hour-by-hour ratings for CNN/FOX/MSNBC during health-care vote

[Linus Van Pelt]

(from http://www.themonkeycage.org/2010/03/has_health_care_reform_enraged.html)

Of course you'd have to look at other major news events to be more scientific, but the basic point I think is that even though Fox has the top ratings overall, people who aren't political junkies but will only turn on cable news when real news is actually being made in real time still tend towards CNN.



(Note that the chart is relativized to last weekend's ratings, so FOX's baseline is higher, but that's the point: to look at viewers who aren't political junkies, you have to abstract away from who's watching cable news on an ordinary Sunday night. Those who are into this sort of thing can follow the link for raw Nielsen numbers).

[Linus Van Pelt]

So you're saying that the more informed people watch Fox News.  Interesting.

Only if we stipulate that "more informed" means "watch cable news regularly", but we already knew that from the ratings.

[cinyc]

The chart is worthless - if Fox News' typical weekend viewership is more than double that of CNN or MSNBC, more casual viewers tuned into Fox News to watch this than any other network, anyway.  And even if that's not true, the only thing the chart tells me is that not-as-political Democrats and Democrat-leaning Independents prefer to watch CNN or MSNBC.  Only self-loathing Republicans would want to torture themselves by watching the crappy health care "reform" bill pass.