CNN’s press release on their Q3 ratings highlights their reach. “CNN continues to dominate the cable news competition in reach.” Reach, or cumulative audience, is a number representing someone tuning in to a particular channel for no particular amount of time for a specific time period. The figure is generally not used for advertising sales purposes. As one insider tells me it is used “as a talking point” to tell a story of the audience. Update: another executive says cume/reach is more than a talking point.
Here is the Q3 2007 average monthly reach:
P2+ Reach
CNN: 66,485,000
FNC: 55,570,000
HLN: 53,790,000
MSNBC: 53,578,000
P25-54 Reach
CNN: 30,917,000
MSNBC: 26,063,000
HLN: 25,645,000
FNC: 24,636,000
>More from an emailers: “FNC is reaching 16% fewer households and yet they still consistently beat CNN in ratings” … “CNN is touting that they had eyeballs tuning in trying to find something, then tuning out when they couldn’t find it.”