebound? They need help from the opposition, meaning the Republicans. They need a target, a villain, someone they can convince the country is "an existential threat," whatever that means nowadays. That could be Donald Trump again or Ron DeSantis.
Additionally, CNN tells its viewers that it is a moderate alternative to Fox News and MSNBC. "We don't do opinion," the creepy Don Lemon once said. See, conservatives know CNN is lying. Yet, we must now wonder if liberals believe CNN's lie? Hear me out: why else would liberals not consume CNN's entitled, hypocritical, and angry commentary more regularly? CNN is what the Left demands, aside from Chris Cuomo, of course. So did CNN chase its liberal views away by telling them they are not a left-leaning news network? Could the viewers be that gullible?
Hmm.
Fox News
After a rocky start to the year, Fox News has rebounded since Donald Trump left the White House. In the third quarter, FNC beat CNN and MSNBC combined in both total day and primetime viewership.
Interestingly, the show that Fox News airs at 5 pm ET, 2 pm PT stood out most this quarter.
Roger Ailes first launched The Five as a temporary replacement for Glenn Beck's show in 2011. Now it's one of Fox's signature programs. Last September, I discussed why The Fivedraws primetime ratings in the afternoon. One year later, The Five is the second-most-watched show in cable news behind only Tucker Carlson Tonight.
The Five works because it's different. The rest of cable news is either a few news anchors or a single opinionist with guests speaking into a camera. While those two formats are successful, there is demand for something else.
The Five is the cable news version of PTI. It's a blend of news, banter, debate, and quirky humor. The Five is also the answer to Fox News' future. The emergence of outside voices in conservative media has given viewers a long list of options throughout the day. Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder, Matt Walsh, Candace Owens, Michael Knowles, Allie Beth Stuckey, and Charlie Kirk are just a few. Therefore, Fox News must continue to make new stars, and The Five is the best vehicle for that process.
Moreover, Fox News' next wave of personalities gives the network the opportunity to quickly establish new stars: Pete Hegseth, Will Cain, Kat Timpf, Katie Pavlich (who is routinely on The Five), Joe Concha, Rachel Campos-Duffy, Lawrence Jones, Lisa Boothe, and Carley Shimkus.
Finally, The Five has rotated personalities to replace Juan Williams since he departed this summer, and Jessica Tarlov has stood out in particular. Tarlov, "a defender of Democrats," has chemistry with the conservative hosts and fits well with the main cast.
Fox News heads into its 25th anniversary next week.
Greg Gutfeld
Greg Gutfeld, 57, has been around forever -- or at least a long time. Some viewers remember him from Red Eye. And though the audience has always recognized Gutfeld, he is now one of the biggest names in cable news.
In addition to The Five, Gutfeld's eponymous 11 pm show now leads late-night in the ratings. Somehow, Gutfeld is beating those other guys who air on broadcast television.
That said, could Stephen Colbert and the others at least try to provide a decent alternative? I mean, competition is best for all sides...