Counting Countdown’s Young Viewers

“We do very well among 25-54 viewers — 40, 50, sometimes 60 percent in that demo,” MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann told the Houston Chronicle recently. “And the late-night show (Countdown is repeated at 11) has had 100 percent in that group.”

But an insider crunched the numbers and says they don’t match up. In the first quarter, Countdown averaged 321,000 viewers, including 114,000 in the demo, or 36%. The numbers are similar for Q2 to date. In May it has also averaged 36%. During the midnight re-air, about 45% of the viewers are between 25 and 54.

“100% — Really? I guess when your numbers are so low, you’ll resort to anything — even making them up,” the insider remarked. Still, most other cable news shows wish 40% of their audience was that young…

> Update: 4:15pm: Keith Olbermann e-mails a response: “We’ve had individual nights where literally, or virtually, 100% of the midnight audience has come from the demo — and I might add, nights where the audience number and the demo number were around 200,000, which is a nice big number at that hour. I didn’t claim to McDaniel, and he didn’t write, that we had them every repeat nor even frequently. You don’t throw a no-hitter every night.”

Olbermann continues: “And as to Fox, I find myself increasingly embarrassed on their behalf — that nobody there has enough pride in their product nor enough personal self-respect to give anything but an anonymous quote. I guess when your top show has coughed up 37% of its audience since last October, you’ll resort to anything.”

> Update: 4:47pm: “It’s funny that every time Keith sees a ghost, his paranoia leads him to believe it’s Fox,” a Fox News spokesperson responds, “but based on his embarrassing showing last night where he averaged just 82,000 in 25-54, it’s clear he’s far from attracting a respectable demo let alone a demo worth crowing about.” [Countdown’s demo was 113,000 at 8pm and 82,000 at midnight.]