Just 82,000 viewers separated first from third place in the A25-54 demo during Wednesday’s cable news 9 p.m. hour.
FNC’s Megyn Kelly led the hour, followed by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and CNN’s Anderson Cooper. But when you look at the quarter-hour breakdown it’s clear that Cooper’s phone interview with Hillary Clinton, responding to being called a “bigot” by Donald Trump at a rally in Mississippi, brought viewers to CNN. The Clinton interview aired from 9:37-9:48 p.m. And that Clinton interview came in the midst of Maddow’s 45-minute interview with Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway
By the final quarter hour, which began with the Clinton interview, Cooper had taken the lead in the demo. Among total viewers, Cooper’s show was the only one to grow in the final quarter hour, though it still trailed Kelly and Maddow.
9 p.m. ET | August 24, 2016, A25-54 demo:
| FNC | MSNBC | CNN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-9:15 | 487,000 | 470,000 | 441,000 |
| 9:15-9:30 | 570,000 | 436,000 | 407,000 |
| 9:30-9:45 | 541,000 | 447,000 | 449,000 |
| 9:45-10:00 | 439,000 | 355,000 | 511,000 |
9 p.m. ET | August 24, 2016, A25-54 demo:
| FNC | MSNBC | CNN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-9:15 | 2,782,000 | 1,853,000 | 1,368,000 |
| 9:15-9:30 | 2,949,000 | 1,806,000 | 1,309,000 |
| 9:30-9:45 | 2,765,000 | 1,776,000 | 1,396,000 |
| 9:45-10:00 | 2,587,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,497,000 |