Z, it looks like there's a typo: should be Faux News, no? ;-)

Yes, well it may have very well gotten the best ratings but I lost some respect for them last week. The Fox giant did not take part in the telethon for Haiti.

Very interesting. I’m guessing the Massachusetts elections had a lot to do with the high ratings. I think it’s one more piece of evidence that Obama’s policies aren’t setting well with the people. Obama will either take heed or be stubborn and stick to his failing policies. He really needs to get the message that the people are suffering and are not willing to give more of their diminishing dollars to big government. Especially when the government gives it to banking institutions that rub our noses in their profiteering with bonuses and salary increases.

I have a tough time understanding how Fox News's success is some sort of "window" into the minds of Americans. Fox has only grown in popularity over the past 5 years, yet Americans handed Dems huge victories in the 2006 mid-terms and the 2008 general election. I suspect Fox is so powerful because its target audience is older (over 55) and far less likely to be twittering or on Facebook or playing video games. Older people (who tend to trend Republican) embrace older media outlets. The same thing happens with talk radio.

Hi Rick, Sorry, the hypotheses that seek to dismiss the Fox audience as somehow not desired by advertisers or out of it in other ways do not wash. Folks should be honest and accept the success of Fox, and start from there in analyzing it. Thanks. Z

All you need to know about me and Fox News: I don't know what channel it's on. I think that sums it up.

Meanwhile at the Gonzai ranch, it's USA & TNT, all day, every day until I fire up the DVR or DVD. (Mom doesn't know how to work them.)

Hi Irene,

Excellent point. I noticed that as well at the time & had forgotten. Faux was one of the few channels that didn't participate, on my basic cable, anyway.

And if I recall correctly, O'Reilly was on trumpeting his ratings or some such at the time. I tuned in just to see what the heck they were doing instead of participating, and that was it. Maybe THAT explains their high ratings last week--the only channel not to participate & thus the only other viewer option.

Irene, I think you've solved another zlogger mystery! :)

Those ratings are great, especially considering how many conservatives, myself included, turned on MSNBC on election night to watch Keith O., Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, etc., get so upset about Brown's win. They were THE best comedy show on that night!

Irene, seriously, do you really think that even more stations needed to broadcast the Haiti fundraiser? I'm guessing that you didn't have much respect for Fox News before Friday night... Just my guess, sorry if I'm wrong.

I never said that Fox News is not desired by advertisers. I assume plenty of companies see the over 55 set as their target audience. And I fully accept that Fox is successful. But the question remains - how can anyone assume that Fox News represents America's political pulse when the elections of '06 and '08 show a shift to the left? Maybe the channel's success should be examined in cultural or social terms, not in terms of politics.

I'll accept the success of Bill O'Reilly. I think he's got a good Harvard-trained brain, and a very nice Irish smile. And he can make a very cogent argument when he's not pandering to the target audience. (At one time I was a big fan, but he lost me around the time of the Saudi parental abduction episode.)

As for the rest of the network, JMHO but I find it disturbing that a foreign-owned propaganda outlet can have such apparent influence. But not as much as it might have liked--last Fall anyway.

I love how people bash Fox News because their opinion shows are from the right. So what? Are conservatives not aloud to have a voice? Have you checked out Maddow, Olberman or Matthews recently? They are brutal as well as liberal biased. Where's the outrage for MSNBC?

I don't see why anyone would be surprise with this news I wacth Fox News everynight.Me and Irene have duiffernt veiws on this but I think they are fair and balance I love Mr O and wacth him at 10 everynite.Thats when Irene gose to sleep and than I can trun it to wacth Bill O. hehehe

Roger Ailes is a genius.

By casting his network as the underdog alternative to the big evil "liberal media", he was able to appeal to a working class audience of "real Americans" who were tired of their bosses running their lives, and felt talked down to by the majority of the people that appeared on TV.

By constantly bragging about being "fair and balanced", the network not only was able to get away with blatantly endorsing a philosophy, but somehow was able to brainwash its dedicated viewers into either believing that this was legitimate journalism or, convinces them that the liberal media was biased, so by advocating conservative positions, they were simply reporting "the real story".

To this day, the formula of defensively attacking other media outlets, and now, opposing everything about our current President and his policies, works well by appealing to people who already think this way and only want to see and hear things that support that opinion.

It's killed journalism, which is why I hate it.

It's also dumbed down the news to keep its audience, which I suppose, was necessary to keep their great ratings.

MSNBC, by attemtping to catch up with Fox, has tried to become the parallel universe FNC to some degree, without the results (too many credible voices on both sides!)

I mourn the death of TV News, but recognize the huge success.

Clearly, I care more about legitimately getting fair and balanced news than Fox, and clearly, it is a dead medium.

Well, I live with someone who loves Fox & especially Bill Oreilly. I have to listen to it every night while I am trying to go to sleep.

I think Oreilly & others at Fox strike a cord with their faux hip hop brand of Lawyers, former tabloid reporters, and now former vice presidential people. Yes, you can not say it is all opinion that drives people there.

As, I said earlier, I do not like the channel like it less after the lack of Haiti coverage for the telethon.

It wasn't right how the White House treated Fox last year. Anita Dunn is a dummy for talking like that in the 1st place. But, Fox is tapping into the heart of the matter with viewers. We want our government to show some fiscal restraint, our President to be a leader, etc. Fox is booking good commentary. After all, Newt Gingrich was part of an administration that did balance a budget, reform welfare somewhat, etc.

I will stick with CNN. I would just rather here a bonafide journalist say something than a spiffed up lawyer any day.

Irene-
Exactly!

Congrats to FOX for great ratings.

Shame, shame, shame on FOX for not participating in a global humanitarian effort.

Has anyone happened to notice that the more people on the "left" insist on calling it "Faux News,' the higher their ratings go?

I really don't have a dog in this fight--I don't have cable and only see Fox News when I'm at the rare bar that carries it--but it never ceases to amaze me how people of a certain political stripe seem to think that insulting the folks that they wish to sway to an opposing viewpoint is an effective strategy.

It would be nice if you could provide sources for these ratings, or at least some actual viewership numbers. It appears to be more a case of FoxNews being the big fish in the small pond of cable TV.

From what I can see, FoxNews' viewership is still a mere pittance when compared to most prime-time shows NOT on cable.

Every show in the top 20 prime-time ratings had umpteen million or more viewers, whereas "The O'Reilly Factor" - FoxNews' ratings leader - barely nabs 4 million viewers. Even among cable shows O'Reilly runs neck-and-neck with the likes of WWE Raw, NCIS re-runs, and even SpongeBob Squarepants.

It's hardly noteworthy that FoxNews beats its 98-lb. weakling MSNBC counterparts among others, and attracting 4 million viewers in prime-time on a good night is hardly brag-worthy when you consider that "wheel of fortune" has 3 times as many viewers.

http://en-us.nielsen.com/rankings/insights/rankings/television

The MAIN reason why there ratings were high was because of their coverage with the election in Mass and NOT covering the Haiti relief fund effort. FOX News really should be ashamed of themselves for not covering the Haiti reflief funding efforts, very sad!! Anyway, CNN is MUCH MUCH more objective than both MSNBC and Fox News and I would rather watch that channel. Both MSNBC and especially Fox News are cult like networks for people that are looking for news to feed their subjective views.

Can you tell me why there are NO blacks or hispanic faces of any kind on Fox? Might be popular but I don't think I am invited to dat party.

How about Geraldo Rivera or Juan Williams for starters, Angus? Z

Anyone who thinks that Fox News is fair and balanced is simply an idiot...it's not, it's not meant to be and Fox News needs to stop saying it. There's nothing wrong with a subjective news network (I don’t like it; I rather look at CNN which is more objective). But please call it what it is, by calling it fair and balance you insult educated knowledgeable people!

Congratulation to FOX, they must be doing something well. They did cover Haiti, I saw it with Geraldo as a journalist over there. Not as extensively as CNN. I like Shep Smith and Bill O'Reilly sometimes.

It is the only show my friend and her husband watch. My mom watches Governor Huckabee. I generally watch CNN.

Well, ratings are ratings I suppose, although for some reason this surprises me. I don't really believe there can be only one factor for success, such as political leanings. I could never get my news from just one source, and Fox will never be more than a small part of the picture.

I have to smile whenever I hear or read "Fair and Balanced". I just imagine the Fox execs hiding their mouths behind their hands and trying not to giggle. I think they get a kick out of it. It always reminds me of something you might see Cartman saying on South Park.

My friends and I did not watch the Haiti telethon, and we all care deeply and are giving as much as we can. Wall to wall celebrities don't do much for us and we weren't going to get any new news out of it.

A little OT, but I seriously hate the FoxNews website.

Yes, and McDonalds is the most visited restaurant, and China the most popular country to live in.

Fox, McDonalds, and China should be very proud. Clearly they are vindicated from any questions regarding the quality of their product, as evidenced by their popularity.

Would China be the country to which we are now so deeply in debt? Should American be proud of that? My point: Your argument doesn't work. By your logic, Air America, which just went bankrupt, would be a model of excellence. It's more complicated than saying popular means lacking in quality, Harry. Unless you're a snob. Then, the argument works for you. Thanks. Z

Hi Sparklycig,

The ratings for some reason did not surprise me. I get my news from many sources too. I love to compare CNN with FOX and occassionally MCNBC. I absolutely love to hear Wolf Blitzer. He seems to report straight forward and is a good journalist. I like Shep Smith on FOX and Bill O'Reilly seems smart, I can agree of disagree with him in some areas. They definitely do not report the straight facts in my opinion on FOX as does CNN, but if I don't compare I can't make informed decisons. So I switch back and forth. I love CNN though.

The Haiti coverage for me with CNN Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta was the best in my opinion and I saw Geraldo Rivera on FOX, it was just reporting and not focused on the emotions of the people as much. I can sympathize with these people so much and feel their pain, but it was hard to watch. CNN did a good job. I did not feel it was exploitive.

Yes, sparklycig I understand that not everyone needed to cover the Haiti Telethon, but I think when you brag that you are a leader you need to show leader qualities. And, Haiti last week was an opportunity to step up and give of your network. And, Fox cable did not. Our local Fox Affiliates did.

I find some like Oreilly, Palin, Hannity, Beck to be so phony at times. I do like Huckabee & Shep Smith.

Oh, well they are like the Michael Jackson of TV right now. They do know how to tell the opposition to "Beat it" & viewers are tuning in.

Hi Sherry T,

Yes, I switch between lots of coverage as well. I have seen Shep a few times and I do like him. I really can't stand to watch O'Reilly. The only time I've liked him is when he had Colbert on.

I completely agree with you on CNN's coverage of Haiti. They have been the best. I've also watched the BBC, but I think CNN has done better.

Irene, gotcha! I understand that. That very well could have been an opportunistic move as I expect a large number of viewers were experiencing Haiti burnout and they knew it would be good for ratings.

MSNBC did not carry the telethon. Hey Irene, no comment about that. And to Rick, before you cast off the over 55 crowd remember, it's their tax dollars you are sponging off of. Now grow up little boy.

What other News channels? FOX is the only channel I will watch! To watch the state run channels is a waste of time!

Zigzag if MSNBC did not cover it I say the same thing of them. In my area channels 23(cnn)24(fox)25(msnbc) are all close together. I am almost positive I saw live coverage of the telethon on MSNBC. But, if I am wrong I call them on it too.

Just for the record, just like I do not like Foxnews for being so Right winged...I do not like MSNBC for being so Left winged. When I no longer want to watch CNN or ABC I will just move to PBS for news.

I wanna know this. I see Oreilly nightly with his tie & pretty boy look. Does the man ever go on location? Does he ever have something to say that is not Pompus & look at me I get good ratings. Sorry, I almost cannot stand seeing his picture on this post by the Sun Editors & I love the Baltimore Sun. Sorry, but the man makes a smart aleck comment about Z last year then invites Z on the show. Z is a better critic than I am .

A recent poll (PPP) revealed that FNC was the most trusted (49%) source for news, ahead of all three networks and CNN, and the least distrusted among the networks and CNN.

Unfortunately, the ratings game is EXACTLY what is wrong with any channel not covering the telethon.

The telethon was a group of mostly A-listers (sorry K8 Gosselin, that does NOT include you!) who, in the spirit of humanity , gave their time and used their celebrity for a very worthy cause.

This is all JMO, of course, but , in this case, "keeping up with the Jones' " would have been a great thing to do.

How many channels would have had to broadcast the Haiti telethon to make some people happy?

Hi Irene,

I am not sure if MSNBC covered the telethon or not, I wish I could help you there. I do know that it was also on ABC.

And HATEKATE is right it was for a good cause and a compassionate cause. The songs I thought were very moving and the people who spoke on behalf of the people of Haiti, there were some very personnal stories from people who lived there and were now here, and who were going back over to help..

I have to call it a night, goodnight Z and all zloggers. BZF's.

Yes, and McDonalds is the most visited restaurant, and China the most popular country to live in.

Fox, McDonalds, and China should be very proud. Clearly they are vindicated from any questions regarding the quality of their product, as evidenced by their popularity.

Would China be the country to which we are now so deeply in debt? Should American be proud of that? My point: Your argument doesn't work. By your logic, Air America, which just went bankrupt, would be a model of excellence. It's more complicated than saying popular means lacking in quality, Harry. Unless you're a snob. Then, the argument works for you. Thanks. Z

........................................

That is a pretty flippant response to a reasonable critique.

So I'll address it:

Just because the Chinese own a lot of T-bills doesn't make it a good place to live for the majority of its residents. Plus, they depend on our economy just as much as we depend on them...maybe more.

And to the point of Fox News -- I think Harry was trying to make the point that popularity doesn't mean vindication of a good product. Numbers don't mean something is good; they've just succeeded in cornering the market for right-of-center viewers.

And for more evidence to support Harry's assertion, look at how many comments this blog gets when you write something. It's not because it's particularly good. Rather, it fires up people like me who don't understand how you can consistently come up with strong opinions about every news item. I know you do it for the comments, but I appreciate my media reporting more objective and thoughtful (e.g. Howard Kurtz).

Thanks.

Mar,

Just like you watched MSNBC on election night, many others turn into FOX to laugh at their hosts too.

High ratings doesn't necessarily mean that everybody who who watches is a fan. I like Geraldo and Dennis Miller but I'd hardly call myself a Fox news watcher.

I think liberals need to watch Fox news. Sometimes.

The National Enquirer sells more copies than the Washington Post. Does this make the Enquirer a more successful paper than the Post? Should we start to treat it like a legitimate news outlet? Viewers looking for entertainment or sports have lots of cable choices. Viewers looking for biased, factually-challenged opinion that comports with their own narrow world-view only have one choice. It's a slippery slope, Z, when you ascribe legitimacy to anything that is "popular."

Z, it looks to me like you were putting words in harry's mouth. He basically said that just because something is popular, it doesn't mean it is high-quality. He didn't say that if it's popular, it must be low-quality, or if it's not popular, it must be high-quality.

Your response to him made no sense at all. You responded to arguments he didn't make. His point was a sound one.

Irene,

I think Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck are going on the road together. I am not sure if that means on location or visiting different states. At least that is what they have been talking about.

CNN gives more of just the news. They have been doing a lot of research on the stimulus money and breaking that down this week. Kind of interesting.

President Obama tonight - State of the Union address. Hope he gives us some substantial information on the economy!

Z and everyone have a gerat day!!

pem-

It's not a matter of making me or anybody else "happy".

I mean, really, a few hours out of the regular lineup to help people that are suffering ? Just sayin'.

RICK21214 is on the money; conservatives sole entertainment is other conservative media. They don't go to the opera or ballet, they don't play video games, they don't go skiing or skateboarding and they wouldn't be caught dead watching 30 Rock or Family Guy.

All they do is listen to Rush, watch FoxNews at night, (except when 24 is on) and the only books they read are the latest tripe from Ann Coulter et al. All the cons are concentrated in one place making them seem more omnipresent then they actually are.

But look, if popularity is what it's all about let's remember that Lady Gaga is the biggest pop singer right now and Transformers and Avatar are the biggest movies. So take popularity with a grain of salt.

I prefer to get news from less biased and racist sources. I guess that's just me.

More and more people are realizing the truth, with the help of the Internet and Obama`s policies. And so are tuning into Fox News.

why should of fox news played the Haiti marathon. It was on enough channels. Plus the liberal agenda didn't want them to be a part of it. Msnlsd is coping fox just the opposite way. Fox is management is brilliant. They know there audience and the conservatives our loyal to the people they like. This is why talk radio does so well. And AIR AMERICA IS BANKRUPT. CNN IS BASIS THE PULLED FOR OBAMA DURING THE ELECTION AND KNOW PEOPLE CANT TRUST THEM. Bottom Line people would always rather have the News keep the politicians honest than just kiss their butts. This why people liked MSNBC when Bush was in office.

The reason for this is that people (reasonable ones, that is) are realizing that if they want facts, and both sides of issues they can get it on Fox. To hear the liberal media tell it, you'd think all was well in "Obamaland"....they tell the truth....as THEY see it....but they only tell viewers what they want them to know.....I'm a registered democrat....but I am sick and tired of the liberals and I will not "drink the kool-aid".

Yes, Sherry T I saw a snippit last night. Beck & Oreilly are out promoting Beck & Oreilly not trying to find out anything objective or a story. Just trying to cash in.

I saw President Obama on Cnn yesterday meet with Republicans at a retreat. I think he needs to do more of this. He was answering questions & seemed like he was trying to answer the Republicans as best as he can. I had respect for him for at least trying it. What are Republican's conservatives gonna look like if they do not at least try iron out some of the differences?

Hi Irene,

I was watching that retreat. The President visited a manufacturer in Baltimore and then did that back and forth question and answer with the republicans. A thought at least there was some transparency with this and I would hope for more of this kind of thing. Although the media did say the angles were covered to put the President in a good light. I am not sure, but there were some good questions and he seemed to be answering.

GDP is up slightly. Hoping for the best. Transparency is a good idea. Watch C-SPAN too.

I mourn the death of TV News, but recognize the huge success.

Clearly, I care more about legitimately getting fair and balanced news than Fox, and clearly, it is a dead medium.

Posted by: Adam Annapolis | January 26, 2010 2:33 PM
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I wholeheartedly agree.