The AP’s David Bauder takes a look at the cable news landscape through the lens of an Obama White House. Frank Sesno, the former CNN Washington bureau chief and occasional on-air analyst says viewing habits shifted during the campaign. “The market has changed. I don’t think this is episodic. I think it is structural and real and probably permanent. People have learned new viewing habits and new news consumption habits,” Sesno says.
So does this mean good things for MSNBC? The former president of the network says maybe. Erik Sorenson says MSNBC should do better in quieter periods than it has in the past because of its clearer identity. “That said, the wrong guys won the election for MSNBC,” Sorenson says. “If McCain won, Keith [Olbermann] and Rachel [Maddow] would have a lot to talk about. The audience would have a lot to be angry about and focused on.”
— Earlier on TVNewser: What the cable nets will do to keep audiences tuned in…
• FNC: Jay Wallace: “Any time there’s a key story that’s out there…we always tend to retain more eyeballs than anyone else.”
• CNN: Jon Klein: It’s the economy…
• MSNBC: Phil Griffin: “We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing.”