Tuesday, April 25, 2017

With Bill O'Reilly out of the picture Rachel Maddow emerges as new juggernaut of cable news.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Fox News normally ranks #1 among cable news channels. But lately MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has been challenging Fox at 9 p.m., the centerpiece of the prime time schedule.

Maddow's surge is being fueled partly by her day-in, day-out criticism of the Trump administration. There is an increased appetite for the liberal arguments she has been making for years. 

"There's a reason Rachel is beating Fox and CNN," MSNBC president Phil Griffin told CNNMoney in an email. "She's a talented storyteller who's helping her audience cut through all the confusion coming out of Washington. She's connecting dots in ways no one else is.

"The week of April 10, for instance, Maddow just barely beat Carlson -- she averaged 542,000 viewers in the demo while he averaged 541,000. CNN ranked third with an average of 396,000 in the demo. 

Maddow's show has been MSNBC's tentpole, its highest rated program, for many years. The difference now is the competition with Fox News.

Maddow's increased popularity has even inspired one longtime Right Wing propagandist to become a little hyperbolic.
(Wait, we have flying cars now?)

 I have long suspected that there is something hinky about Fox's ability to dominate cable news, but so far there has never been any revelations about paying off TV ratings services or anything of that nature. (Though let's face it, we certainly would not put it past News Corp to do just that.)

There ARE a few theories out there: 

Fox news enjoys betters ratings precisely because it is "biased, selfish, manipulative & hate-filled". It is exciting stuff for the irrational or ignorant whom would like to be politically involved, but do not have the proper foundation of studies (Economics/Politics/Government/Finance/Law). Therefore, they can push an agenda without corresponding facts to suit the theories and behavior promoted. 

Sounds reasonable to me.

It should also be pointed out that the Fox News viewers are easily the MOST partisan group of cable news watchers out there, far more conservative than either CNN or MSNBC viewers are liberal.

And for years Fox News was their one stop shop to feed their confirmation bias.

On the other hand Rachel Maddow has an actual PHD and seems to be determined to follow the facts wherever they might lead her.

Her shows are incredibly informative, often containing history lessons, instruction about the way government works, and plenty of heretofore unknown trivia about both.

She also does not utilize tried and true Fox News methods such as inviting scantily clad blondes to discuss the news of the day, or yelling at her guests and calling them stupid when they have the temerity to disagree with her.

Instead she continues, day by day, to deliver the truth.

And in the era of Donald Trump the thirst for that truth has never been more deeply felt.

48 comments:

  1. And folks say Trump hasn't done any good...

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  2. Anonymous4:43 PM

    It must bother Gryphen to no end that there are no scsntily clad blondes on Rachel's show, what with him being such a cocksman and all.

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    1. Anonymous5:01 PM

      @4:43 PM Why are you interested in his sex life, pervert?

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    2. Anonymous8:04 PM

      Everyone here is creepily obsessed with others sex lives.

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    3. Anonymous8:21 PM

      A "cocksman" What the fuck, are you a time traveller from victorian England?

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    4. Anonymous10:12 PM

      Haha. Love entertainment.

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    5. Leland2:32 AM

      @ 4:43

      Just plain stupid.

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    6. That you Brisket?

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  3. Anonymous4:45 PM

    Dr. Rachel Maddow is the very best journalist we have on cable news (MSNBC) - every evening Monday through Friday. I seldom miss her televised show. She's educational, does in depth research, explains things beautifully, and historical facts are provided with each segment or story she provides. Plus, she has a terrific sense of humor.

    Recommend her to everyone I can. She truly is the BEST!

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    1. Anonymous5:14 PM

      "Now President Trump is threatening a trade war with Canada. Canada!
      What can one say?
      Well, there is this: The new President’s policy statements, tweeted and otherwise, are clearly a problem. There are so many of them and they are so often contradictory that it is hard to keep up with them. It’s easy to feel inundated, overwhelmed and confused I think some believe that is his strategy, to obfuscate and distract. Others just say that is the way his mind and temperament work.
      In either case, I think it is all the more reason to try and stay focused on the big picture, the truly important narratives and questions of his young Presidency. I believe we can't repeat them enough:
      1. What did Mr. Trump know and when did he know it about Russian efforts to influence the U.S. Presidential election? The President and those around him are engaged in a furious fight to prevent the American people from knowing. What are they hiding? If, as they say, there’s nothing to hide, why are they working so hard to conceal what they know?
      Republican led House and Senate investigations are--purposely or not-- bogged down. While the FBI investigation (also led by a Republican) is said to be rigorous and far-reaching, who can say with certainty? We do know that the FBI was slow and unsteady at the start.
      A truly independent, bi-partisan investigative special commission (with maybe a special prosecutor?) would seem to be a must, but so far there is no significant movement to establish one.
      2. Given indications so far, the President appears to have plenty to hide in his tax returns. Again, if he has nothing to hide why is he fighting so hard to keep them secret? How much taxes he has paid (if any) is not the most important part of this. More important is finding out how much he owes--how much he is in debt to--other people, who they are and where they are (foreigners, foreign powers?)
      3. What is the President’s strategy to deal with war and peace challenges such as North Korea, Russia in Eastern Europe, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan. One-off missile attacks and mega-bomb droppings are tactical moves, in and of themselves. If they fit into a large strategy in any or all of the major threat areas, what is that strategy?
      4. What is happening behind the shadows with our immigration policy? For all the talk of how the President has struggled in his legislative agenda, the reporting coming out of the Department of Justice under Attorney General Jeff Sessions and multiple local communities suggests that there has been an active change in how the nation is dealing with this issue.
      As a beginning for where to keep the focus in contemplating the Trump Presidency, the places mentioned above are worth considering."

      Dan "the Man" Rather

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  4. Anonymous5:15 PM

    Racheal deserves awards, honors and a big offer to advance her career. She is great at explaining the situation and what is happening to our country. She is a valuable Journalist and very much appreciated today.

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    1. Anonymous8:18 PM

      USA NEWS TODAY>
      http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2017/04/26/top-high-school-country-arizona/306463001/

      https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/national-rankings

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    2. Anonymous8:42 PM

      She is SO good that.....I worry for her safety sometimes.

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  5. Anonymous5:25 PM

    Rachael took the job of explaining the mess and she is the best Journalist along with her assistants and researchers. American's thank her in abundance for her work. She should be honored when all is written in the history books.

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  6. Anonymous5:29 PM

    A number of years ago, when it was evident that Fox was "huge" and not at all "even" in its coverage, I read someplace that they had managed to always be included in the Basic Cable TV package while other cable news was part of up-grades. Not sure if that is still the case or not, but on my cable, Fox News is Channel 3, where as MSNBC is 61 and CNN is 57. That low number on the "dial" for FOXNews does suggest that maybe it is available to more people, like maybe everyone?

    Just checked my cable provider's line-up. Fox News is listed as a broadcast channel. The others are cable channels. That is probably a big deal -- everyone would get it. If you only want the cheapest service, cable to improve reception, and don't want to pay for cable channels, you would still get Fox News. Sounds like possibly the Trump base, right? However many people there are who don't want to pay for cable, you know they still have access to Faux News.

    I must say, it was clever of them to pull that off. Of the 13 broadcast channels offered by my provider, 3 are from Fox: Fox, Fox News, and FX.

    Another thing -- the basic Fox broadcast channel does not have its own news programing. Here they show the local ABC news an hour before it broadcasts on the ABC channel. Maybe they used that little "wrinkle" to get their News channel counted as "broadcast".

    And, I will also say that some very smart people I know did not know that Fox programing is NOT the same channel as Fox News. They just think Fox News is broadcast by Fox Television. I have had to explain more than one that it is a seperate entity.

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  7. Anonymous5:39 PM

    "Complicit and i am (not) an Accomplice with my father"
    Ivanka

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    1. Anonymous8:46 PM

      "i heard that"
      http://occupydemocrats.com/2017/04/25/ivanka-trump-just-repped-u-s-womens-panel-lizz-winsteads-response-great/

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  8. Anonymous6:25 PM

    I don't think Bristol's youngest daughter will have FAS the way that Sailor obviously does. Is Gryphen going to devote a post to this subject? We had one devoted to name suggestions for Sailor.

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    1. Anonymous8:05 PM

      Yeah he certainly achieves low human status.

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    2. Anonymous8:15 PM

      Bristol's pregnant AGAIN?!?!

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    3. Anonymous11:15 PM

      She's married, though she once said she didn't want kids super close. But that kind of thing changes daily usually. I just remember her saying 7 years ago she wanted like 6 years between Tripp and her second.

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    4. Anonymous11:15 PM

      He's out doing good and helping and you're doing what?

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    5. Anonymous11:23 PM

      Not a fan of the Palin family but can we please stop attacking babies?

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    6. Anonymous11:26 PM

      Not a fan of the Palin family but can we please stop attacking babies?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous6:51 PM

    Didn't know that a of loosely tied conspiracy theories delivered with a multiple face smirks, and repeated four times, are what constitutes delivering 'the truth' lol. Well to each his own.

    $Maddow$ is loving both Trump and her trained disciples all the way to the bank that is for sure. Whatever you tell me to say, Mr. Producer, I will say.

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    1. Anonymous7:26 PM

      Nice try there troll 6:51 but Dr. Rachel (DPhil Oxford (that would be England]) is her own person. The woman does her homework. She doesn't need anyone to tell her what to say.

      RAinNC

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    2. Anonymous8:26 PM

      lol. Yeah I get it 7:26, you're a big fan that just can't say Oxford and Doctorate enough.

      Bill Cosby has a Doctorate too.

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    3. Anonymous9:55 PM

      Ha ha 8:26! Bravo!

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    4. Anonymous4:09 AM

      People here get obsessed with Maddow's education here and forget that she was a foolish Sanders supporter who did very little to support Democratic candidates, especially Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. All of you Rachel fangirls need to get realistic. She's average. Gryphen promotes her alot cause of the lezzie thing.

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    5. Anonymous8:32 AM

      @4:09 "Gryphen promotes her alot cause of the lezzie thing." WTF???

      YOU had some valid points until THAT! WTF???
      She's average?WTF???

      "This made her the first openly gay or lesbian American to WIN an international Rhodes Scholarship."
      Her thesis is titled HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons"

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Maddow

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    6. Anonymous3:22 PM

      Umm, dumbasses?
      Cosby has an Honorary doctorate. From his jndergrad alma mater, Temple U. Honorary doctorates mean nothing. You can get them when you come give a commencement speech.
      Ya really can't compare rachels EARNED PhD from Oxford with Bill Cosby's honorary doctorate.
      Again, dumbass.

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    7. Anonymous3:29 PM

      Oh and Bill Cosby honorary doctorates( looks like he gave a lot of commencement speeches over the years and got a lot of honorary doctorates) ate being RESCINDED lol.
      This makes me think of Sarah Palin. If Liberty University gave her an honorary doctorate, the fucking retard would think it was for realz. It is right up her alley though, isnt it?
      A title without the work.

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    8. Anonymous9:36 PM

      Uhhhh.....3:22 and 3:29 you should do more research before opening your dumb mouths as to save yourselves from your own stupidity and showing it to the world.

      "After attending Temple University in the 1960s, he (Bill Cosby) received his bachelor's degree there in 1971. In 1973, he (Bill Cosby) received a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and in 1976, he (Bill Cosby) earned his Doctor of Education degree, also from UMass."

      Bill Cosby's Doctorate in Education was EARNED, not honorary- as he been bestowed plenty of.

      Man so many of you IMers are so clueless. I mean really.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby#Early_life

      But we all get it, you fan girls simply think Maddow is the bees knees, we get it. She isn't, but we all get that you think she is. She is making a lot of money that is for sure. And of course you can always trust a rich person that makes their paycheck thru TV ratings lol.

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  10. Fox put free televisions in doctors offices and businesses all over US. In return they have to show fox channels.That is why fox has had high ratings for years.

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    1. Not to mention they are on a broadcast network, not cable. No cable? You don't see CNN or MSNBC.

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  11. Anonymous7:40 PM

    Ywc2
    I traveled extensively for work for many years. Fox news was almost always on at airports around the country. Although I usually stayed at Marriott properties where MSNBC was included, periodically I stayed with other brands where it was not. I would request MSNBC be added to the selection before return visits. So I do think the numbers are artificially higher.

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    1. Tide goes in tide goes out and you cant expalain it8:36 PM

      Wait until the trumptards find out that all those tvs with Fox on them were really the microwave spying kind!

      How else do you explain all the family values republicans being arrested for sex crimes?

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  12. Anonymous7:54 PM

    Hopefully Maddow's TRM will become the go to news program for all ages, genders, and political thinking ('thinking" for R's, may not be the right word)

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  13. Anonymous8:03 PM

    K.O.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYbsN5WImrU

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  14. Anonymous8:20 PM

    fyi-
    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/ukraine-still-feeling-chernobyls-effects-31-years-later/

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  15. Caroline in San Jose11:02 PM

    That's not a good comparison.

    Maddow and O'Reilly have always been off on orthagonal trajectories.

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    1. "The absence of boundary data is a good thing, as it makes solving the PDE simple as one doesn't need to contort the solution to any boundary. In general, though, it must be ensured that all of the trajectories are found."
      So it is impossible to compare orthogonal trajectories..right? Comrade?
      Maddow is light years ahead of O' Reilly in terms of backing her facts....with provable facts. Try the Venn diagram as it relates to truth.

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  16. Anonymous12:33 AM

    So! the republicans in congress want to keep the affordable care act provisions for themselves but deny for the rest of us? Isn't that big of them. The hateful asshole republicans want every one to be judged and placed and charged by pre existing conditions but not for them!! They don't care about debt, they don't care about budget, they don't care about America, they just want a selfish liars agenda to succeed at all cost to middle americans.

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  17. Anonymous12:42 AM

    Over throw each and every republican, democrat, and independent that continue to support the rigged election, the occupation of our buildings by liars and criminals. And the destruction of our democracy. We do not accept a rigged election. We do not accept changes to our healthcare system, our public education system or the moot executive orders by a liar, crook and fraud.

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  18. For as long as cable news is relevant.

    Every year more and more people are cutting the cable.

    Especially young people.

    If cable wants to remain relevant, they are going to have to revamp their business model. People want a la carte choices and pricing. They do not want bundles where they only watch a handful of channels and have to pay for a lot they don't watch, then buy another bundle to get a few they want.

    I never watched CNN and MSNBC even when I had cable. I certainly won't pay for an online subscription if they try to go the route of CBS.

    So while Rachel may be on the top, she is still on cable and so has a limited audience that will get smaller every year. This is one advantage that Fox has over cable. They are an over the air broadcast network I can pick up with an antenna.

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  19. Anonymous6:18 AM

    OT?
    http://larrybrownsports.com/football/aaron-hernandez-gay-bisexual-murder/364621?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=im

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    1. Anonymous7:06 AM

      http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/democrats-launch-bill-to-ban-fraudulent-and-ineffective-ex-gay-therapy-nationwide/

      Delete
  20. Anonymous3:31 PM

    Rachel Maddow is brilliant. Her staff is exceptional. She is witty and polite and respectful as well. I CAN NOT stand Chris Matthews ir the guy on before her though. They interrupt their guests,

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