April TV Ratings: It's not the Economy, Stupid...it's the Content

TV ratings for April are out, and the numbers aren't pretty for CNN and MSNBC. (More on the ratings below)

Before we look (laugh?!) at the numbers, our friends at FreeMarketVoice.org have an excellent free market-based analysis of the results, numbers that clearly demonstrate the plummeting appeal of liberally-slanted news:

Free markets dictate that consumers “vote” for products based on their consumption. Media and television programming is no different. Across the news media spectrum, both print and on television, there’s a clear trend emerging - consumers prefer programming and content that leans towards free market principles and economically conservative ideology.

Further, the ratings for the news channels - FoxNews, CNN, and MSNBC - also show consumer preferences lessening for liberal-leaning content.

And contrary to the whining of the New York Times and Washington Post, the current economic downturn is not the culprit here:

[T]he facts may really lie in lower demand for left-leaning content supplied by [The New York Times]...]

And the recession and advertising revenues can’t be blamed since all three channels are equally included on most cable and satellite packages, so consumers vote with their clicker, not with additional out-of-pocket expenses

Ok, back to the breaking news April TV ratings; I'd call it good news for fair and balanced journalism (and a shot across the bow of the failing MSM cable news networks).

To me, these just-released April cable tv ratings are indicative of an accelerating trend in the preferences of cable news consumers, with increasing numbers of Americans picking up their tv remote and clicking away from networks hostile to free market, economically conservative principles...

...and the overwhelming majority of them seem to be arriving at Fox News. From MediaBistro.com's TVNewser:

How's this for cable news domination - Fox News beat CNN and MSNBC combined in every hour from 6amET to MidnightET in both Total Viewers and the A25-54 demo for April 2009.

FNC had the top 11 cable news programs in Total Viewers and 12 of the top 15 in the demo. FNC is the #2 network in Total Viewers on all of cable.

From 9amET on, every program grew by more than 60% in the demo. The 5pmET hour, now occupied by Glenn Beck, is up...128% in Total Viewers. Your World with Neil Cavuto is up 60% in Total Viewers. On the Record with Greta Van Susteren is up...55% in Total Viewers.

This final pair of numbers is jaw dropping:

Fox & Friends has now been #1 for 90 consecutive months, Studio B with Shepard Smith for 80 consecutive months.

---

While President Obama basks in the glory of his high approval numbers, this Left-leaning former lawmaker from Illinois -- of whom the non-partisan National Journal once ranked as the #1 Most liberal member of the U.S. Senate -- might want to take note of the fact that:

1) The liberal cable news networks are getting crushed by the Right-leaning Fox News Channel,

2) The only Top 25 Newspaper not reporting a decline in circulation was the conservative Wall Street Journal.

Zogby: Bipartisan rejection of Newspaper Bailout

Turns out large majorities of Americans of both parties oppose Democrats push to save the dying mainstream media newspapers with government cash....

Philadelphia Inquirer CEO paid $1.175 million after bailout request

Jeff Poor at the Business and Media Institute reports that apparently, the same Brian Tierney, CEO of the parent company of The Philadelphia Inquirer that sought a $10-million bailout from Pennsylvania state government leaders, was paid over $1 million in salary in 2008, the same year his company was forced into bankruptcy.

Full article here.

For your reading pleasure

Full text of Senator Ben Cardin's Newspaper Bailout Bill, courtesy of Fox News.com

Dan, we certainly can afford to let them die...

Dan Lawton at the Oregon Daily Emerald has an opinion piece looking at the MSM newspapers' attempts to compete in online news with Google, Yahoo, "rogue bloggers", etc.
Though an interesting discussion, Lawton's solution to the woes of the MSM rags amounts to nothing more than tweaking Sen. Benjamin Cardin's recently introduced MSM Newspaper Bailout Bill ("The Newspaper Revitalization Act") to include a different tax exemption:

Lastly, instead of being granted 501(c)(3) status, these media outlets should be able to apply for a completely separate tax exemption that has no restrictions on political content.

Lawton ends with an eloquent, inspirational tale of society on the cusp of yet another brilliant, successful government intervention to save an incompetent and outdated industry:

Yes, the road ahead for journalism is long and winding, but if the government uses a smart, flexible approach, it can assist in breathing life back into an institution America can't afford to let die.

Mr. Lawton, I'm curious as to what other fast-fading private sector institutions America (translation: the American taxpayer) "can't afford to let die"?

Philadelphia Inquirer a "Lifeblood of Democracy" ?

In today's Washington Post, George Will reports on conversations between Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Brian Tierney, CEO of Philadelphia Media Holdings, publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It seems Rendell has been busy redirecting bailout cash from Pennsylvania taxpayers straight into the coffers of Tierney's failing company. Naturally, this is perfectly justified, because according to Rendell's spokesman, papers like the Enquirer are "the lifeblood of democracy."

In response to Rendell's spokesman saying that newspapers are "the lifeblood of democracy," the [Wall Street] Journal said "newspapers aren't the lifeblood of anything if they are merely an adjunct of the state" and are "dependent on the politicians [they are] supposed to cover."

As Will notes, Tieney's explanation for how his paper will remain independent after this governmently-coerced-tax-dollar injection into the Enquirer is even more bizarre:

In a...letter to the Journal, Tierney said "the overwhelming majority of our employees" -- truck drivers, advertising salespeople, etc. -- whose jobs would be saved by government money "have no influence on the editorial content" of the papers.

Will's conclusion:

So: Even if the papers' survival, and therefore the jobs of reporters and editorial writers, would depend on the government's good will, the papers would remain independent because reporters and editorialists are a minority of the papers' employees. Good grief.

I'm sensing a trend here people:

1) No one wants to buy a particular MSM newspaper.
2) Said newspaper sweet talks fellow Left Wing state/federal lawmakers to force (former) readers to buy the paper anyway -- with said taxpayers' tax dollars.
3) Having successfully shed that (pesky) necessity of having to produce objective news coverage that people actually want to buy, said paper is free to infuse as much of its pro-Administration, Left Wing political agenda into its "objective" news reporting.
4) Obama successfully appropriates another chunk of the Mainstream news media.
5) Said newspaper continues with an occasional attack on Fox News as biased, nonobjective, etc. etc.

Hmmmm.....This gives me an idea...If I start a business, and no one wants to buy my product...I think I'm on to something here...Wait, ok , here it is: [...] Can I cloak my good or service in a socio-political shroud of consumer necessity such that Congress would force tax payers to subsidize my failed business venture and keep my completely useless good in production?

Mr. Tierney; are cable news networks, talk radio and the blogosphere also "Lifebloods of Democracy"? Oh wait. That's probably a moot point, because we in the non-MSM media generate a product that people actually want to buy.

The Impending MSM Newspaper Bailout

As many of you know, Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation that would effectively bail out the MSM newspapers. Check back often as I will post the latest on this unfolding story as it happens...

A bailout for the dying MSM newspapers? It's looking that way...

Bill over at FromTheRight makes an interesting argument about what's behind the msm newspapers' refusal to say anything negative about President Obama. Beside the obvious fact that they love the guy and share his far-Left liberal ideology, these newspapers also want an Obama bailout:

The other reason is that there is much talk in Washington about mainstream media outlets such as big liberal newspapers getting bailout money from the federal government. This is what is really driving the newspapers non-stop barrage of how wonderful the president [is] despite the fact that he has done many things that they couldn’t stop [criticizing] President Bush about.

Full article here.

Tired of shelling out $.75 a day for the New York Times to cram its agenda down your throat? Don't worry, you won't have to read the Times anymore -- you'll just have to keep paying for it.

This is a win-win situation for Obama and his MSM cheerleaders: The Old Grey Lady stays in business, pontificating for the world to see what news Americans are reading -- all the while no one in America is actually reading it.

What a sad commentary it is that we have a government ready to hose more of our hard earned tax dollars in order to subsidize businesses that produce a product no one wants to buy.

How much more insulting to free-market values, out of touch and virulently anti-conservative will these newspapers become as these (highly likely) government bailouts free them from the burden of producing content that people actually want to buy?

The Decline and Fall of ... Newsweek?

The Media Research Center's Brent Bozell recently discussed in the Wall Street Journal Newsweek's latest hit job on Christianity, 'The Decline and Fall of Christian America'. Bozell talks about how, incredibly, as Newsweek loses over 50% circulation, Editor Jon Meacham's mag continues to mock and belittle the concept that America is a "Christian" nation.

Whatever your notion of religion in the public square, the fact is that the U.S. remains a country with far-majority Christian religious identification.

You'd think Meacham would respond to declining business by shoring up Newsweek's objective news reporting and curtailing a bit of the excessive editorializing Newsweek frequently indulges in.

Newsweek's strategy in the midst of all its financial decline is to double and triple the amount of editorializing, cast aside all semblance of "news" in favor of long, liberal essays by self-impressed Newsweek editor Jon Meacham and his international editor Fareed Zakaria. Is that really a business solution, or is it the captains performing violin solos on the deck of the Titanic?

Meacham seems not to be content playing his Left Wing violin for the enjoyment of Liberals. Rather he appears determined to chase down those who least appreciate his music.
As Bozell notes, it's difficult to see how ridiculing the religion of so many of its readers is an effective strategy for winning any of them back:

One has to wonder whether Newsweek's financial gurus really think it's a smart business strategy to greet the Easter season with funerals for "Christian America," and greet the Christmas season by making the "religious case for gay marriage"? (That's not to mention all the reverent Obama worship in between.)

As illogical as insulting your customers may seem, I think Newsweek -- like the other fast-fading MSM news organizations -- sees the New Media 'writing on the wall' and understands its days are numbered. And yet as their circulation and revenue sink further south, they are choosing to go down 'all guns blazing' rather than peacefully fade into the dustbin of media history.

As Bob McCarty points out over at NowPublic, maybe the media should ruminate over the "End of Objective Journalism".

Chicago Tribune cuts 53 newsroom jobs

The Chicago Tribune is putting the axe to 53 newsroom jobs. From today's Chicago Sun-Times:

The Chicago Tribune began a new round of newsroom layoffs Wednesday that could be the deepest cuts owner Sam Zell has made at the paper.

In a statement to employees, Tribune Editor Gerould Kern said 53 staffers were culled. The paper's news staff totals more than 400 people.

Never fear, Kern is redoubling his efforts to make sure his most biased, Left-leaning newsroom reporters are given first dibs at covering the inevitable Obama economic recovery:

Kern said the layoffs start a newsroom reorganization "that will focus us more clearly on our core mission and prepare us for the economic recovery when it comes."

Since taking over the parent Tribune Co. in December 2007, Zell has presided over several rounds of layoffs at the Chicago-based company's flagship and its other properties, such as the Los Angeles Times Times and Baltimore Sun.

As ad revenue continues to decline and layoffs continue, Tribune owner Sam Zell has also been busy firing financial shotgun blasts into the side of his sinking ship:

Tribune Co. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization because Zell's $8.2 billion buyout saddled it with debt that it cannot repay. The company plans to sell its Chicago Cubs baseball franchise for about $900 million.

Don't worry, Sam. I'm sure Dick Durbin and the Obama Administration are already working on the 'Incompetent Newspaper Bailout Act of 2009'.

Nobody wants to read your paper anymore, pal, but look at the bright side: you've got a House and Senate Democrat majority probably licking their chops right now at the prospect of forcing taxpayers to subsidize your paper.

I mean, seriously; does any rational person think the Chicago Tribune isn't too big to fail? Too incompetent to turn a profit, too blinded by ideology to respond with more objective reporting...but not too big to refuse a billion dollar Obama Bailout Check!

NYT Stock Falls Further into Junk Territory

Upon news of its 1st quarter loss in ad revenue, the S & P has lowered its credit rating of the Times once again. From today's Wall Street Journal:

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its credit ratings on New York Times Co. (NYT) deeper into junk territory, citing concerns about a steeper decline in total advertising revenue in 2009 than previously estimated.

The ratings downgrade came a day after the publisher posted a steep first-quarter loss on worse-than-expected ad results, dimming the prospects for recovery from a slump pushing many newspapers to the brink.

The ratings agency lowered its corporate credit rating on the company as well as its issue-level rating on its senior unsecured debt one notch to B+, or four levels below investment-grade status, and placed the ratings on watch for further downgrade.

Full article here.

An Overview of the sinking fortunes of the New York Times

Political Calculations has a nice overview of the NYT' plummeting sales, revenue, etc. from 1993 - present here.

New York Times releases 1st Quarter Report: Continuing slide toward bankruptcy

From TechCrunch 4-21-09:

The advertising outlook for newspapers is going from awful to horrendous. The New York Times announced first quarter earnings today, revealing that total advertising revenues for its news media group (which includes the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and other regional newspapers) declined 28.4 percent, versus an 18.4 percent declinelast quarter. So the rate of decline for is intensifying

Internet advertising revenues declined 6.1 percent to $67.6 million, compared to a 3.5 percent decline last quarter. The advertising situation at About.com is more “anemic” than at NYTimes.com, although cost-per-click rates at About.com seem to be holding up. Total advertising revenues were $335 million in the quarter and all revenues, including circulation, were $609 million. The company as a whole posted a net loss of $74.2 million. In other words, the New York Times lost more money across the board than it made from Internet advertising.

Does anyone seriously think the dying msm newspapers will not sooner or later come under the purview of the increasing sectors of our economy "too big to fail"?

I'll be the first to predict that the MSM newspapers are going to be bailed out by the Obama Adminstration. No one wants to buy the NYT anymore, so John Kerry and Chuck Schumer will use our tax dollars to subsidize the Times.

Sound crazy? I don't think so...

Sen. John Kerry thinks Congress needs to save the dying newspaper industry

Our friends over at Meeting on the Green have a great article on Senator John Kerry's hilarious letter to union leaders lamenting the downfall of major newspapers across the U.S.

Senator Kerry's pathetic attempt to save the elitist, out-of-touch mainstream newspapers to me, seems like quite a fitting first post for this new blog.

Here's to many more posts chronicling the dying mainstream media's long march toward extinction!