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Fox News Becomes Most-Watched Channel in the Fractured Cable Universe
Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | April 23, 2013 | Rush Limbaugh

Posted on 04/23/2013 7:50:27 PM PDT by Kaslin

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I don't know if you've heard this or not, but last week, Fox News became the most-watched cable channel of all of them throughout all of last week, including the USA Network. In fact, Fox was the number one, most viewed cable network of all them, throughout all of last week -- not just cable news. All of cable. During the Boston bombings and the subsequent manhunt, Fox averaged 2.874 million viewers during primetime, 1.77 million in total day.

Now, is that not fascinating? To become number one in all of cable you don't even need three million viewers, that's how fractured it is. That's how many cable networks there are divvying up the American audience, 2.874 million, and 1.77 million in total day. CNN was in third place, 1.985 million in primetime, 1.3 million in the daytime. MSNBC dropped off the radar. They ended up in 19th place, fewer than one million viewers tuned in in primetime. Fewer than 600,000 in total day.

Now, this is big for one reason. CNN used to be it. Now, CNN benefited from being the only cable news network for a while. As recently as 1988, when this program started, the only cable news network was CNN. That was it, CNN plus the networks and newspapers, that was it, when this program started. Fox didn't come along until 1996. CNN used to be the go-to network when any disaster or major breaking news occurred. And even as Fox has overtaken CNN in recent years, that dynamic not all that long ago still held when there were major breaking news, like the war, CNN would get the viewers. They don't anymore.

Left-wing liberal cable news networks are dying, and how are they dealing with it? Becoming more left-wing and liberal. They're becoming more radical, and they're becoming -- I'll tell you, folks, it dovetails with my often recently expressed theory that there isn't any news anymore, that every time you turn on cable TV, all you're getting is the Democrat Party agenda. You know what the primary focus of MSNBC and CNN is? In addition to promoting and expanding the Obama agenda, which happens to be the Democrat Party agenda, but believe me, it's Obama driving it with these networks, the reason they exist and the narrative of every story they put out is how conservatives are wrong and how Republicans are wrong, how you can't agree with them and how they're bad, how they're rotten. Those are the two narratives that make up CNN and MSNBC. And the cable viewing public, well, all of cable, but the news viewing public is not interested.

largeNow, some people are hearing this and are saying, "Well, Rush, it ain't all that hot because Fox ain't all that conservative anymore." And I understand that. People remark to me, "You know, it's not what it was." And they give me examples, all the liberal commentators that happen to show up there and people say, "The only real conservative on that network anymore is Hannity." Which, in a strict sense, may be true. But the one thing still that Fox does, Fox reports news. During the day, Fox reports news. Now, at night Fox News is talk radio on television, but during the day they report news. And they cover things the other networks don't cover.

If you're at CNN today and you see this or you're at MSNBC, what's the reaction, what do these people do? They're gonna double down with more liberalism. They're gonna double down with more radicalism. They're gonna tell people the audience is stupid. They're gonna tell themselves that the audience doesn't understand them, that they're not sophisticated enough. And they're gonna wear this low ratings, no ratings, as a badge of honor.

At the White House Correspondents Dinner, I guarantee you, which is Saturday night, at the White House Correspondents Dinner, CNN and MSNBC will be praised and called out and singled out for the great work that they're doing. Fox News will be laughed at, impugned, made fun of, while Fox News executives and staff are there. That's why I don't go to the thing anymore. You know, politics is show biz for the ugly, and I gave up on this thing 20 years ago, maybe even longer. Why go sit in a room of 3,000 people that don't like you?

(interruption)

It wouldn't put it in their face if I showed up. At any rate, I just wanted to point this out. But stop and think here, folks, 2.8 million viewers primetime wins over every cable network: HBO, USA, Food Network, E! Entertainment, TMZ, you name it.

(interruption)

Well, I'm just sitting here thinking about that, but I don't want to go there. Because people would then say that I'm bragging, that I bring it up for that. I'm not gonna compare my audience ratings to this. It's two different things, two different balls of wax. Anyway, congratulations to the people at Fox. It's a big deal because the really important thing about this is what they have done with CNN. Folks, CNN used to own it. A story like last week, they used to own it, but now CNN -- John King is apologizing. John King said it was embarrassing what happened last week 'cause they ran with whatever stuff they were told. They ran with all this stuff that turned out not to be true. Well, let me find the number here. Hang on just a second. It's audio sound bite number 17. John King, and this was on the radio in Washington this morning. Here's what he said.

KING: When you do something like this, it's embarrassing. One thing you do have to do is look straight in the camera and say, "We were wrong." In this case we had two reputable sourses, one of mine and one of a colleagues of mine who have been reliable in the past and who simply had bad information. And we went with it, and we had to correct it. The best way to deal with it is to look people in the eye and say, "We make a mistake, here's how we make the mistake," and then move on.

RUSH: Right. Now, if last week was embarrassing, then every week must be, because last week was not that out of the ordinary. I mean, last week might have been a little different in the focused importance of the news, but getting things wrong? Go back to Newtown, go back to Columbine. I mean, these people, after the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting, what did they do? Tea Party. They are alienating statistically half of the country that's a potential viewing audience, they're alienating. And apologizing, I don't know that that's gonna count.

Anyway, it isn't news anymore and that's where this is all falling apart. And I tell you, what I take from this, we have not reached the tipping point where the vast majority of people in this country are liberal. We've not reached it. We are still being governed by a minority, and I think it's a pretty small minority, actually, in real terms. And it's governing against the will of the people in this country. The percentage of thinking in this country, the radically left liberal, is not the majority. It's made to look that way. It's made to appear that way. But these audience numbers blow that to smithereens.

END TRANSCRIPT


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: foxnews; foxnewsratings; top10
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To: Kaslin; Gilbo_3; NFHale; Impy; stephenjohnbanker; GOPsterinMA; fieldmarshaldj; Liz; ...
Yes, FNC is great business $$$ its obvious.

Its a political-news-entertainment channel. Just watch F+F to see what I mean.
All their primetime shows are pre-recorded.
I watch Cavuto(my favorite) , Brett Baur and occasionally Kelly for entertainment. that's it for FNC
But O reilly, Hannity, Greta, the Five and that Gay guy-no-no-no.

In contrast MSNBC the Obama activist channel is live weeknights till 11 and is politically activist all week except weekend afternoons.
They are on a mission besides $$$ for themselves, to take over, they believe in their cause.

21 posted on 04/23/2013 11:27:30 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: Windflier
RE And that, folks, is why Rush is still Number One. The man has got a rational mind that's as clear as a sparkling brook, on nearly every undercurrent in this country”

Yes, the compass that always points everywhere but North,

Talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh says that Sen. John McCain will score a stunning upset over Sen. Barack Obama and win the presidency on Nov. 4
[Rush] Limbaugh Predicts McCain Victory (NewsMax ^ | October 31, 2008 | David A. Patten, FR thread link )

“The enthusiasm that got people out in 2010, I'm seeing at every Mitt Romney rally. Romney's drawing crowds of 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 15,000. “The enthusiasm that we all saw in 2010 is there. The same issues that existed in 2010 exist today. There hasn't been anything that's gotten better.”
Rush: Everything But Polls Say Romney Landslide (Newmake Monday, 05 Nov 2012)

Ignore the polls saying Obama is winning Rush Limbaugh Says, Swing State Polls Are Bogus! (video posted 9/26/2012 )

Don't Doubt me’ LOL

22 posted on 04/23/2013 11:32:41 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: Windflier
I almost forgot this one :
We Could See a McCain Landslide (Rushlimbaugh.com, August 12, 2008)
23 posted on 04/23/2013 11:35:34 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: MHGinTN
What I'm seeking to focus upon is what Rush and his wealthy contacts could do IF THEY would focus their wealth and power upon fielding an opposition media team. And they could accomplish it much faster than you or I.

Oh, I know where you're coming from on this, but we have slightly differing views, hence our discussion.

I've also wondered many times why Rush, Hannity, Levin, Malkin, et al, don't have a summit and come up with a business plan to pitch to some deep pocket conservatives. As you say, those luminaries are uniquely positioned to carry off such a thing successfully. Not only are they people of means themselves, they're 'on the network', so to speak, and because of who they are, that network would listen to them.

I don't have an answer as to why they've never chosen to do so. Perhaps they're just not aware of the power they have to push such a project through to fruition. Perhaps they don't 'play well' with each other behind closed doors. Perhaps they're all so absorbed by the demands of their own businesses that they haven't given it much thought. Who knows?

It's certainly a worthy idea, and one that should be brought to their attention.

I still don't believe they have a responsibility to put together such a project, though I'd be very pleased if they did. As I said before, they're not the only people who could pull off something like that.

24 posted on 04/23/2013 11:52:04 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: sickoflibs

Where did I say that Rush was a great odds maker?

What I said is that he’s got a keen grasp of the undercurrents running through American thought and culture, which is true. The man’s got insight and great observational skills.

Sadly, that doesn’t extend to horse races.


25 posted on 04/23/2013 11:55:08 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Windflier
RE :”What I said is that he’s got a keen grasp of the undercurrents running through American thought and culture, which is true.”

Rush has a keen grasp of the undercurrents running through his own loyal listeners thoughts, but that is about it.

The fact that he is so wrong every POTUS election tells me that something else is behind what he says.

26 posted on 04/24/2013 12:07:36 AM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: Windflier

I gotta ask you, since you’re in the know- why has this not happened? Where are these Patriots of well founded means and intention?


27 posted on 04/24/2013 12:13:41 AM PDT by RedHeeler
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To: Kaslin

I can’t stand Fox most of time - too many commercials. I go to the internet and even there advertisements are becoming abusive. The sad part is, we pay for the abuse.


28 posted on 04/24/2013 3:08:36 AM PDT by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: Kaslin

I have stopped watching Faux News because they have way too many liberals on the various shows, and even have liberals hosting shows, the Huckster, Whoreraldo...BOR


29 posted on 04/24/2013 4:19:03 AM PDT by stockpirate (COME AND GET THEM.....)
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To: stockpirate
And you watch the lamestream news, who have hardly any conservative on their shows, and you call this fair and balanced? Faux News is what the left calls Fox News and you using that name tells all I need to know.
30 posted on 04/24/2013 4:23:03 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Windflier

Rush waste’s his position, Beck took the chance and organized the TEA Party rally in DC, Rush hides from the liberals by never giving an accuont of the birther issue, and he could also call for a national rally, but he must sell tea instead to make him feel like a do gooder.


31 posted on 04/24/2013 4:24:22 AM PDT by stockpirate (COME AND GET THEM.....)
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To: Kaslin

Sorry if you misunderstood me, I haven’t watched any others.

Liberals are all dishonest, I have no time to watch liberals on any show or movie. In fact I have a list of liberals that I will not pay to watch a movie they are in even if it is a great movie.


32 posted on 04/24/2013 4:27:07 AM PDT by stockpirate (COME AND GET THEM.....)
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To: Kaslin

Oh, and you still think Bush was a conservative.......

If he is your favorite then that just says why you still watch Faux news with it’s liberals and Karl Rove.


33 posted on 04/24/2013 4:28:52 AM PDT by stockpirate (COME AND GET THEM.....)
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To: stockpirate

And he will always be my favorite


34 posted on 04/24/2013 4:40:43 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: stockpirate

I despise liberals, but why do you use the same name for FOX News as the left uses? I don’t get it


35 posted on 04/24/2013 4:42:59 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kaslin

I used to be totally aboard with Fox, I have since cut back because they keep adding leftists to the menu. I turn off any show as soon as Beckel, Combs, or any of several others come on, I like the Five but cannot stand the scumbag Beckel.....

I also turn off radio shows as soon as a liberal shows up, like Sean, and he is mostly a lib himself if you listen to what he is really saying.

And Rush has turned into a no back bone type of person, more hype then truth.


36 posted on 04/24/2013 5:51:28 AM PDT by stockpirate (COME AND GET THEM.....)
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To: Kaslin

If you despise liberals none of the Bush’s could be your favorite, GW is a big liberal, always has been and always will be.


37 posted on 04/24/2013 5:55:19 AM PDT by stockpirate (COME AND GET THEM.....)
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To: FlingWingFlyer
It is a little strange how people I believed to be right of center all of a sudden swerved to the left like a flock of geese.

Nice visual.

At the end of Fox Radio newscasts, have you noticed how the newsreaders often spit out the required slogan "Fair and Balanced" like curse words? Time to retire the slogan; they don't believe it themselves.
38 posted on 04/24/2013 6:02:08 AM PDT by Resettozero
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To: stockpirate

In your eyes maybe


39 posted on 04/24/2013 6:14:08 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: stockpirate

You really need to get off your BDS


40 posted on 04/24/2013 6:15:00 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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