Middle-of-the-Road CNN Slips Into Last Place

Network is prime-time ratings loser
By Sarah Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
Middle-of-the-Road CNN Slips Into Last Place
In a photo provided by CNN, Larry King, left, interviews former Gov. Rod Blagojevich during a broadcast of "Larry King Live" on Jan. 26, 2009.    (AP Photo/Lorenzo Bevilaqua/CNN)

Based on cable news ratings, CNN's "no bias" strategy seems to be backfiring. The network, which sticks to the middle in its news coverage, has had an average of 271,000 primetime viewers in April, behind both conservative Fox News (668,000) and lefty MSNBC (300,000), the New York Times reports. "All of a sudden it seems a little unfashionable to be in the middle," says one CNN correspondent.

That's because viewers tune in for commentary, MSNBC's president says: "In primetime you’ve got to stand out and make a splash." Jon Klein, CNN's president, dismisses comparisons. "They don’t have journalists on in primetime," he says. But that's not to say the evening time slots don't matter. "We’re not blasé about it," Klein says. "We just want to win the right way." (More CNN stories.)

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