February wasn't short enough for CNN

Even at just 28 days, February was still a real long month for CNN.

The cable network's prime-time lineup of Campbell Brown, Larry King and Anderson Cooper continued to struggle big time. CNN's prime-time audience fell 54% to 534,000 viewers, and the number of adults 25-54 was off 57% to 147,000 people compared with February 2009, according to Nielsen.

All three of the hosts hit new lows in viewers. CNN finished well behind Fox News and also trailed MSNBC in the ratings race. 

Prime time wasn't the only headache for the Time Warner-owned cable network. Its total day audience of 469,000 was off 36%, and its 134,000 average in adults 25-54 was a 40% decline from the same month a year ago.

Time Warner brass have continually stressed that they don't just look at ratings when evaluating CNN's performance. The channel is still a cash cow, in part because of its strong international presence.

Still, the constant declines have to be causing some concern for the cable network and its bosses at Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner. It has yet to develop strong personalities to compete with Fox News and MSNBC.

MSNBC's numbers were also off from a year ago if one takes out the cable network's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics. In prime time, the network averaged 709,000 viewers, a 25% drop, and 221,000 people in the 25-54 category, a 34% dip.

Fox News, meanwhile continued to dominate the arena. For the total day, it averaged 1.3 million viewers, a 3% gain and in the 25-54 category, it was up 55% to 344,000 people. In prime time, its numbers were off 10% in viewers to 2.2 million and 3% in adults 25-54 thanks to a not-so-great month from Greta Van Susteren and Sean Hannity.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: CNN's Anderson Cooper. Credit: Peter Kramer

Comments

[Robert]

Perhaps the reason for declining audiences at a news channel is that they no longer cover news, and what they've turned into (talk radio with pictures) is not unique.

There are plenty of other chat, waffle and opinion channels. Like talk radio they're for the mind-already-made-up lower intelligence crowd.

There's a gap in the market for a real news channel, especially now the BBC is going down the same pander-to-the-masses path. Real news, in depth, is a smaller audience, but it's a richer audience (better for advertisers), and it gets more respect. Who wants to be on CNN or (even worse) Fox news when the audience currently watching is doesn't have any influence (since no sane person would just sit through hours of opinion fluff).

There is no channel doing quality in depth rolling news any more. The market is there to grab.

[Willem]

I agree with Robert. And I'm tired of people shouting at me from these channels. The problem with CNN's lineup is that the three main anchors mentioned are not very strong. Larry King may get the guests but he's long past his prime and it comes across like he's 'phoning the show in'.

Campbell Brown has the most annoying voice in TV made worse by her Michael Jackson nose job and has evolved into just another pontificating irritant. Then there's Anderson Cooper who simply does not have the gravitas for the job. What promise he shows in reporting from places like Haiti (apart from coming across as more concerned in showing off his designer biceps) he loses in silly valley-girl speak in trite exchanges with Erica Hill or other fill-in anchors. And when he doesn't have a script and teleprompter to work with, he comes across like a stuttering gerbil and becomes unwatchable.

News is one thing, but you have to remember that television is 'broadcasting' which used to have standards of presentation and substance of content that have been progressively diluted since the sales guys have been running the shops.

I must say Dianne Sawyer is doing a marvelous job at ABC news, and the investigative reporting of Brian Ross has been top notch. While I used to love Katie Couric on the Today show, her contrived gravitas in her present anchor role doesn't wash. Brian Williams is a nice guy and decent newsman - but another one of those annoying voices that needs his nasal passages fixed.

This still is, after all, broadcasting - and the more audio visual irritants we encounter, the more those of us who have a brain will emigrate to producing our own 'newscasts' online.

[Phil]

The reason behind CNN's demise is simple: almost all of their top personalities lean to the left, and people are tired of the left-winged slant they impose upon the news they deliver.

If that assertion isn't the case, I challenge anybody to name one CNN personality who they suspect is a conservative. See, you can't do it.

CNN had done everything it can to dress up President Obama's disastrous first year of bailing out Wall Street while ignoring Main Street, pushing an unpopular socialistic health care plan and failure to stem unemployment.

The network doesn't deliver reality to real people. Instead, all of its liberal personalities just repeatedly pander to liberal causes.

[Kevin]

All Tiger, all the time.

[Big Paulie the Coach]

even though i watch cnn all the time, good comments willem. i agree 100 percent with u on campbell. i m sure she is a nice woman but the voice is so annoying. u forgot to mention wolf blitzer. as stiff as they come. they do need anchors with more balls. maybe jack cafferty should be the one with lou mothball dobbs old time slot. kyra phillps needs to go to. shes a nothing. they need to use drew griffin more. he kicked ass on investigative reporting at kcbs. i recommend
wholesale anchor changes. buy would leave copper in place.

[Zibaroya]

Maybe the ratings have dropped because they are just like the administration, they dont listen to what people want. We are so tired of CNN being Obama cheerleader rather than a news channel. Listen to the people, or the people will take you down. We are mad and CNN says that we are stupid and dont understand the issues. Well CNN, you dont understand the issues, that is why we are sick of you.

[Jack]

People are voting with their remote controls. CNN pretends to be objective, but it usually leans to the left. CNN is no longer perceived as being neutral.

If you want left wing news, you can get it from MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC - pretty much anywhere. Why bother tuning into CNN?

The biggest winner in all of this is FOX, because they are the only station that offers a conservative view point.

[Michael]

Is anyone surprised? I know a lot of people who are sick and tired of Anderson Cooper's blatant Pro Gay-Rights and agenda, not to mention all the stories he's done on marijuana use pushing for it's legalization. These stories may play well in Hollywood but not in middle America or the majority of our Country for that matter. We have bigger problems, challenges and issues to deal with! I do like David Gergen and wish there were more political commentators like him, but the rest of their panels are lame.

[gennie]

theres this big pink elephant in the room that people often do not acknowledged and that is CNN has become so left leaning and one of the biggest fan of the obama administration rather then a news network. it is a no brainer that as cnn ratings declined, fox news ratings increases. unless you choose to believe that cnn viewers opted out of cable news in the millions while another few millions decided to plug into cable news all of the sudden. duh!!