All Talk, No Action

CNN, 1st cable-news outlet, is 3d in ratings

By David Bauder
Associated Press

NEW YORK - CNN is poised to finish March third in the prime-time weeknight cable news ratings behind Fox News Channel and MSNBC, the first time this has ever happened for the channel that pioneered the genre nearly three decades ago.

CNN says its overall business is healthy and it is not straying from its straight news path. But it has been suffering more audience erosion than its rivals since the peak days of the presidential election, further proof that the opinionated prime-time shows on Fox and MSNBC have greater audience loyalty. (Actually, its proof that when you lie for a living, people will stop paying attention to you - BA)

CNN's weekday prime-time ratings are relatively flat compared to last year during the primary campaign, up 1 percent from March 2008, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox's ratings have jumped 30 percent and MSNBC, the new No. 2, is up 24 percent. The biggest growth in cable news is for CNN's partner, HLN, formerly Headline News, which is up 62 percent.

Fox remains on a mountain above its two closest competitors, with its prime-time audience in March more than that of MSNBC and CNN combined. The O'Reilly Factor has done particularly well, keeping more of its postelection audience than anything else on CNN and MSNBC.

Through Wednesday, Fox was averaging 2.73 million prime-time viewers in March. MSNBC had 1.16 million and CNN had 1.14 million. The March ratings period ends Friday, and it's doubtful CNN will be able to overcome MSNBC.


Aw-w-w-w,..poor Rachel MadCow and Campbell Brown-Noser,...