Fox News Keeps Wartime Coverage Lead

AP ^ | 3-25-2003 | DAVID BAUDER

[dangermouse]

Fox News Keeps Wartime Coverage Lead

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK - The first Gulf War (news - web sites) established CNN as a television news outlet to be reckoned with. The second may be just as important for Fox News Channel's reputation.

Through the first five days of the war, Fox News Channel has averaged 4.16 million viewers each day to CNN's 3.74 million. Fox's audience was bigger when the war began March 19, and every day through Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

While Fox has been the top-rated cable news channel for more than a year, industry experts wondered whether that lead would hold during a big breaking news story. CNN overtook Fox, for example, on Feb. 1 when the space shuttle disintegrated.

Despite CNN's overwhelming advantage in reporting manpower, more Americans — at least so far — want to watch the war unfold on Fox.

"I think it's a pretty big surprise," said Erik Sorenson, MSNBC president, on Tuesday. Because of CNN's experience with the first Gulf War, "I think people thought CNN would win, at least in its early stages. One of the executives there said they would own the story, and I don't think they do."

CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson downplayed Fox's ratings advantage, saying Nielsen shows that more people at least sample some of CNN's coverage during the day. Fox's ratings are higher because its viewers watch for a longer time.

CNN also draws viewers to its Headline News and has a greater presence overseas than Fox, Robinson said.

"We're perfectly comfortable having the biggest audience in the world," she said.

A Fox News Channel spokesman didn't return a call for comment.

Fox's war coverage tends to be more uplifting, emphasizing the positive and trying to beef up morale and national identity, said Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University.

The network usually maintains an American flag graphic on the upper left corner of its screen, and anchorman Shepard Smith wore a flag pin in his lapel on Tuesday.

Fox's fans seem to like the network's style more than the traditional news coverage of CNN, said Alex Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University.

The conservative ideology that drives its prime-time programming seems to be spreading more into its news coverage, he said.

"The Fox view is a useful one to have out there," Thompson said. "It's not as if they are hiding it or pretending that it's not there. You have three networks out there, they don't all have to be doing the same thing."

More viewers are watching war coverage with itchy fingers on their remotes, frequently shifting channels to find more action, Thompson said.

A survey released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that nearly four of every five people gave the press good marks for its war coverage. The survey found that people who agreed with the decision to go to war were happier with the coverage than those who disagreed.

During the busy first three months of the year, Fox's viewership has grown by 75 percent over the same period last year, Nielsen said. Fox and TNT are now tied for second behind Nickelodeon as the top-rated basic cable channel. CNN's audience has grown 53 percent year to year and MSNBC's 32 percent.

The war has provided a much-needed boost to MSNBC. The third-place cable network has averaged 1.76 million viewers for its war coverage.

MSNBC has played up its resources with the full NBC News team and, with NBC breaking into regular programming less frequently for war coverage, that has worked to MSNBC's advantage. MSNBC had 2.11 million viewers on Sunday, its best day since the war's start.

It dovetails with MSNBC's latest strategy, which is "to cover the news when it happens and analyze it when it's not happening," Sorenson said. The war is likely to delay the debut of former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's new prime-time show, he said.

[sweetliberty]

A regular on our local news radio was commenting today about who was doing the best as embedded reporters. He said he thought that that Fox was doing the best job and he commented how they blended, dressed the part and hung out with the soldiers. Then he remarked that CNN's embedded reporters looked like the cast of West Side Story. Cracked me up.

[Unknown Freeper]

[alnick]

Gee, wouldn't it be a shame if the CNN announcer (like Wolf Blitzer) keeled over and died during a gas attack while the FOX guy kept on reporting?

Somehow it would all be President Bush's fault.

I really like David Asman and Linda Vester. Every time I see Asman lately I think about his son in the Marines. He makes no bones about the fact that he supports the troops.

That's what I love about Fox News as a whole: They support the USA unapologetically.

[alnick]

Last night Major Bob was on with O'Reilly and said something about one of those big bombs cracking Saddam's head open like a melon.

Yes, he said, "Saddam's got the Mother of all Migraines."

[rocky88]

My sister just called and asked what I was doing and I said "watching O'Reilly" and she said "ME TOO - You got me hooked!!" I said "What about Fox and Friends" and she said "I can't watch anything else - I love Steve's weather!!"

My sister is a very non-political type, so this is a BIG deal. I'm working on Dad now, too. I'm so proud of me :-)

From my husband's and my circle of co-workers, friends, etc... we are definitely seeing everyone switching to Fox!

[Cate]

I love the fact that everyone of the reporters has the strength to stand up for our country and their viewers. On Fox and Friends in the morning they are so goofy sometimes and it starts your day off with a laugh. Steve and Brian act like my older brothers used to, and so I have great sympathy for E.D. The war coverage has been outstanding and I don't stop and think "hmm... did they check their sources?" The Fox newscasters are always saying, we have verified sources.

[Toidylop]

My father-in-law was so p*ssed at CNN. He said the only thing CNN is good at is showing anti-war protest!!!

We know where CNN's heading...

[valleygal]

Colonel Hunt is also my favorite.

Saw a History Channel show about drill seargents. Most of them lose their voices and end up spitting up blood from yelling so much. Some of them end up with their voices permanently changed.

Maybe Col. Hunt was a yeller. He has a great sense of humor, too.

[valleygal]

Rick Leventhal's reporting has been fantastic, as has Geraldo's and Ollie North's

I agree. My husband was floored to hear Geraldo's rally with the troops in Afghanistan the other night. He was so Pro-American and just had nothing but praise for the soldiers over there.

Said he regretted participating in the anti-war rallies during Viet Nam.

I appreciate Laurie Dhue always calling the President, "Our Commander-In-Chief". Probably the only network you'll hear that.

[valleygal]

Major Bob Bevelaque (BEV-A-LA-KWA), former Green Beret. He's one of my favorites, too.

Don't feel badly. They can't say it on FOX, either. They always call him ,"Major Bob"!

[HP8753]

The war is likely to delay the debut of former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's new prime-time show, he said.

And now for another episode of "Butting Heads" with Lefty Turnbuckle.

[PhiKapMom]

I refuse to watch CNN and Wesley Clark! Their news is the worst along ABC and CBS!

[Diddle E. Squat]

Yep, its that Macinnis guy. Mr. Gloom and doom blowhard.

I think Fox and MSNBC are neck and neck for the best coverage. I have seen very little bias on MSNBC, their video mix is better, as is production values. Lester Holt is playing everything straight up(though I still don't trust Chris Jansing and could do without that pouty loser Olberman). So I'm usually switching back and forth between the two, until it is daylight in Iraq. Then I mix in CNN, which has more often than not had the best daytime video from the fronts. The guy with the 7th Cav is great, and even Amanpour has done a good job(I know, hard to believe).

[two23]

Greg Palkot
Location: Amman, Jordan
 

Rick Leventhal
Location: Embedded with Armored Marines

Kevin Monahan
Location: USS Constellation, Persian Gulf

Mike Tobin
Location: U.S. Central Command, Qatar

Adam Housley
Location: Kuwait City

Greg Kelly
Location: Embedded with the 3rd Infantry

Todd Connor
Location: Amman, Jordan

David Lee Miller
Location: CENTCOM HQ, Qatar

Steve Centanni
Location: Kuwait City

Jennifer Eccleston
Location: Ruweished, Jordan


 

This is from the FNC website--some names are links to Bio's. William La Jeunesse was not on the list, he's good too. They have an area on their website that has a great collection of Area Of Operations photo's and video clips. They are organized by Day 1, Day 2 (of the war) over on the left side of this page. Also miltary links, facts and maps. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,79630,00.html

[I. Ben Hurt]

I really like David Asman and Linda Vester.

I like David also but Linda is one of my least favorites. She talks too fast and drags out her questions with comments that you lose track of what she's asking. Raising that eyebrow is a bit much too, IMO.

I didn't care for Fox and Friends at first but now I love them. Except the week-end crew, they suck.

Fox News is great. I feel sorry for people that don't have access to it. I'd hate that.

[I still care]

Linda is my favorite. She asks incisive questions and NEVER lets liberals get by with spin. Next time she does an interview with a liberal watch her tear their reasoning up into little pieces.

[RasterMaster]

There is still something about the way she talks from one side of her mouth (as if her jaw was wired shut on the other side) that bothers me.

[RasterMaster]

They will replace Abu-dabi as the "Arab point of view" channel

[Mihalis]

He's the one who said the bad weather is in our favor.

[Dec31,1999]

No dice. If you can't spell, you can't post here. :)