CNN wins ratings war on first night of convention.
By on Aug 26th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
CNN wins ratings war on first night of convention.
TV Newser reports that CNN was the “big winner of the cable networks” last night, drawing an average of 3.7 million total viewers. CNN also beat a couple of networks. “At 10pmET, CNN drew 4.26M Total Viewers while ABC drew 4.17M and CBS drew 3.46M.” NBC was first of all networks with 4.71 million viewers. About 22 million households watched the coverage last night. This could end up being the most-watched Democratic convention in almost three decades.
Update Yglesias writes that, when you include all the networks, the 2008 convention is drawing more viewers than the 2004 edition did.
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There are very good reasons why it is called the “BOOB TUBE” and only one of thenm is sexual in nature.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:56 pmThis is quite intriguing; why would anyone watch anything that had Blitzer on?
Defies common sense and logic.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:57 pmThis is poorly written….If NBC was first of all networks with 4.71 million viewers then this likely means MSNBC also beat all the other cable ‘idiot pundit’ networks.
The only cable network I viewed was MSNBC ( mainly due to Olberman and Maddow ) but I mostly watched CPAN since it was ‘idiotic pundit’ free.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:00 pmwhoops i.e. CSPAN
August 26th, 2008 at 7:01 pmI turned CNN off this afternoon. I probably missed a whole lot: Did Hillary punch Michelle yet?
August 26th, 2008 at 7:05 pmIt’s CSPAN for me. Why would you watch 4 or 5 people in a studio tell you what they think is happening in a football game when you can actually watch the game?
August 26th, 2008 at 7:10 pmI watched C-span and PBS, whose commentators were not hostile in their remarks. CNN let Larry King, The Undead lead a panel of Repugs to rip the Dems apart after Michelle Obama finished her speech. I will not be surprised if the favor is not returned during the Repugs’ own convention.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:11 pmI feel sorry for the guy that had to follow Kucinich!
PBS coverage isn’t bad. Most of the bloviating comes from David Brooks and even he tries to sound rational when he’s with Jim Lehrer. He’s still a condescending gasbag but he tones it down.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:13 pmAnd the main feed was from FOX? Did anyone confirm Tang’s contribution?
August 26th, 2008 at 7:15 pmAfter so many things have come to light about CNN (Glenn Beck) I have refused to watch it anymore and have told them so about it.
Not that it matters, their corporate masters will tell them what to spin, but it is the principal of it.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:18 pmKm4 – The only cable network I viewed was MSNBC ( mainly due to Olberman and Maddow )
…same here.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:20 pmNeilsen Media Research is an affiliate of The Carlyle Group, in case anyone wondered:
http://www.carlyle.com/Portfolio/item7462.html
Neo: What is the Matrix?
Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere, it is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, or when go to church or when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind. (long pause, sighs) Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:22 pmstateofthedivision at 7:15 pm
According to The Thom Hartmann show, that was correct. A later caller said the networks had a choice of which camera shot to choose from, but were still limited by the Faux technical director’s choices of what each camera saw. I have read different accounts through the day of sound levels being tampered with, as well as shots of the white delegates looking bored, as the ethnic delegates were all acting rowdy. It seems that it would depend which channel you were on at the time.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:23 pmPersonally, one of the reasons I don’t subscribe to cable is to deny my support to corporate news. If I could buy Discovery Channel, and not the “news” networks, I would.
So, for purely selfish reasons, I implore everyone to support any public measures which would force providers to provide ala carte service. Thank you!
August 26th, 2008 at 7:25 pmThanks House of Roberts! I appreciate the research.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:26 pmAt least during Kucinich’s speech, everybody was rowdy! If you missed it, you better find it and watch it.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:30 pmIs it just me, or are we getting more hot looking women in the party?
August 26th, 2008 at 7:31 pmThat’s really sad. Too bad they don’t know that they are watching Fox Wannabee.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:36 pmI believe Fox cameramen are trained to search for the cleavage. Is Hillary wearing her pink top?
August 26th, 2008 at 7:37 pmBuckie Boy Says:
Km4 – The only cable network I viewed was MSNBC ( mainly due to Olberman and Maddow )
…same here.
I tried to watch their coverage for a while but Pat Buchanan pissed me off so much I had to turn it off. I could tell that Rachel wanted to rip him a new one, but I suspect they have told her to play nice with Buchanan during the convention. But, she did give him some pretty good disgusting looks!
August 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pmThis is really getting too funny! I am reposting a message I submitted that is now “awaiting moderation” — because I used the dreaded an*lys*s word where I have now substituted the word “accounting” below:
PBS coverage isn’t bad.
That’s what I watched, too, pete. I don’t have cable at home, either. I do have it at my lake home because it’s the only way I can get any reception. And that’s enough for me — I watch it up there and realize that I am not really missing anything.
It’s interesting that this article talks about cable news stations on the one hand and “the three major broadcast networks” on the other hand. That means that PBS is left completely out of the accounting (and I suspect that CSPAN is excluded as well).
When you hear reports that viewership of the convention is low, I wonder if CSPAN and PBS viewers are being left out of the headcount . . . and what difference that makes in total viewership.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:43 pmKill your tv’s. You don’t need them.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:44 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
I tried to watch their coverage for a while but Pat Buchanan pissed me off so much I had to turn it off. I could tell that Rachel wanted to rip him a new one, but I suspect they have told her to play nice with Buchanan during the convention. But, she did give him some pretty good disgusting looks!
—————————————————
Then you may have missed the best part of the night. When Buchanan was droning on about Michelle Obama not talking about faith, Tweety finally put Buchanan in his place and said that we don’t have a religious test in this country and that the DNC was not a religious event.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:47 pmDish TV (satellite service) was nice enough to give us subscribers an unedited, commercial-free raw feed of Democratic convention coverage. To me, however, it is basically not worth watching the traitorous Democrats who have been kowtowing to the Royal Boy-dictator band his crime family for almost eight years now. And the Dems just had to put on that vile traitorous Bush-whore Ms. Nancy P. Who in their right mind wants to listen to her lying BS?
August 26th, 2008 at 7:56 pmSpeaking of seeing campaign news on TV, I caught this report today –> http://www.thelopezfamilyonline.com/play.php?first=good_golly &&last=daryll
It looks like we all may be in a lot more trouble than we could possibly imagine.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:00 pmi gave up with the networks and went with MSNBC…
i was hoping my mom would be able to watch, but it didn’t seem to be on the regular channels -
but it was the season premier of DEAL OR NO DEAL. AAAAARGH!
she goes to bet around 8 and so didn’t get to watch if the convention WAS on regular tv…
so where does MSNBC fall in that “ratings war”?
August 26th, 2008 at 8:08 pmwhat is this thread about?
Everytime I turned it to CNN they had some (R) wanker on there bashing Obama. They are as bad as FAUX.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:13 pmAside from Nancy I don’t know that I would call any of last night’s speakers “traitorous”. And I guess I’m adept at tuning out people I don’t care to hear from and I’m not glued to my set when any politician is just “stumping”.
However, I’m really glad I caught Teddy Kennedy’s, bittersweet, speech. It’s entirely possible that it was his goodbye to the nation. I haven’t always agreed with him, or even liked him much, but his record of putting the country ahead of politics is pretty impressive.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:18 pmi just turned on the MSNBC.
WHY ARE THE NETWORKS TRYING TO KEEP THE HILLARY CRAP ALIVE ? ! ?
it’s just sickening.
that redhead LOOKED like she should be smart.
i can’t believe she’s an actual democrat, as proclaimed.
just like the troolls who come here and state that right off, you know – if they have to point it out, it’s usually a farce…
REAL dems and progs are obvious for their words and deeds…
and to even THINK about NOT voting for obama, and claim to have “voted democratic all my life”, is just plain bullshit.
operation chaos in plain sight.
jeez… i hate stoopid.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:20 pmTest
August 26th, 2008 at 8:36 pmDamn…can’t even say b*tching without the post disappearing into a black hole. Anyway, here goes again…
I don’t know about the other networks, but CNN’s “coverage” of the convention is mostly anything but. From what little I’ve watched so far (about an hour’s worth last night and a little bit so far this evening), it’s all mostly been a bunch of commentary. Anyway, the pundits last evening were whining that the Dems didn’t come out swinging at Bush and McCain on the first day, but since they haven’t shown hardly any of the speeches of those addressing the audience, how is the viewer supposed to know what the heck IS being said?
Switched over to C-SPAN for a minute or two, and that’s where you need to go to see real coverage.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:40 pmI watched the the first night of the convention (and will continue to do so) on C-Span. I switched over to CNN or MSNBC from time to time (even Fox a couple of times), but can’t stand the talking head crap…even the ones I like. I may watch football and need the sportscasters to interpret what’s happening since I don’t understand the game that well, but I don’t need an interpretation of what people are saying in a political forum. I highly recommend C-Span.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:52 pmawesome…22 million misinformed households
August 26th, 2008 at 8:55 pmThat’s too bad because CNN is listing badly to the right.
I just changed channels.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:31 pmAnd Goo-Goo, I bet you can see into Vladimir Putin’s heart as well. By the way, what’s that shriveled thing in Cheney’s chest cavity?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:00 pmStewart is slaying politics at the moment. Most funny!
August 26th, 2008 at 11:06 pmWhen I turned on the TV tonight, CNN was a blank screen.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:44 pmI usually flip between them, CNN, C-Span and PBS.
I didn’t hear what happened to CNN.
The Pennsylvania delegation is sitting right in front of the CNN setting. I briefly checked out CNN just to see if I knew anyone hanging out behind the CNN crew and sure enough, I did. After getting sick in my stomach listening to the CNN non experts, I went to CSPAN and got to listen to the speakers. The Governor of Montana gave a rallying speech. It was fun to watch.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:19 amThis is one reason that I don’t post here often.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:29 amWhy bother with cable news, which always wants to turn everything into a story without regard for facts and make themselves That Story? C-Span broadcasts the entire event as is without comment. We can make our own comments to ourselves and our acquaintances. So much more satisfying and good for the brain.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:41 pm