Feb 04/05: Straight Program Data

Let’s revisit Wednesday’s comparison of February ’04 and ’05 ratings. The data included in this post was time period data, which includes special events like last month’s State of the Union, or 2004’s primaries. One cable source has forwarded “straight program data,” which is for each specific cable news program.

The numbers show a decline for CNN and MSNBC in February primetime. One source attributed the drop to a very strong February of 2004, due to coverage of the Democratic Presidential Primaries and a candidate debate. CNN’s ratings increased more than FNC’s on Democratic Primary Nights, so the ’05 comparisons thus hurt CNN more than FNC. This is straight program data:

4 to 5pm:

FNC, Your World, +4%

CNN, Inside Politics, -18%

MSNBC, Lester Holt Live, -41%

Headline News, +21%

CNBC, Closing Bell, -10%

5 to 6pm:

FNC, Big Story, +12%

CNN, Wolf Blitzer Reports, -17%

MSNBC, Connected Coast To Coast, -20%

Headline News, +15%

CNBC, Kudlow & Company, -13%

6 to 7pm:

FNC, Special Report, +20%

CNN, Lou Dobbs Tonight, -17%

MSNBC, Abrams Report, -28%

Headline News, -4%

CNBC, Bullseye, -22%

7 to 8pm:

FNC, Fox Report, +3%

CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, +3%

MSNBC, Hardball, -14%

Headline News/Showbiz Tonight, -25%

CNBC, Conan O’Brien, -14%

8 to 9pm:

FNC, O’Reilly Factor, +7%

CNN, Paula Zahn Now, -15%

MSNBC, Countdown, -6%

Headline News/Nancy Grace, +7%

CNBC, Cover To Cover/Apprentice, -5%

9 to 10pm:

FNC, Hannity & Colmes, +7%

CNN, Larry King Live, -22%

MSNBC, Investigates/Reports, +18%

Headline News/Prime News Tonight, 0%

CNBC, Dennis Miller, -64%

10 to 11pm:

FNC, On The Record, +24%

CNBC, NewsNight, -20%

MSNBC, Scarborough Country, -16%

Headline News, -17%

CNBC, Big Idea, -62%

> Update: “Any way you parse the numbers, CNN continues to be DOWN — Nielsen doesn’t mislead or lie,” another cable news source said.