Schedules on Monday night were again in disarray as networks followed events in Ferguson. Fox News had Shepard Smith on the “holodeck”. CNN had Jake Tapper and Don Lemon live on the ground. And MSNBC, while largely keeping to its schedule, had Chris Hayes and Craig Melvin reporting throughout the evening.
Because of this, I would say you should look more at the daily mentions than the hourly, as people were not always in their normal slot. With that in mind, here’s some key observations:
- Holy moly, did Chris Hayes get a lot of mentions. He personally got talked about more than MSNBC as a whole does on slow days. Part of that is that he got a late start on Sunday (as things heated up when the curfew went into effect), but, still, that’s a lot of mentions…
- Jake Tapper and Don Lemon each individually broke through the 10K mark.
(Don Lemon doesn’t normally have a show on Mondays, so I had to run his count separately from the daily analysis)I have now updated “CNN Tonight” to include the two as hosts. - Did I mention how high Chris Hayes’ mentions were?
A final observation: Ferguson is an opportunity for some folks besides the hosts to shine as actual on the air reporters for the networks. And this has pointed out something important: Cable News has a real journalism problem.
Especially you, MSNBC. Sit down with me for a moment…
Each of your shows has a cult-of-stardom anchor, and it seems like the creatives below the anchor are mostly given miss-the-mark titles like “digital writer” and “producer”. Yet they are, in fact, serious journalists and editors and deserve to be called so1.
Want to know what amazing reporting looks like? We just saw a glimpse of it last night when MSNBC producer/reporter Erin Delmore was streaming video from her phone in order to go where a camera crew couldn’t go. That was real, gritty, leading edge, and technically savvy journalism. Do you think Chris Matthews can stream video from his phone?
I know you have a stable of contributors, and I respect them all. They are there to interpret the news, providing opinion and commentary. But they are not, primarily, reporters. You have guys like Trymaine Lee who have a Pulitzer — how often do we see him? Not enough.
It’s no secret that the viewers of the networks all skew older, with the right tail far out of the demo. Getting more — and younger — faces on air and giving them recognition would go a long ways towards fixing that. It’s not about just dropping a younger body into the same old role (hi, Ronan), it’s about allowing people with differing ways of relating to people, journalism and, yes, technology to inform the delivery of the news.
Try it. Your advertisers will love you. Your audience too.
Thanks for listening, MSNBC. 🙂
1: I’m sure that the titles are the tip of the iceberg on deeper issues. I worked for a media company in the 80s, and the union rules were perplexing. Tough, solve the issues, it’s hurting your bottom line.
Note that all times are US Eastern Time. See notes at end for further explanations.
For earlier articles on cable news twitter ratings, please see
this.
Cable News Twitter Ratings for 2014-08-18
Top Shows for the day:
| Category | Mentions | Show |
| Most Mentions During Hour | 14597 | MSNBC: Chris Hayes in Ferguson |
| Most Mentions During Day | 43423 | MSNBC: Chris Hayes in Ferguson |
Ratings for individual time slots
Ratings for 12 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | The Hunt with John Walsh | 10 | 77 | 9 | 76 | 120,938 | 44% | 56% |
| Fox News | Judge Jeanine | 14 | 337 | 10 | 255 | 1,720,715 | 62% | 38% |
| MSNBC | Chris Hayes in Ferguson | 14,597 | 43,423 | 9,147 | 20,747 | 137,728,418 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for 1 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 58 | 2,930 | 51 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| Al Jazeera | Real Money with Ali Velshi | 0 | 53 | 0 | 44 | 644,798 | 73% | 27% |
| CNN | The Hunt with John Walsh | 6 | 77 | 6 | 76 | 120,938 | 44% | 56% |
| Fox News | Stossel | 11 | 187 | 9 | 172 | 111,395 | 77% | 23% |
| MSNBC | Chris Hayes in Ferguson | 2,641 | 43,423 | 2,005 | 20,747 | 137,728,418 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for 2 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Fox News | Fox News Sunday | 13 | 305 | 10 | 244 | 530,659 | 51% | 49% |
| MSNBC | Meet The Press | 29 | 668 | 25 | 547 | 2,491,904 | 62% | 38% |
Ratings for 3 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 19 | 2,930 | 17 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| Fox News | Huckabee | 6 | 644 | 5 | 537 | 3,838,618 | 88% | 12% |
Ratings for 4 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 18 | 2,930 | 18 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| Al Jazeera | News | 18 | 2,930 | 18 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | Early Start | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Fox News | #MediaBuzz | 12 | 444 | 6 | 346 | 5,874,598 | 73% | 27% |
Ratings for 5 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 11 | 2,930 | 9 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| Al Jazeera | Real Money with Ali Velshi (3:30) | 0 | 53 | 0 | 44 | 644,798 | 73% | 27% |
| CNN | Early Start | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Fox News | FoxFriendsFirst | 43 | 96 | 31 | 67 | 137,646 | 83% | 17% |
| MSNBC | First Look (5-5:30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| MSNBC | Way Too Early (5:30-6) | 18 | 63 | 17 | 51 | 41,572 | 60% | 40% |
Ratings for 6 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 44 | 2,930 | 39 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | New Day | 356 | 3,955 | 216 | 2,731 | 103,084,035 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Fox And Friends | 180 | 2,412 | 118 | 1,656 | 17,804,871 | 54% | 46% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 15 | 328 | 15 | 247 | 1,663,557 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 773 | 4,705 | 267 | 2,006 | 10,783,466 | 56% | 44% |
Ratings for 7 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 196 | 2,930 | 179 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | New Day | 392 | 3,955 | 309 | 2,731 | 103,084,035 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Fox And Friends | 300 | 2,412 | 195 | 1,656 | 17,804,871 | 54% | 46% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 32 | 328 | 23 | 247 | 1,663,557 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 1,670 | 4,705 | 647 | 2,006 | 10,783,466 | 56% | 44% |
Ratings for 8 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 153 | 2,930 | 123 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | New Day | 394 | 3,955 | 277 | 2,731 | 103,084,035 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Fox And Friends | 412 | 2,412 | 273 | 1,656 | 17,804,871 | 54% | 46% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 69 | 328 | 52 | 247 | 1,663,557 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 989 | 4,705 | 529 | 2,006 | 10,783,466 | 56% | 44% |
Ratings for 9 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 210 | 2,930 | 186 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | News Room | 9 | 118 | 8 | 74 | 137,557 | 69% | 31% |
| Fox News | America’s Newsroom | 88 | 268 | 62 | 161 | 916,942 | 70% | 30% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 59 | 328 | 51 | 247 | 1,663,557 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | The Daily Run Down | 157 | 693 | 109 | 502 | 3,164,744 | 45% | 55% |
Ratings for 10 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Consider This | 3 | 47 | 3 | 43 | 95,536 | 83% | 17% |
| CNN | News Room | 5 | 118 | 5 | 74 | 137,557 | 69% | 31% |
| Fox News | America’s Newsroom | 106 | 268 | 68 | 161 | 916,942 | 70% | 30% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 20 | 328 | 19 | 247 | 1,663,557 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | José Díaz-Balart | 179 | 373 | 116 | 249 | 5,622,134 | 38% | 62% |
Ratings for 11 am
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 120 | 2,930 | 103 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| Al Jazeera | Inside Story (11:30) | 3 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 8,017 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | @This Hour | 105 | 336 | 76 | 234 | 28,507,525 | 55% | 45% |
| Fox News | Happening Now | 42 | 146 | 33 | 105 | 2,087,314 | 69% | 31% |
| HLN | Morning Express w/Robin Meade | 12 | 328 | 9 | 247 | 1,663,557 | 71% | 29% |
| MSNBC | News Nation w/ Tamron Hall | 256 | 1,509 | 155 | 968 | 33,211,206 | 29% | 71% |
Ratings for 12 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 196 | 2,930 | 174 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | Legal View w/Banfield | 92 | 125 | 50 | 67 | 49,316 | 83% | 17% |
| Fox News | Outnumbered | 462 | 2,205 | 260 | 1,338 | 7,673,759 | 74% | 26% |
| HLN | HLN Now | 26 | 303 | 21 | 190 | 553,087 | 45% | 55% |
| MSNBC | Andrea Mitchell Reports | 482 | 1,872 | 320 | 1,341 | 13,319,200 | 51% | 49% |
Ratings for 1 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 138 | 2,930 | 127 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| Al Jazeera | TechKnow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | Wolf | 29 | 358 | 27 | 299 | 15,062,743 | 58% | 42% |
| Fox News | Happening Now | 36 | 146 | 27 | 105 | 2,087,314 | 69% | 31% |
| HLN | HLN Now | 24 | 303 | 19 | 190 | 553,087 | 45% | 55% |
| MSNBC | Ronan Farrow Daily | 206 | 508 | 137 | 333 | 2,466,432 | 61% | 39% |
Ratings for 2 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 101 | 2,930 | 91 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | News Room | 7 | 118 | 5 | 74 | 137,557 | 69% | 31% |
| Fox News | The Real Story w/Gretchen Carlson | 295 | 507 | 193 | 333 | 886,355 | 71% | 29% |
| HLN | HLN Now | 29 | 303 | 19 | 190 | 553,087 | 45% | 55% |
| MSNBC | The Reid Report | 755 | 6,835 | 299 | 3,961 | 13,600,601 | 40% | 60% |
Ratings for 3 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | News Room | 10 | 118 | 7 | 74 | 137,557 | 69% | 31% |
| Fox News | Shepard Smith Reporting | 121 | 739 | 81 | 469 | 1,318,497 | 65% | 35% |
| HLN | HLN Now | 29 | 303 | 23 | 190 | 553,087 | 45% | 55% |
| MSNBC | The Cycle | 149 | 244 | 88 | 148 | 815,667 | 52% | 48% |
| MSNBC | The Cycle (w/ Host Accounts) | 203 | 1,181 | 128 | 848 | 2,456,854 | 48% | 52% |
Ratings for 4 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 93 | 2,930 | 77 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | The Lead w/Jake Tapper | 510 | 10,093 | 338 | 6,697 | 138,757,210 | 59% | 41% |
| Fox News | Your World | 124 | 1,151 | 77 | 840 | 2,684,284 | 61% | 39% |
| HLN | HLN Now | 48 | 303 | 35 | 190 | 553,087 | 45% | 55% |
| MSNBC | Now w/Alex Wagner | 294 | 770 | 219 | 461 | 1,456,229 | 53% | 47% |
Ratings for 5 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Inside Story (5-5:30) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 8,017 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | The Situation Room | 34 | 358 | 31 | 299 | 15,062,743 | 58% | 42% |
| Fox News | The Five | 25 | 38 | 15 | 25 | 31,533 | 84% | 16% |
| Fox News | The Five w/Hosts | 1,407 | 4,399 | 870 | 2,616 | 48,235,938 | 62% | 38% |
| MSNBC | The Ed Show | 1,892 | 3,416 | 818 | 1,454 | 12,359,749 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for 6 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 126 | 2,930 | 122 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | The Situation Room (6 – 6:30) | 45 | 358 | 41 | 299 | 15,062,743 | 58% | 42% |
| CNN | Crossfire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| CNN | Crossfire With Hosts (6:30 – 7) | 22 | 369 | 20 | 311 | 2,081,557 | 63% | 37% |
| Fox News | Special Report w/Bret Baier | 374 | 1,535 | 264 | 1,035 | 9,211,648 | 60% | 40% |
| MSNBC | PoliticsNation w/ Al Sharpton | 81 | 307 | 56 | 207 | 2,954,781 | 54% | 46% |
Ratings for 7 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Real Money with Ali Velshi | 10 | 53 | 9 | 44 | 644,798 | 73% | 27% |
| CNN | Out Front w/Erin Burnett | 1,019 | 1,726 | 708 | 1,219 | 44,506,295 | 59% | 41% |
| Fox News | On The Record w/Greta Van Susteren | 1,174 | 3,058 | 698 | 1,889 | 9,519,080 | 58% | 42% |
| HLN | Jane Velez-Mitchell | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2,356 | 0% | 100% |
| MSNBC | Hardball w/ Chris Matthews | 1,271 | 1,862 | 606 | 884 | 4,131,907 | 55% | 45% |
Ratings for 8 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 155 | 2,930 | 139 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | Anderson Cooper 360 | 1,711 | 7,658 | 1,040 | 4,947 | 99,543,390 | 47% | 53% |
| Fox News | The O’Reilly Factor | 302 | 909 | 202 | 634 | 3,166,475 | 64% | 36% |
| HLN | Nancy Grace | 826 | 1,475 | 455 | 873 | 2,513,224 | 37% | 63% |
| MSNBC | All In w/ Chris Hayes | 4,357 | 43,423 | 2,105 | 20,747 | 137,728,418 | 52% | 48% |
Ratings for 9 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| CNN | Anderson Cooper 360 | 1,666 | 7,658 | 1,139 | 4,947 | 99,543,390 | 47% | 53% |
| Fox News | The Kelly File | 2,420 | 3,772 | 1,145 | 1,964 | 17,317,612 | 60% | 40% |
| Fox News | The O’Reilly Factor+Eric Bolling | 206 | 2,167 | 158 | 1,402 | 12,275,842 | 59% | 41% |
| HLN | Dr Drew On Call | 736 | 1,088 | 335 | 504 | 706,515 | 35% | 65% |
| MSNBC | The Rachel Maddow Show | 1,945 | 4,081 | 884 | 1,980 | 9,971,264 | 45% | 55% |
Ratings for 10 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | Consider This | 4 | 47 | 4 | 43 | 95,536 | 83% | 17% |
| CNN | CNN Tonight | 398 | 1,716 | 246 | 1,194 | 37,724,143 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | CNN Tonight w/ Hosts | 1,257 | 20,594 | 904 | 12,175 | 197,854,824 | 56% | 44% |
| Fox News | Hannity | 1,234 | 7,004 | 767 | 4,048 | 34,165,494 | 61% | 39% |
| MSNBC | The Last Word w/Lawrence O’Donnell | 881 | 2,758 | 494 | 1,643 | 8,405,378 | 46% | 54% |
Ratings for 11 pm
| Network | Show | Twts Hour | Twts Day | UT Hour | UT Day | Reach | Male | Female |
| Al Jazeera | News | 255 | 2,930 | 222 | 2,255 | 9,630,851 | 55% | 45% |
| CNN | CNN Tonight w/ Hosts | 5,513 | 20,594 | 3,968 | 12,175 | 197,854,824 | 56% | 44% |
| CNN | CNN Tonight | 1,129 | 1,716 | 882 | 1,194 | 37,724,143 | 56% | 44% |
| Comedy Central | The Daily Show (11-11:30) | 36 | 776 | 34 | 663 | 1,912,832 | 45% | 55% |
| Comedy Central | The Colbert Report (11:30-12am) | 20 | 433 | 19 | 382 | 13,297,138 | 62% | 38% |
| Fox News | The O’Reilly Factor | 65 | 909 | 57 | 634 | 3,166,475 | 64% | 36% |
| Fox News | Shepard Smith Reporting | 319 | 739 | 205 | 469 | 1,318,497 | 65% | 35% |
| MSNBC | All In w/Chris Hayes | 4,249 | 43,423 | 2,572 | 20,747 | 137,728,418 | 52% | 48% |
Definition of terms used in this report:
- Network: For the purposes of total network mentions, the count is the total unique tweets that
mention any of the shows tracked on the network or the network’s general Twitter account (e.g., @CNN). - Mentions During Hour or Tweets Hour: The number of tweets that mention the show during the hour
specified. For shows that are repeat later in the day, the first (and often live) showing usually garners the
most mentions by a significant margin. - Mentions During day or Tweets Day: The total number of mentions a show received from midnight
to midnight, eastern time. - Tweet Count: The number of tweets (including retweets) that mention a show.
- Unique Tweeters (Also labeled ‘UT‘): The number of Twitter users who have sent one or more tweets mentioning a
show. If a user sends more than one tweet, they still only count once. For individual shows, both the unique tweeters
during an hour as well as throughout the day are shown. - Reach: A measure of the number of impressions a collection of tweets could make. For each tweet
that is sent, I add up how many people follow the person tweeting it — how many timelines that tweet will
show up in. Thus, if network A has 10,000 mentions from people with an average of 10 followers, the reach will
be 100,000. On the other hand, if network B has 10,000 mentions from people with an average of 100 followers,
the reach will be 1,000,000. So network B has much greater reach: tweets mentioning network B will potentially
be seen 10 times as often as tweets about network A. There’s no guarantee that that many people actually
see or read the tweet; in fact, it’s probably safe to say a very small fraction do. For individual shows,
reach is only calculate on the entire day’s tweets: there’s no point in assuming that people read the tweets
in real time. - Male / Female: An estimate of the demographics of a show’s audience. Note that this number is
an imprecise estimate.
CCable News Twitter Ratings are still experimental. If you have any suggestions, find any errors, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at admin@socialseer.com
For further discussion of how these stats are calculated, please see this blog post. Especially the part about how I determine the gender of Twitter users.