Fox News’ ratings lowest since 2001, younger viewers abandoning ship

Fox News remains on top in cable news ratings but the network has taken a dive. Splat. TV Newser reports, “The network declined across the board year-over-year and posted its lowest ratings in the A25-54 demographic since August 2001 in both total day and primetime.”

Younger viewers are abandoning ship which likely explains the shift with a couple of the network’s hosts’ time slots.

FoxFail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newser reports:

Compared to August 2012, Fox News was down -10% in total viewers and -24% in the A25-54 demographic in total day. In primetime, the network was down -15% and -24%, respectively. The network was down in both total viewers and the A25-54 demographic in every hour of programming from 9am-11pmET, except for “The Five,” which was flat in total viewers and down -25% in the demo.

Sean Hannity‘s show was down -21% in total viewers and -26% in the demo, which explains the shakeup at the network. ‘On the Record’ with Greta Van Susteren also took a beating at-20% in both ratings measurements.

With younger viewers taking a hike, that leaves the old, white guys, who can’t live forever, similar to the predicament the GOP has found itself in.

Yes, I went there.

MSNBC is down by double digits.

It’s possible that younger viewers are waking up to cable news not being as factual as they claim to be, or it could be that the masses are so dumbed down they can’t even turn on the TV set.

Walter Cronkite has left the building.

  • KCMOfan

    Younger viewers are smart enough to recognize propaganda when they see it. Older viewers eat the Fox lies up like candy, because it’s what they want to hear. That and Ruperts supermarket tabloid journalism is getting old.

    • BanditBasheert

      That may very well be true – but they are dying out, rapidly. They are not the future, fortunately.
      I don’t know anyone that sits watching TV news, or TV cablenews. Tabloid journalism has proven that only radical weirdness sells their rags –
      People watch what is relevant to them – in our case particularly during monsoon season, we do hit the Weather Channel a lot, but our cell phones all scream at us when we have a vicious storm coming in – we have reverse directory alert in the Valley.
      There is just nothing on the “news” worth watching -

  • mmaynard119

    There’s no national election, so there’s no excitement for them. And MS-NBC does itself no favors by reusing their talent on multiple shows each day. But who besides Hayes and Maddow are going to appeal to the younger voters weeknights? Chris Matthews and Ed Schultz are too old and too bellicose. It’s going to get worse as Al Jazeera America is starting to figure out what they want to be and how to broadcast it.

    • macemace

      “Al Jazeera America” … Hmmm, something about that phrase just doesn’t seem right …

  • Cosmic_Surfer

    Edward R Murrow has been whirling like a dervish in his grave since 1978. Political Talk is now sinking but will probably rise again as we near 2016 – after all…got to whip up that base

    • tiredoftea

      Not just Murrow. Bill Buckley is writhing in sympathy with him as he called this before his death.

  • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/akinsc Carla Akins

    Younger viewers, the under 50 crowd? They don’t watch TV news, they live online. Every millennial I know gets their information online. Several don’t even own televisions. They certainly do nothing to attract them.

    • http://FreakoutNation.com/ Anomaly 100

      I’m an ol’ lady and I get my news online. I have a strong distrust of the MSM in general.

      • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/akinsc Carla Akins

        I had a tough time giving up my TV news addiction, but during the Boston bomb suspect hunt it became very clear twitter truly rocked.

        It’s just so much quicker to hit a few key sites and not have to wait for someone else’s pace.

        • http://FreakoutNation.com/ Anomaly 100

          I get all of my news online. During the Dorner manhunt, the Internet was the only way to actually find out (and even some of the particulars were dubious) what was going on.

        • BanditBasheert

          Totally agree.
          It just isn’t worth watching. Unless you like to have propaganda shoved into your brain because you are too stupid to figure things out without some moron telling you what to believe.
          Let’s face it, the media killed itself when it turned itself into mouthpieces for paid shills.

  • juicyfruityyy

    I haven’t turned by TV on in over 5 years. I search for info on line. Also, I use twitter. A lot of the younger ones, in my family, are on face-book or twitter. They use the TV for music videos and games. Not for listening to news.

  • Clavell Jackson

    Hooray.

  • Roy Roberts

    Good deal! Stop listening to that bullshit on Fox News! They are liars and they have this HUGE problem with checking facts. And BILL O’REILLY has crossed the line!! He is the worst hatemongering total racist and has even surpassed Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh! He’s a pig!

  • rjcarter

    I can’t imagine why young people quit watching television… in the summertime… when there are so many things to do and see.

    • Jack

      Declined year-over-year. I think you may want to give reading this article another try. Now read slowly and carefully, and try to take in everything.

      • rjcarter

        So compared to last year at the same time, ratings are down.

        Was there anything remotely interesting happening last year? Maybe the final stretch of a national election or something?

  • Pezdrake

    I’m guessing the FOX execs proposed solution will be to get younger talking heads, more minority reporters while keeping the same editorial agenda. Remember they believe that black people voted for Obama because he’s black. They show no insight into human behavior.

  • Teddy Simon

    I used to watch both FOX and MSNBC but quit watching both , they are both to far from center , there used to be a time when news was reported without bias but all of those guys have died

  • Ian Kemp

    Maybe people have finally got tired of the fighting that gets nowhere? When you are out of work, or about to lose your home, it really doesn’t matter what the TV talking say, we need results, we need answers, and right now neither side is prepared to offer any. The Dems are the “party of blame”, the Repubs are the “party of no”, and we, the American public are suffering because of it.

    When was the last time an American success was celebrated on TV? All we see now are TV commentators delighting in the failures, “Whoo Hoo, Solyndra failed”, “Excellent, Saturn is out of business”, “Yeahh, Fisker failed”, and so on.

    Where is the America that was proud to be #1, now people wave US flags made in China and celebrate they are last at everything.

  • Balmy Balmer

    The Romney landslide prediction chased away the semi sane viewers.

  • ladybev

    I would say the masses have been dumbed down so far, they’re beyond saving.

  • Chrisdutch

    Hey, rehire Sarah Palin…no wait….