Regular viewers of Fox News woke up on November 7 with a headache that would put your New Year’s Day hangover to shame: After being spoon-fed steady assurances that Mitt Romney would absolutely, definitely win the election, Mitt Romney lost the election.
And the network’s ratings have seeming suffered because of that, ahem, miscalculation. Fox golden-boy Sean Hannity, in particular, is tanking, reports Yahoo! News.
Hannity’s Nielsen ratings for the period following Election Day have fallen by half.
“Hannity has seen its ratings decline a lot more than usual since the election—and Sean Hannity’s viewers in particular keep disappearing, while Rachel Maddow‘s continue to tune in over at rival MSNBC…
Sure, we’re all watching less news now that the election is over. But Daily News analyst Don Kaplan says Hannity’s ratings are in the crapper because viewers feel betrayed. “When the dust settled,” Kaplan writes “it turns out Hannity’s viewers opted to vote again — with their remotes.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Adding substance to his theory is the fact that Maddow has retained her audience over at MSNBC, and even beat Hannity in the coveted 25-54 demographic through early December. Overall, though, Fox is still king in the land of 24-hour television news, averaging 2.6 million viewers a night during prime time.
Well, it’s the little victories in life.
brent
If Rachel Maddow had to up every night with someone with a different world view, she would fall apart. That is what Hannity does with Bob Beckel. I think watching MSNBC i have figured out why liberals hate FOX news it is the diversity of opinion they hate. When i watch MSNBC or the AL Gore network all i usually see is liberals interviewing liberals. I guess that is the liberal idea of heaven only liberals get to speak.-JOE Cole
Charles175
I hope that Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Mark Levin go by the wayside as well. Its always the same belly aching tired BS on the airwaves day after day. What these so called representatives of conservatism do is make tons of money dividing the people. If the solutions to society’s woes were actually brought to reality, these dinosaurs would have nothing to talk about. Hence no ratings and no money as these mere talking heads would have to go out and actually work for a living like everyone else. Its all about ratings. Secondly, you know why FOX always states, “fair and balanced”? For the same reason a cheesy used car salesman tries to verbally convince you that he is honest. Someone or some entity known for honesty never needs to continually blow their horn about it.
Charles175
I forgot to include in my line up of talk show hosts the whiner Michael Weiner AKA “Michal Savage”.
BJ McFrisky
Too funny. After a week or so away, I tune into Queerty to find an article that boasts the victory of MSNBC for . . . wait for it . . . continuing to NOT be #1. Yaaaay, MSNBC, you’re still #22 in prime-time cable ratings. Way to go.
The “logic” of liberals always makes me laugh.
@brent: You’re right on the money, Brent. Fox utilizes debate to inform the public; MSNBC uses liberal talking points to indoctrinate the public. Simple minds will always choose the easiest path to enlightenment by allowing others to think for them, while the rest of us will absorb info and make our own decisions from the facts.
Sam
Yes We Did, byotch Hannity.
2eo
Haha, right on queue the worthless twosome are bang back on form, just back after their time off before resuming their paid trolling jobs January 2nd.
It’s a shame they weren’t both stabbed over the festivus season, but we don’t always get the presents we want, however one of them did have a heart attack over the winterval so that’s a plus I suppose.
Glad to see Fox news tanking, maybe the idiots that watch it just forgot how to use their televisions for a few days.
Wilberforce
I’m surprised. I didn’t think Fox viewers responded to facts. I’ve known them at work, and they’re able to make things up much faster than a normal person can recite the alphabet. And they have no shame about changing their story ten times in a minute.
1EqualityUSA
TOX News is so irrelevant. Who wants to view toxic, mean, people? The women on Tox are not anyone one would want to know. They’re snips. They’re snippy, quaking, fear-biter poodles. (Sorry if this offends any Pudelhunds out there.) And why didn’t someone tell “MeGYN” that her name evokes clinical procedures done annually?
miagoodguy
Both Haniity and MAddow are political hacks. It is just laughable how Hannity is still crushing Maddow in the ratings. His rerun ratings in the overnight hours get the same ratings or just below the ratings Maddow gets during it’s first airing.
BJ McFrisky
@2eo: Silly Brit. You still haven’t figured out that we awesome Americans have no use whatsoever for your trite European opinions, have you? Not surprising, really: Europe is dying, America is thriving, you’re losing all hope, so it’s no wonder you troll our websites seeking it. (here’s a helpful tip: Your quest is in vain, since your country is on the downslide, and the USA is, as usual, #1 on the planet)
1EqualityUSA
The milk of Magnesia crowd are slowly dying off, whereas, the younger demographic leans towards progressives. This spells trouble for Tox News and the TeaPublicans. How many election cycles will need to be lost before this becomes real for them?
miagoodguy
I get a good laugh when I hear people predicting the death of either political party. That has been going on for decades now. Silly people.
1EqualityUSA
2008, 2012, 2016….
Cam
@brent: said…
”
I think watching MSNBC i have figured out why liberals hate FOX news it is the diversity of opinion they hate. When i watch MSNBC or the AL Gore network all i usually see is liberals interviewing liberals.
__________________________
Blah Blah Blah…yeah, please point out to me ANY Liberal the equivilent of Pat Buchannon that FOX hired. He was on MSNBC for years.
The fact is Brent, go on and on all you want, but Fox lied to their viewers. They were claiming that Michigan was a tossup even though the polling results hat Obama ahead by 9 points. They said Romney was going to take VA. and Ohio even though the polls showed him behind by nearly double digits.
Play your little victim game all you want, but they lied to their viewers, the viewers got annoyed. Now deal with it.
Little-Kiwi
oh, just ignore the Fox News defending cowardly trolls on here.
They fall into two camps: uneducated white-trash idiots with bigoted parents and no brains.
Or.
wait…no. that’s it. that’s all.
Faux News is not a legit news source. And the boys defending it on here? Hilarious. More closeted right-wing cowardly homosexuals with no testicles.
Sure, Fox news is fair and balanced. Sure. And your family totes accepts you as a gay man. SUUURE. 😉
Little-Kiwi
never forget the empirical evidence done by legitimate universities that showed that Fox News viewers were the most uneducated and uninformed viewers in America.
and look, two of them came on to this thread to prove the studies right!
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: Considering MSNBC pushed the Benghazi massacre as a “spontaneous protest ignited by an anti-muslim YouTube video” and denied any terrorist involvement (per the Obama administration, of course), Fox’s mistake in what states were or weren’t leading on election night seems awfully trivial by comparison.
Little-Kiwi
the irony – closeted gay republicans defending the “news network” that is responsible for their own parent’s bigotry against them!!!
1EqualityUSA
I was up in the mountains during the Benghazi attacks and it became a joke to us how much Tox News rode that story into the ground. I would say, “Let’s switch over to Faux News and see what they are discussing now.” They were beating the Benghazi drum relentlessly in an effort to harm Obama’s chances of winning 2012. How effective was that? Everyone knows the true motivation of riding those propaganda rails was not sincere concern for Mr. Stevens and the others killed, but rather, talking points being adhered to from higher up on the toxic food chain. Romney made an ass of himself and Faux Noise did too. I have to go out to lunch with a couple of friends, so please slam them, Cam and Kiwi, in my absence. Love to you all, even you BJ!
2eo
You do all realise that BJ and Brent are paid, I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, just keep making jokes about their friend being run over in November by people I totally don’t know, or have even heard of or bought a present for festivus.
BostonLesbian
As an Msnbc watcher I’ve seen a number of conservatives and Republicans as guests. Within the last hour Grover Norquist was on. On some of their ensemble news shows one of the hosts is conservative, or at least somewhat conservative. I think the network does a better job than some at inclusion of different viewpoints and I especially enjoy Sharpton, Maddow, and Mitchell.
alexoloughlin
@brent: Well, lets face it, Fox News isn’t exactly enamored of facts is it? It’s all spin, distortion and often times, rewriting history. They’re that desperate some commentators had to spin Hilary Clinton’s recent fainting spell after a fall as a plan to avoid the Benghazi hearing.
bangaboomerang
@brent: you obviously do not watch The Rachel Maddow Show. She invites Republicans on the show all the time and gets few takers. They know she will fact-check them face to face like she did with Aaron “closet case” Schock (R-IL) on Meet The Press. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) was on her show and didn’t answer any questions, just went on and on with prepared paper.
Stache1
@brent:
Oh yes. Fox news is a bastion of diverse thought. ROFLMAO.
Redpalacebulleaglesox
I believe this happened four years ago when Obama won the 2008 election. TV ratings are a fickle statistic with the accuracy of Karl Rove calling Ohio. I never believe them even if they are favorable to the shows I like. Rachel has had strong demos from Day 1 and has picked up where Keith Olbermann left off. Hannity was the most likely to lose audience as viewers watched the Christmas specials. Really, there’s nothing to see here.
Niall
Thanks for bringing back memories of probably one of the most fun nights I’ve had watching TV ever= November 6th, lol. He didn’t just lose, he was thrashed.
Ann Mason
We don’t know if Fox News’s ratings will continue to fall, or if the recent drop is permanent.
I suspect many Fox News viewers get some sort of instant gratification from the programming which has nothing to do with being informed. The network’s broadcasters come across as arrogant leaders who encourage the audience to follow instead of think, and that formula works well as long as it’s done just right. It’s manipulation, not education.
Maybe some viewers put on their thinking caps after the election, and decided Fox News wasn’t what they wanted in their lives. Still, we should consider the possibility that Sean Hannity and his colleagues offer something which prompts a satisfying hormone release in the audience, and some of those viewers will return when they start to miss the druggy effect.
Wayde
For all the people pointing out that Fox news keeps beating MSNBC in the ratings, I don’t think you understand the business at all. Fox news maintains its viewers because it caters to the older more conservative audience but MSNBC dominates the key demographics much more than Fox. The key demographic is younger and tends to still be working and have active lives unlike the older more retired audience that Fox has. If you actually look at reports MSNBC is doing better though because advertises desire the key demographic more than the ones over at Fox. All reports show Fox’s profits declining so I’m not really sure how you can brag about how conservative tv does better than liberal. ???
Thedrdonna
Can I just say how hilarious I find it to see people claiming that a democratic-leaning organization is just soooo out of touch with reality, compared to the always-accurate republican projections? After this last election? It’s almost as fun as watching ol’ Cheney blow another gasket on tv.
goweho
@Cam: Right on point! Viewers… even the dumb ones.. hate being lied to, especially when it’s so blatant. It’s like going to a fortune teller who gets your hopes up with everything (life, money, love) and NONE of it comes true. You never go back to her.
goweho
@Stache1: This whole idea of Fox News being diverse is Orwellian double-think at it’s finest. Here you have a group of conservatives who parade around saying that they will NEVER compromise with Democrats, NEVER shirk their “principles,” yet somehow that line of thinking includes diversity and a fair/balanced approach. Well, which is it? You can’t have it both ways. You’re either on one extreme or in the middle. To say that your position is both at once is illogical. That so many millions believe this is a testament not to conservative philosophy and principles, but to the effectiveness of marketing and publicity.
LaTeesha
Why would anyone watch either MSNBC or Fox?
1EqualityUSA
LaTeesha, We don’t have cable, but catch the Rachel Maddow show m-f on the computer. I enjoy how she backs up her segments with historical references, breaks it all down, applies it to today’s happenings, and all with a bit of humor. Damned brilliant and easy on the orbs. If it were pay per view, I would pay. (Oh, man, BJ McF is going to go rabid over this post) The are constantly inviting TeaPublicans on, but they’re too chicken to be interviewed. Santorum, Romney, and many more just don’t want to be interviewed by someone who will call them on their B.S. These turds prefer Faux Noise where they nestle them into a bubble bath and lather them up with sweet nothings for the entire interview. Propaganda has a certain pitch.
SteveBmke
This is directed at LaTeesha and others:
Everyone should watch a mutiple of shows-FOX,Local, BBC, MSNBC, CNN so that you can get what would be a real diverse view. Yes I am partial to Local and MSNBC but I do channel surf on most days and watch as much FOX as I can stomach.
Machiavelli in “The Prince” and Vito Corelone to Michael in the “Godfather” said:
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” Thats why I watch Fox. However, I do not need to support crazy, so I do not listen to Beck or Limbaugh.
As far as the Right Wing nuts here: I always say: Gay Republicans are like Jewish Nazi’s… you can be blonde and blue eyed but it’s only a matter of time before you are rounded up” And that’s a religion or party choice not a race like being gay. It just goes to show that some people will put money over their well being and rights. No other way to explain those folks.
brent
@Cam: Bob Beckel
macmantoo
@BJ McFrisky: It’s not a debate when the opposing team is a member of your own new agency. Fox is so bias they wouldn’t know the truth if it bit them in the ass. All Fox has are a bunch of losers. Every body they hire has lost an election or been charged with a crime of some type. I don’t watch the news I read and develop my own opinions. That not something a Fox watcher can do, they have to be told how to think.
marc sfe
@brent: You’re funny Brent. How much were you paid for that post. Let’s see, Rachel Maddow is a Rhodes Scholar, fact checks and invites a very diverse guest list. Like I said, you’ re funny.
jmmartin
It’s a shame nobody at News Corp realizes the Era of Roger Ailes is ended. This corpulent stink of a creature, as feared by some as J. Edgar in his day, has worked a formula to death: take the GOP talking points and make them the topics of discussion for the day, always tilting right, sometimes very, very right. This is 20th century stuff. The Hannity types should be let go. Get some young, new blood in there. Get the type of egg-headed jejunes one sees on MSNBC, only with conservative (and especially old style fiscal conservative) views. This is Murdoch’s Last Stand. His Brit journalism empire went up in smoke when the government poked around in illegal phone taps. This Scrooge still has a chance of escaping the chains and locks of Marley’s Ghost.
brent
@Little-Kiwi: If you knew anything about Fox News you would know that there are more than a few young conservatives who are pro gay marriage. Greg Gutfeld who has two shows on Fox is one. If you watch RED EYE, a late night show he has many young conservative guests who are pro gay, peple like the late Andrew Breibart. Another interesting fact in the news, im sure you heard about the young man who stood up and questioned Judge Scalia of the supreme court. Well the kid who did that was a Rommney supporter.
brent
@2eo: Paid by who? Wish itwere true, i would love to be paid for my opinions.
brent
@alexoloughlin: It depends who you are listening to. Charles Krauthammer and Steve Moore present facts. Also the liberal record of New York Times is known for having a biased take on news.
hephaestion
Reply #1 (Brian) is exactly right. I have many friends in Russia and Iran, notoriously anti-gay countries at this moment in history, but men from these countries freely act very affectionate to me in ways that would stun the average American. I have seen straight men in those countries walking about holding hands and arm-in-arm.
For some reason, the most homophobic cultures do seem to have the most touching & affection between men. As awareness of gay people increases in those places, I fear they will stop being so delightfully affectionate for fear of being thought to be gay. Right now there is still basically ZERO understanding of gays in so much of the world.
brent
@bangaboomerang</@bangaboomerang: Maddow doesn’t read from prepared papers. I thought it was interesting that she was bragging that oil production has gone up under Obama. When Bush was president she interviewed Robert Redford and they both complained about Bush wanting to increase oil production. It was a bad thing when Bush was doing it, but i guess it’s a great thing when Obama does it. Also Maddow had alot of things wrong when the Scott Walker recall was going on. She claimed Wisconsin wasn;t in debt when it was, and that Walker never had approval above 50% No doubt she was just as shocked at Walker’s victory as Dick Morrris was at Obama’s victory.
brent
@Thedrdonna: Did you watch MSNBC during the Scott Walker recall? They completely failed to read the public mood. In November they even re-lost control of the state senate. I doubt MSNBC mentioned that.
dbmyers
@brent: Balderdash. Go on repeat it as many times as you want and in spite of Fox News’ support of the “big lie technique”, it still won’t make it true. Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels famously stated the tenets of the big lie technique – “Tell a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” and “The bigger the lie the more they will believe it.” But this cynical view is trumped by Lincoln’s famous quote – “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” Maddow will host any right-winger who will come on her show – not many will because they know how smart and prepared she will be.
dbmyers
@miagoodguy: Clearly you don’t actually watch Maddow or you wouldn’t dismiss her so lightly as a political hack! Either that or you are a disingenuous troll shilling for the Fox News. She is brilliant and funny. And she will fact check any and everyone. She is a Rhodes scholar and a brilliant analyst and I’d put her up against any Fox News “commentator” and bet heavily on her!
Thedrdonna
@brent: You mean this November? I think that given the fact that it was a national election, you would have to watch any balanced news reporting quite carefully to learn the results of a state senate race. Fox was too busy blowing the national one. I’m not saying msnbc is always right, or even more right than fox, just that republicans very, very sorely misgauged the national mood before this last election, and so it’s pretty rich to hear someone squalling about how out-of-touch a progressive-leaning news organization is.
brent
@dbmyers: You want to re-think comparing FOX to Goebbels, remember how angry Rachel Maddow was when the tea party dared to compare the great Obama to Hitler. So i guess this means the tea partiers aren’t the only ones to make nazi analogies. Besides FOX does not have control of all the airwaves, unlike Goebbels who did.
brent
@Thedrdonna: I believe you were the one who first brought up Fox not getting it right, i just pointed out that you could have said the same about MSNBC. I also seem to remember the liberal media predicitng a John Kerry win in 2004.
1EqualityUSA
Doc Maddow will openly admit that she is horrible at predicting outcomes of anything.
Thedrdonna
@brent: Yes, I said fox didn’t get it right. Because they didn’t, in a pretty huge way. Msnbc’s track record has nothing to do with that, really, so I don’t know that it’s pertninent. Regardless, my original comment was that its funny to hear people effectively say, “We didn’t shoot ourselves in the dick, because they shot THEMselves in the dick!”
1EqualityUSA
The first segment of weds show was exquisitely fun. I think it is a touch of schadenfreude on my part. I enjoy watching the GOP in chaos because the TeaPublicans abuse their power when they have it. (When John Boehner appointed Princeton’s Robert P. George, founder of NOM, for the Religious Freedom Commission, so that “Bobby G” could spread his brand of Religious “love” throughout the world,) that’s when schadenfreude reared up for me. They abuse their power, so watching them tumble has been sweet, indeed. Enjoy Rachel Maddow’s Wednesday show:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#50349116
Little-Kiwi
@brent: andrew breitbart is a pig who is justifiably roasting in Hell for eternity.
although i get it, Brent – your fox news watching family won’t stand up for you so you wont stand up for yourself either.
you support the network and political party that are indeed the reason your parents are ashamed to call you their son. Congrats.
dregstudios
Hannity is just one of the talking heads guarding the inhabitants of Bullsh*t Mountain from rejoining the world of the sane. Fox News is a propaganda machine which dumbs down America by the day through disinformation and their slanted agendas. See their anchors spewing forth feces from their mouths in my visual homage to the network on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-fox-news-scylla-guardian-of-bullsht.html
brent
@Little-Kiwi: So then you believe in God since there is a hell. Breibart is in hell for what reason? because he supported gay marriage.
Little-Kiwi
no, because he supports affronts to human equality.
you think Breitbart was a staunch supporter of the LGBT Communities? you likely also think your parents don’t regret not aborting you.
brent
If by affronts you mean he was insulting to people, wouldn’t that also define you? He was not a defender of gays, and you know this, how?
Little-Kiwi
brent – i get it. you need to hate The Left or else daddy will give you the hose again 😉
SkeeterVT
@miagoodguy: You apparently haven’t been paying attention to what’s happened to the Republican Party in the nation’s largest state, California. After totally alienating the state’s Latino voters — who now make up more than 25 percent of the state’s electorate — by pushing through the controversial immigration measure, Proposition 187, the California GOP has been in sharp electoral decline in the Golden State.
California — long considered the trend-setter for America as a whole — is not only home to 11 percent of the total American population with 37 million, it is a true demographic microcosm of the country. The Census Bureau forecast two years ago that whites would no longer the majority of the nation’s population by the mid-21st century. In California, whites ALREADY have fallen from majority to plurality status, as the Latino and Asian populastions have exploded.
The GOP in California is much farther to the right than the national party. With its electoral base almost exclusively white, predominantly male, almost completely devoid of young people under 40 and deeply hostile toward LGBTs, the state GOP has been reduced to political irrelevancy, with Democrats now holding all nine statewide elected offices, both U.S. Senate seats, a two-thirds majority of the state’s 52-member delegation in the U.S. House or Representatives and two-thirds majorities in both houses of the California Legislature.
Even worse for Republicans, Orange County — for decades the GOP’s most rock-solid bastion — is turning from red to blue, the result of an influx of Latino and Asian residents.
The electoral picture for Republicans is just as bad in New England, where Democrats hold every single U.S. House seat and 10 of the 12 U.S. Senate seats from all six New England states.
Only one Republican — Paul LePage of Maine — holds a governor’s office in that region (Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, an independent, is a former Republican who bolted the GOP in 2007 in protest of its rightward turn).
And Democrats control both houses in five of the six New England state legislatures — in Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island, overwhelmingly so. Only in New Hampshire is there a split, where the Democrats control the state House and the Republicans (by only two seats) control the state Senate.
The Republican Party is killing itself by moving ever farther to the right and outside the American political mainstream. If it does not reverse course and move back toward moderation, the GOP will be dead as a national political force by 2020.