Among regularly scheduled cable news programs in February, Fox News held the top eight slots, with “The O’Reilly Factor” leading the way in total and demo viewers. The top MSNBC program in both total and demo viewers was “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which placed 13th in total viewers, and ninth overall in the demo. For CNN, the 10 PM airing of “AC360” was the top program, placing 19th in total viewers and 10th in the demo. The top HLN program was “Nancy Grace,” which placed 25th in total viewers and 26th in the demo.
The top CNBC program in both categories was “Squawk on the Street,” while the top FBN program in total viewers was “Imus in the Morning.” In the demo the top FBN program was “The Willis Report.”
February was also a big month for special programming, between a GOP debate and the tributes to Whitney Houston. CNN’s Houston funeral coverage, as well as its GOP debate, drew higher ratings than any regularly scheduled cable news program, and cracked the list of top 50 programs on cable, including sports.
CNN’s Houston coverage placed 24th, 25th and 37th among all cable programs, while the GOP debate placed 38th.
The cable news program ranker and the overall cable program ranker are after the jump.