Ratings Crash! MSNBC in Massive Plunge

WND

The Obama administration-friendly MSNBC is taking a stunning ratings crash dive – averaging a dismal 175,000 viewers in the adults 25-54 demographic.

The network is struggling with double-digit drops from last May, with viewership down approximately 20 percent. It had only 539,000 viewers in primetime.  

As WND recently reported, news media generally sympathetic to the president’s agenda have been plunging.

MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” is down 32 percent in total viewers from “The Ed Show” last May. Chris Hayes was expected to draw in younger audiences. The New York Times’ Brian Stetler called Hayes “the youngest of all the cable news hosts on any network. He will also be perhaps the most unabashedly progressive host of any of the three major outlets.”

Hayes serves as the lead-in for the 9 p.m. program, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which delivered its lowest-rated month since its debut on Sept. 8, 2008 (717,000 total viewers), and its second lowest with adults 25-54 (210,000).

Both Fox News’ Sean Hannity and CNN’s Piers Morgan surpassed Maddow in the time slot.

Critics have blasted MSNBC for being sympathetic to the Obama administration in its coverage of the Benghazi scandal. NewsBusters reported, MSNBC gave no live coverage to the May 8 congressional hearings on the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Benghazi.

Meanwhile, Fox News Channel made significant gains, averaging 1,246,000 daily viewers (up 24 percent) and 236,000 adults 25-54 (down 5 percent) for the full day. Primetime grew 17 percent with 1,973,000 total viewers and a 6 percent drop with 308,000 in 25-54.

Fox News has been providing constant coverage of the scandals that have rocked the Obama administration. Phil Griffin, president at MSNBC, said earlier this year his goal was to beat Fox News in the ratings by 2014, after having surpassed CNN in 2012, as well as in February of this year.

Also, CNN rose 92 percent to 161,000 adults 25-54 in total day and 97 percent to 225,000 adults 25-54 in primetime.

The following are the complete May 2013 versus May 2012 rankings from Nielsen:

Total Day
FNC: 1,246,000 total viewers, up 24 percent (236,000 in 25-54, down 5 percent)
CNN: 465,000 total viewers, up 61 percent (161,000 in 25-54, up 92 percent)
MSNBC: 346,000 total viewers, down 10 percent (115,000 in 25-54, down 7 percent)
HLN: 494,000 total viewers, up 111 percent (175,000 in 25-54, up 90 percent)

Primetime
FNC: 1,973,000 total viewers, up 17 percent (308,000 in 25-54, down 6 percent)
CNN: 660,000 total viewers, up 70 percent (225,000 in 25-54, up 97 percent)
MSNBC: 539,000 total viewers, down 20 percent (175,000 in 25-54, down 19 percent)
HLN: 624,000 total viewers, up 91 percent (209,000 in 25-54, up 97 percent)
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/ratings-crash-msnbc-in-massive-plunge/#kwQ4BmCIR0e4SPJd.99