Comparing Broadcast & Cable News Audiences

1. Comparing Broadcast & Cable News Audiences By Kirsten Preskenis

2. The “Teams”: • Team A: Broadcast networks include ABC, CBS, and NBC. • Team B: Cable networks include CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. • For this presentation, we’ll be looking at viewership for the network evening news and comparing it to cable prime-time news.

3. Before we begin, a quick refresher: • We’ll be dealing with these terms later on in the presentation. • MEAN: The average. • MEDIAN: The number in the middle of a series of figures.

4. Broadcast Networks: Meet the Players! • The three players we’ll be focusing on for broadcast networks are ABC, NBC, and CBS. • In 2009, NBC Nightly News increased by 65,000 viewers. • ABC’s World News was the weakest link, with a loss of 444,000 viewers in 2009. • CBS Evening News stayed in 3rd place for the team, despite ABC’s dramatic loss of viewers. • MVP for the year: NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams was the only newscast to add viewers, with a slight increase of viewership!

5. Together for the year, there was a loss of 565,000 viewers, or 2.5% from 2008. • The decline was less steep then the year before, but still declining. • All is not lost though: despite this drop, 22 million people still watch the evening news every day!

6. A steady decline in viewers for broadcast http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chart_builder.php?id=1273&ct=col&c1=1&c2=0&c3=0&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1

7. The Opponents: Cable Networks • We’ll be looking at prime-time audiences for Fox News Channel, CNN, and MSNBC • CNN: Still the online leader, but fell short of MSNBC for prime-time audiences. • MSNBC: Left-leaning prime-time channel. Lately it has changed its game plan from being “personality driven” to a “more traditional news style.” • MVP: Fox News Channel, with more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined!

8. In 2009… • Audiences for prime-time grew. Daytime programs had the most significant increase. • CNN lost viewers for prime-time, and MSNBC gained a small amount of viewers. • As a whole though, audiences increased for prime-time.

9. Overall prime-time viewership from 1998-2009 http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chartland.php?id=1229&ct=line&dir=&sort=&c1=1&c2=1&c3=0&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1

10. Viewers by channel for 2009 http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chartland.php?id=1236&ct=line&dir=&sort=&c1=1&c2=1&c3=1&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1

11. The Showdown:Broadcast vs. Cable Networks • Cable networks are increasing, while broadcast networks are decreasing. • HOWEVER, even though broadcast networks are losing viewers, 22 million people (on average) still watch the evening news every day. • This is 5x the amount of people who watch prime-time.

12. Total Audiences for network evening news vs. cable prime-time news

13. Sources: http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/network_tv_summary_essay.php http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/network_tv_audience.php http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/cable_tv_summary_essay.php http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/cable_tv_audience.php http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chart_builder.php?id=1273&ct=col&c1=1&c2=0&c3=0&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1 http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chartland.php?id=1229&ct=line&dir=&sort=&c1=1&c2=1&c3=0&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1 http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chartland.php?id=1236&ct=line&dir=&sort=&c1=1&c2=1&c3=1&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1 http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chartland.php?id=1229&ct=line&dir=&sort=&c2=1 http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/chartland.php?id=1273&ct=line&dir=&sort=&c1=1&c2=0&c3=0&c4=0&c5=0&c6=0&c7=0&c8=0&c9=0&c10=0&d3=0&dd3=1