What I've learned about the cable news channels

[RL3AO]

I've learned tonight and with other events over the past few months, that CNN is really the top news channel, with news being emphasized. Fox and MSNBC have great talk and political coverage (depending on your political views), but Fox isn't bumping O'Riley or Hannity and MSNBC isn't bumping Olbermann for some earthquake in a country that 90% of American's couldn't find on a map. CNN has had non-stop coverage since the news broke.

For the record, this isn't a political thread. I know many people have feelings on Fox News, MSNBC and CNN, but its clear to me which one is a news channel first and a talk channel second.

Props to CNN.

[cycloneye]

I agree 100%.CNN has been on top of this news since a few minutes after the earthquake hit.

[x-y-no]

Yeah, it was quite striking how little either MSNBC or Fox News had, at least last night. CNN was all over the story from the start.

[HURAKAN]

Anderson Cooper arrived in the DR to try to cross to Haiti and report from Port-au-Prince

http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/ ... n-Republic

[lurkey]

then you all had a different experience than me because to me, they were running repeats of Cnn coverage from 10 at midnight . . . instead of live coverage. . . at which point I switch to BBC and Sky news on the 'net . . (I don't have CNN International on my cable system, which I understand had the live coverage)

[Brent]

This could be worse than the tsunami

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/ ... index.html

[lurkey]

Haitian earthquake relief: What to know before you donate

[tropicana]

i always said it, CNN rules (at least here in canada) more homes in canada at least in ontario get cnn than they do FOX NEWS ( i dont get fox news on my cable channels) but i have seen FOXNEWS and i like CNN way way better.

[lurkey]

For anything outside the US, I prefer BBC or Sky news .. both CNN and Fox suck at coverage outside the US border and since I don't get CNN international .... both the BBC and Sky news allow US citizens to watch their news broadcasts and I can stream about dozen BBC radio channels on my iPod Touch when I have Wifi available

[MGC]

CNN has better coverage of breaking news hands down......MGC

[lurkey]

CNN has better coverage of breaking news hands down......MGC

I don't know about that . . . took them awhile to break the news about the Mumbai bombings and and Iran election protests

[southerngale]

CNN has better coverage of breaking news hands down......MGC

I don't know about that . . . took them awhile to break the news about the Mumbai bombings and and Iran election protests

Yeah, I can think of other things that they were way behind on as well. I prefer Fox, by a mile.

When I heard about the earthquake in Haiti, I put it on Fox News and watched as news was breaking. Later that night, I put it back on there and they weren't covering it live anymore. I checked CNN and they were replaying earlier coverage, so I put it back on Fox and they did come on with live updates throughout the night. I don't go to MSNBC at all... can't stand that channel. Anyway, I've gotten plenty of news about Haiti on Fox the past few days. They're not covering it non-stop, but I don't need/want to see it non-stop anyway.

[lurkey]

If it is breaking news within the US, they (CNN and Fox. . fyi, I prefer Fox too), they are right on top of it. However, if it is outside the US, I prefer the BBC World Service and Sky News (which is a "sister" station to Fox, btw), because CNN and Fox don't seem to care. But that's more of ratings-influenced decision anyway. . . . . If doesn't involve the mass injury or death of Americans, its a low priority on the newscast (and yes, I know that is cynical )

[Brent]

CNN has been kicking tail all week with this story. FNC has quite frankly sucked(and usually does on international stories). I'm just not sure FNC has the resources to keep up with CNN/MSNBC on a world story. MSNBC also has done really well, was live at Midnight last night while FNC was running repeats of primetime that also had nothing to do with Haiti. That's not to say CNN is perfect(I've been very critical of them in the past and usually don't like them), but on this, it's no contest IMO.

Maybe it's just a matter of perspective, maybe people who prefer FNC don't want to see Haiti 24/7 but for me, I've been mostly turning to CNN/MSNBC because they've always been on. I watch a few minutes here and there and then watch something else. Pretty simple. So many times when I've flipped by FNC Palin has been on.

[southerngale]

CNN has been kicking tail all week with this story. FNC has quite frankly sucked(and usually does on international stories). I'm just not sure FNC has the resources to keep up with CNN/MSNBC on a world story. MSNBC also has done really well, was live at Midnight last night while FNC was running repeats of primetime that also had nothing to do with Haiti. That's not to say CNN is perfect(I've been very critical of them in the past and usually don't like them), but on this, it's no contest IMO.

Maybe it's just a matter of perspective, maybe people who prefer FNC don't want to see Haiti 24/7 but for me, I've been mostly turning to CNN/MSNBC because they've always been on. I watch a few minutes here and there and then watch something else. Pretty simple. So many times when I've flipped by FNC Palin has been on.

Yeah, maybe so. I want updates, but I don't want to watch it constantly. Plus, I can't sit there and watch the news nonstop anyway, so I'd like to get some variety in it. Other stuff is going on, too.
I've tried to catch Palin as I knew she was supposed to be on, but I guess I keep missing her. I saw her on once.


As for ratings, FNC consistently smokes the other networks.

CABLE NEWS RACE
TUES. JAN. 19, 2010
ELECTION NIGHT

FOXNEWS HANNITY 6,809,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 6,399,000
FOXNEWS O'REILLY 5,228,000
FOXNEWS BECK 3,446,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 3,338,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 3,241,000
CNN KING 1,681,000
CNN COOPER 1,508,000
CNN BROWN 1,308,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,274,000
MSNBC MADDOW 1,236,000
CNN BLITZER 1,135,000
CNNHN BEHAR 845,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 798,000

[Derek Ortt]

Cooper's show shouldn't be lumped in with the others as his is a NEWS program (he is afterall, the primary anchor of CNN taking over for Aaron Brown in 2005). The others are COMMENTARY programs

[southerngale]

I didn't make the list, but I'm pretty sure it included whatever the news channels chose to broadcast. Btw, Baier's and Shep's programs are news, not commentary.

[somethingfunny]

Scratch all of that. CNN ran a story tonight about Haitian police shooting two suspected looters. They interviewed one of them as he lay dying in the middle of the street and began looking for a supervisor. The supervisor said he would call in an ambulance, and the CNN crew rolled tape for 2 1/2 hours and watched this man die while waiting for an ambulance, which of course never came. To complete their "powerful" news story, they waited for the dead man's mother to find his body and filmed her reaction.

Rather than bring the man to the hospital using their CNN newscrew vehicles or at least attempt to deliver medical aid, they rolled tape so they could produce a story about "shocking police brutality". It's all about the story, just a theatrical production to the fine folks at CNN, just like when Fox News manufactures an outrageous story so that their commentators have something to be outraged about. Except this one involved someone dying and a CNN crew not just denying, but flat out ignoring the fact that they were complicit in it.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/ameri ... .shooting/

Golly I hope this isn't too political.

[Category 5]

It's all political, its just unavoidable, and it saddens me.

[vbhoutex]

What is sad is CNN's crew doing absolutely nothing to help!!! I have to stop so I won't have to ban myself for what I want to say about them! I don't watch the news channels that much, but this is just a complete travesty and I won't be watching CNN anytime soon just because of this!