The ratings erosion from the past few months experienced by a couple of cable news outlets continues, as the past month showed it has not been a simple case of a post-election lull. For MSNBC and CNN, January delivered depressing results, with one experiencing related issues. Two hundred layoffs were announced at CNN’s broadcast side, as well as a major shakeup of its on-air schedule – the latter leading to the departure of longtime fixture Jim Acosta.
The Nielsen viewership ratings have been compiled, and they show two trends since early November: MSNBC and CNN suffering viewership loss, and Fox seeing gains at the same time. That dichotomy in the numbers means things cannot be dismissed as a normal drop after an election. Fox News is in a position of dominance that may not have been seen prior.
The significant shift represents a national trend in the…
