Fox News ratings continue to far outpace news rivals

NEWS AND OPINION:

Fox News continues to best its rivals in no uncertain terms. During the week of April 11-17, Fox News marked its 40th straight week earning more primetime viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined.

Yes, you read that right. Fox News earned an average of 2.3 million viewers in that period, according to Nielsen Media Research, compared to 1.2 million who went with MSNBC and 694,000 who chose CNN.

Notably, Fox News aired 93 of the top 100 cable newscasts during the week — and also topped such non-news rivals as TNT, HGTV, History and Discovery.

With 3.6 million viewers, “The Five” averaged more viewers than ESPN’s NBA playoffs — as did “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which has an audience of 3.4 million. “Hannity,” meanwhile, weighed in with 3 million viewers.

When MSNBC primetime host Rachel Maddow returned to her show after a significant absence, 1.9 million viewers tuned in to watch. Ms. Maddow, however, lost the ratings race for that hour to Fox News host Laura Ingraham — who enjoyed an audience of 2.3 million.

In the morning ratings race, “Fox & Friends” drew 1.4 million, compared to 446,000 viewers who chose CNN’s “New Day” and 786,000 who preferred MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” This marks the 56th straight week “Fox & Friends” has topped the cable news competition in the mornings across all categories, according to Nielsen.

MR. SCALISE DOES THE MATH

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, has a few simple but telling numbers to share.

“The inflation rate was 1.7% in February 2021, the first full month of President Biden’s presidency. Today, the inflation rate is 8.5%. This is disgraceful. Democrats’ out-of-control spending, extreme climate policies, and regulatory assault on our economy are wreaking havoc on every American at the gas station and the grocery store. We deserve better,” Mr. Scalise wrote in an op-ed for Fox News.

MR. CONTINETTI HAS A SAY

The title says all, perhaps: “The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism” by Matthew Continetti arrived Tuesday, making the case that “conservatism began as networks of intellectuals.”

The 503-page book is detailed and research-rich — described as a “magisterial intellectual history” of conservatism in the U.S. over the last 100 years.

“Matthew Continetti applies what scholars of all persuasions should do with American conservatism, treating it as a complex, contradictory movement, often at war between its populists and its intellectual elite wings, Continetti is skilled in going places and making conclusions other rightists don’t,” noted a review at The Federalist.

Mr. Continetti, by the way, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, founding editor and editor-in-chief of The Washington Free Beacon, a contributing editor at National Review, and a columnist for Commentary magazine.

Publisher Basic Books is an imprint of Perseus Books, a Hachette Book Group company.

BUH-BYE TWITTER

Chris Licht — the former executive vice president of CBS — will soon become president of CNN. He’ll arrive with a vow to abandon a main social media source, however.

“May 2 will be my first official day in the office at CNN and my last day on Twitter. Twitter can be a great journalistic tool, but it can also skew what’s really important in the world. I’m logging off and looking forward to working with the incredible team at CNN,” Mr. Licht tweeted Tuesday.

“Licht announced his Twitter retirement while Elon Musk is in the middle of a bid to buy the social media giant, made less likely when the platform adopted a poison-pill strategy to avoid hostile takeover. It also comes as the New York Times’ top leadership encouraged its journalists earlier this month to spend ‘meaningfully less time’ on the platform,” pointed out The Wrap, a media and entertainment industry source.

“Will Licht make his new reporters do the same?” the publication asked.

‘CHERISH AMERICAN GREATNESS’

The Heritage Foundation is already preparing for the outcome of the next presidential election.

The conservative think tank has launched the “2025 Presidential Transition Project,” a new initiative meant to prepare the next administration via conservative policy recommendations, along with properly vetted and trained personnel needed “to take back America.”

The project echoes the organization’s longstanding “Mandate for Leadership” — a practical source of policy guidance that debuted during the Reagan administration. Former President Trump’s administration embraced nearly two-thirds of Heritage’s proposals within just one year in office, according to the foundation itself.

Paul Dans, former chief of staff of the Office of Personnel Management during the Trump administration, will join the organization as director of this initiative.  

“The Washington, D.C., bureaucrats responsible for crafting and implementing policy can be just as damaging to our country as those elected to lead it. It is not enough to elect conservative leaders who articulate the right policies,” said Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“We must ensure that the men and women surrounding these leaders also cherish American greatness, hold an unwavering fidelity to our Constitution, and believe in the supremacy of our God-given rights,” Mr. Roberts advised.

POLL DU JOUR

• 40% of U.S. adults worry “a great deal” about illegal immigration; 76% of Republicans, 36% of independents and 17% of Democrats agree.

• 20% overall worry about illegal immigration “a fair amount”; 15% of Republicans, 20% of independents and 24% of Democrats agree.

• 22% overall worry about it “only a little”; 3% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 32% of Democrats agree.

• 18% “do not worry at all” about illegal information; 6% of Republicans, 17% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: A Gallup poll of 1,017 U.S. adults conducted March 1-18 and released Tuesday.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.