Maddow Gets Big Ratings, Beats Beck

[nhboy (Premo)]

Maddow Gets Big Ratings, Beats Beck -- Covering Union Rights | AlterNet

"Who says you need celebrities to get ratings? Rachel Maddow had a nice surprise last Wednesday when her show got a major ratings boost -- as she covered the protests and injustices in Wisconsin and Ohio. With guests like WI State Senator Jon Erpenbach and OH Congressman Tim Ryan, plus a little segment on Newt Gingrich's website, it goes to show that maybe, just maybe, the public cares about more than Charlie Sheen and the iPad 2. (No dis to the public or the iPad 2.) Mediaite:

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, without the benefit of a buzz-booster like Charlie Sheen, quietly jumped to the elite levels of cable news ratings, outperforming everyone at CNN and MSNBC, and even beating Fox’s Glenn Beck. Maddow hit 452,000 viewers 25-54, easily dominating CNN’s Piers Morgan, who had 208,000. Maddow, who was without any Charlie Sheen-like celebrity guest, even came close to Fox’s Sean Hannity, who won the time period with 561,000."

[Pete]

[Rommey]

Feb 28
Beck 577,000
Maddow 383,000

Mar 1
Beck 497,000
Maddow 330,000

Mar 2
Beck 484,000
Maddow 321,000

Mar 3
Beck 413,000
Maddow 452,000

More on the much-ballyhooed ratings "win" for Madcow on March 3:

• 2nd in her timeslot
• 5th for the day
• O'Reilly's 11PM show almost had as many viewers.
• Lost to Beck by a wide margin every other day

Comparing to Beck for these four days:
Beck 2 Million
Maddow 1.5 Million

That's like saying the Cavaliers have had a successful season because thebeat the Lakers in one game. Hey, but whatever makes the libs feel better...

[Dontel58]

Wow one day! Lets celebrate

It's like when Mondale was beating Reagan in one poll in 84

[CrashTest]

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if the ratings of Fox prime time go down now that the message is out and the jig is up. I'm also not surprised if the ratings of shows like Madcow go up. All the lefties are huddled around licking their wounds like the righties have been for the past 2 years.

The difference now, according to Larry Sabato, is that the lefties will never again have the opportunity that they just blew. In fact, according to Sabato, there's "no way in hell" they will ever again have the opportunity and even though Sabato hides is political leanings pretty well, I think he's actually a Dem (based on what I've read about him).

[Tilted (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Rommey

That's like saying the Cavaliers have had a successful season because thebeat the Lakers in one game. Hey, but whatever makes the libs feel better...

It seems more like saying the Cavaliers beat the Lakers in one game because the Cavaliers beat the Lakers in one game. That little piece didn't make any claims beyond... well, what it claimed. It even referred to that one particular show's "major ratings boost" as a "nice surprise", and acknowledged that she finished behind Hannity's show during the same time slot.

The comparison to Beck's show is a little awkward though - the shows are in very different time slots, aren't they?

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Tilted

It seems more like saying the Cavaliers beat the Lakers in one game because the Cavaliers beat the Lakers in one game. That little piece didn't make any claims beyond... well, what it claimed. It even referred to that one particular show's "major ratings boost" as a "nice surprise", and acknowledged that she finished behind Hannity's show during the same time slot.

The comparison to Beck's show is a little awkward though - the shows are in very different time slots, aren't they?

The ratings fight is basically an insult to the intelligence of the viewer; you are a lemming that only watches one side of the argument so that they can tell you what to think'.

I mean, I understand people who are strongly right not wanting to watch Olbermann just as I understand people who are strongly left not wanting to watch Beck. However, most of us claim to be independents which means one of two things; you either watch neither or you watch both. Of course, the ratings don't support that; FOX wins, show after show. And, if you are strongly right or left, how'd do you get that way and maintain it; by just listening to one side?

I am about as right wing as it gets but, if I was the gauge, my personal viewing ratings would be more towards MSNBC than FOX. I am more interested in how to win in the arena of ideas and people like Maddow are just handing it over, as did Keef, every day, than I am of learning what I already know.

[Tilted (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

The ratings fight is basically an insult to the intelligence of the viewer; you are a lemming that only watches one side of the argument so that they can tell you what to think'.

I mean, I understand people who are strongly right not wanting to watch Olbermann just as I understand people who are strongly left not wanting to watch Beck. However, most of us claim to be independents which means one of two things; you either watch neither or you watch both. Of course, the ratings don't support that; FOX wins, show after show. And, if you are strongly right or left, how'd do you get that way and maintain it; by just listening to one side?

I am about as right wing as it gets but, if I was the gauge, my personal viewing ratings would be more towards MSNBC than FOX. I am more interested in how to win in the arena of ideas and people like Maddow are just handing it over, as did Keef, every day, than I am of learning what I already know.

I rarely tune in to FNC or MSNBC. Because of some conversation that was going on here at the time (or perhaps elsewhere, I can no longer remember), a few weeks ago I decided to give one or both of them a listen one night. When I first tuned in, Lawrence O'Donnell was on. He was doing one of those end of show monologues, and within 5 minutes I couldn't take the drivel any more (which worked out great because the show was ending). When they went to commercial, I flipped over to FNC, and Sean Hannity's show came on. He brought some people out for a panel discussion (about debt/budget stuff), and within 10 minutes I was frustrated by the BS a couple of them were spouting. So, I turned back to MSNBC. Rachel Maddow - I lasted another 5 or, maybe, 10 minutes before I got frustrated with her nonsense.

In total, I probably watched less than 30 minutes, and I came away thinking 'Is this where people get their news/commentary from?' and 'if so, how sad' and further 'if so, that explains a lot.' Now, maybe I just happened to catch the worst 30 minutes of prime time programming that either or both of those networks has ever produced - but, assuming I didn't, I'm left wondering 'how can people watch this stuff, are they not overcome with the palpable sense that their intelligence is being insulted when they do?' Honestly, I don't get it. Different views - great. Understand what the other guy is thinking - great. Hear others out - great. But, all that assumes that you're listening to sincere communication of thoughts - be they valid, misguided, sophisticated, naive, or otherwise. That's not what I think I hear when I turn those sources on. What I hear is disingenuous nonsense with but one plausible purpose - to get you (further) addicted to their particular flavor of misinformation and ideological drone-dom.

Perhaps I need to take a week and give the respective programming full-er hearings. Maybe my toe dipping misses something and there actually is some value there. But, I've just not seen it and I don't know that I'm willing to pay the price to try to find it. Every time I've tuned in to Beck or O'Reilly or Olbermann or Maddow or Matthews or any of the others whose names I might not have known or recalled, I've quickly tuned out feeling insulted, frustrated, or - more so than anything - disheartened. I can't imagine getting through an hour of any one of them, let alone a week's worth of them all.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Tilted

I rarely tune in to FNC or MSNBC. Because of some conversation that was going on here at the time (or perhaps elsewhere, I can no longer remember), a few weeks ago I decided to give one or both of them a listen one night. When I first tuned in, Lawrence O'Donnell was on. He was doing one of those end of show monologues, and within 5 minutes I couldn't take the drivel any more (which worked out great because the show was ending). When they went to commercial, I flipped over to FNC, and Sean Hannity's show came on. He brought some people out for a panel discussion (about debt/budget stuff), and within 10 minutes I was frustrated by the BS a couple of them were spouting. So, I turned back to MSNBC. Rachel Maddow - I lasted another 5 or, maybe, 10 minutes before I got frustrated with her nonsense.

In total, I probably watched less than 30 minutes, and I came away thinking 'Is this where people get their news/commentary from?' and 'if so, how sad' and further 'if so, that explains a lot.' Now, maybe I just happened to catch the worst 30 minutes of prime time programming that either or both of those networks has ever produced - but, assuming I didn't, I'm left wondering 'how can people watch this stuff, are they not overcome with the palpable sense that their intelligence is being insulted when they do?' Honestly, I don't get it. Different views - great. Understand what the other guy is thinking - great. Hear others out - great. But, all that assumes that you're listening to sincere communication of thoughts - be they valid, misguided, sophisticated, naive, or otherwise. That's not what I think I hear when I turn those sources on. What I hear is disingenuous nonsense with but one plausible purpose - to get you (further) addicted to their particular flavor of misinformation and ideological drone-dom.

Perhaps I need to take a week and give the respective programming full-er hearings. Maybe my toe dipping misses something and there actually is some value there. But, I've just not seen it and I don't know that I'm willing to pay the price to try to find it. Every time I've tuned in to Beck or O'Reilly or Olbermann or Maddow or Matthews or any of the others whose names I might not have known or recalled, I've quickly tuned out feeling insulted, frustrated, or - more so than anything - disheartened. I can't imagine getting through an hour of any one of them, let alone a week's worth of them all.

LCD. Lowest common denominator. Some people like pop music. Some people enjoy pop politics.

You want some serious frothing, if you really wanna wonder (WTF!? win the future ) watch The Ed show some time.

This stuff just entertains the hell out of me, watching how far people like Hannity and Maddow will go on the intellectual vacuity gauge.

If you're lucky, you'll catch Rachel's promo for her show "We talk about stuff that NO ONE ELSE is talking about!"

I think she really doesn't get just how funny that is.

[ImnoMensa]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

LCD. Lowest common denominator. Some people like pop music. Some people enjoy pop politics.

You want some serious frothing, if you really wanna wonder (WTF!? win the future ) watch The Ed show some time.

This stuff just entertains the hell out of me, watching how far people like Hannity and Maddow will go on the intellectual vacuity gauge.

If you're lucky, you'll catch Rachel's promo for her show "We talk about stuff that NO ONE ELSE is talking about!"

I think she really doesn't get just how funny that is.

I had a bellyfull of Glenn Beck a long time ago, Hannity not so much so, O'Reilly makes me gag.Like Megyn Kelly, Nice legs too.

Maddow is just plain sickening.Hard to believe anyone could watch that trash.