Recent cable news ratings still have FOX News in the number one position – but the Dominion Case and firing of Tucker Carlson have had an impact. Previous headlines, “FOX crushes competition,” would be hyperbolic today.
The most notable change is in the Tucker Carlson time slot. In previous ratings, FOX held a substantial lead with the top 12 most viewed shows. In the latest report, MSNBC’s “All In” with Chris Hayes—with 1.4 million viewers – slipped past FOX News (the former Carlson spot) with 1.3 million viewers.
Whether Hayes can maintain a lead is uncertain. FOX is in the midst of a viewer aftershock from Carlson fans – and they have not yet elected a permanent host commentator for the program. In the meantime, that primetime slot is being offered as another of the network’s traditional news programming.
The rest of FOX’s programs (5 p.m. to 11 p.m.) continue to lead – but not by as much. The main FOX benefactor is MSNBC. CNN is still working on redefining itself – and still struggles in a distant third place.
This means that only MSNBC – among the cable news outfits – has a consistent brand and a fairly stable left-wing audience. They have probably gone about as far as they can go. The challenge for the uber left news is to maintain its audience as FOX and CNN attempt to gain back their footing. This may be a challenge for MSNBC since polling suggests that the public is moving away from uber left policies and candidates.
The challenges for FOX and CNN are different. FOX may be suffering a momentary reaction to current in-house issues. FOX is not only the reporter of the news that has impacted on the network. They are the news itself. This is different than a fundamental branding and philosophy problem that has caused CNN to fall from its once top perch.
For FOX, the key question is “Who?” I can envision the characteristics of the person that would aid in FOX’s recovery. It would take someone with conservative values who can effectively articulate the difference between conservatives and progressives – Republicans and Democrats. The person would need to be a fighter for conservative values and policies but with a less pugnacious – more appealing personality than Carlson. A lot depends on stage presence and charisma.
Fox has two choices. Pick someone from within – or pick an outsider.
If I were to pick from within, I would consider former Congressman Jason Chaffetz or former Congressman Trey Gowdy. As a wild card pick, I might consider Gregg Gutfeld – who is popular on “The Five,” and his late night “Gutfeld!” show is topping the other late-night comedians.
They could go outside. There are a number of conservative commentators who could reset the show to the top of the mountain. My favorite would be Candace Owens. A black woman on the right would provide a nice balance to the extreme views of MSNBC’s Joy Reid – although they are not in the same time slot.
CNN is not likely to gain without making more changes. While they finally dumped Don Lemon, the replacements in both of Lemon’s former time slots are not doing much to improve ratings. I would move Alisyn Camerota back to some daytime slot and give that evening hour to a guy like Michael Smerconish (the insider option) or former presidential candidate Andrew Yang (the outsider option). Yes, they both lean left, but not entirely – and CNN is not about to hire a hardline conservative. The Ted Turner brainchild has ignored their weekend coverage by leaving Jim Acosta with too much time. He is fungible and should be replaced.
For FOX and CNN, the stir at the bottom of the pond has yet to settle. How they do in the future will depend on the decisions and changes they make in the near future. It will be interesting to watch.
So, there ‘tis.