The Fox News people tend to crow about how their right wing news network gets the highest overall ratings. However, there is a dirty little secret about those ratings which they won't tell you. Fox News's high overall ratings do not translate into high profits because their key shows underperform in the 25-54 age group, the most profitable demographic, and the only one for which advertisers will pay through the nose.
This achilles heel was laid bare last week as O'Reilly got his
ass kicked by Paula Zahn
twice in a row in that key demographic:
Zahn Beats O'Reilly In 25-54 Demo, Twice
CNN's Paula Zahn has edged FNC's Bill O'Reilly by the skin of her teeth in the 25-54 demographic on two consecutive nights.
On Friday, CNN 8pm averaged 539,000 viewers in the demo, while O'Reilly averaged 536,000. ("Fox News Live" coverage of the Pope aired instead of The O'Reilly Factor, but O'Reilly anchored the coverage; "Paula Zahn Now" was pre-empted for Pope coverage, but Zahn led the anchoring from NY.)
On Monday, Zahn averaged 338,000 viewers, while O'Reilly averaged 334,000. O'Reilly's numbers are unusually low.
> In fact, in the 25-54 demo, CNN beat FNC on Monday night at 8, 9 and 10pm: 338k vs. 334k at 8pm, 404k to 280k at 9pm, and 414k to 218k at 10pm.
So remember that the next time you hear a wingnut crowing about Fox News's ratings success. Despite its success in overall ratings, it still performs poorly in the key demographic which drives cable TV profits.