‘Sorry, Joe’: CNN’s ‘New Day’ Brags About Winning Streak

By Mark Joyella 

CNN’s “New Day” has momentum, and the network is ready to brag about it. In a full-page ad in The New York Times today, CNN teases MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, saying “Sorry, Joe, while you were leaning forward, we were moving ahead.” Indeed, “New Day” beat Scarborough’s “Morning Joe” in the demo for 2014 (as did HLN’s “Morning Express”), and “New Day” beat MSNBC in both the demo and among total viewers for January.

Scarborough responded to the ad in a tweet addressed, seemingly, to CNN boss Jeff Zucker:

Scarborough’s “five years in a row” refers to total viewers, which “Morning Joe” did win in 2014. The far more critical demo, however, turned toward CNN, which has beaten MSNBC for seven consecutive months in the demo, and four consecutive months among total viewers.

In September, Scarborough predicted “Morning Joe” would regain its edge, writing off CNN’s momentum as nothing more than breaking news drawing away viewers. “CNN does very well when the world is blowing up,” Scarborough told Variety. “I just tell everybody to keep doing the show you’re doing. When locusts stop descending from the heavens, we will start beating them again.”

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