Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 6 June 2017
Politics fuels cable news surge, not network evening news

DAVID BAUDER their prime-time hours dis-
AP Television Writers secting President Donald
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump’s every move and
Trump administration has people on all sides of the
been a boon for the cable political spectrum can’t
news networks each night seem to get enough. Rat-
yet curiously not for the ings are up at all three net-
broadcast evening news works, doubling since last
programs, where a viewer- May for MSNBC. They’re
ship slump contributed to uniquely situated to appeal
Scott Pelley losing his job to the passionate believers
last week as anchor of the in a country that came out
“CBS Evening News.” of the last election sharply
CNN, Fox News Channel divided.
and MSNBC spend much of “When people are on fire,

In this May 15, 2013, file photo, “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley attends the CBS Upfront
in New York.
Associated Press
the cable people gain a formidable reach. Even casts lack or don’t effec-
compared to the evening in third place, Pelley was tively use people who are
news, which doesn’t play typically seen by twice as good at explaining what
that game,” said Tom Bet- many people each night day-to-day stories mean,
tag, longtime “Nightline” as MSNBC’s Rachel Mad- something the late Tim Rus-
producer who now teach- dow, the brightest star in sert once excelled at for
es journalism at the Univer- cable news. NBC News.
sity of Maryland. ABC’s “World News To- Maddow effectively fills this
Even with the same mate- night” has essentially role at MSNBC, he said.
rial to cover, the ABC, CBS erased the ratings lead of “You have to take your
and NBC nightly wraps NBC’s “Nightly News” in hat off to Maddow,” he
were down a collective 4 the past year to the point said. “She was someone
percent in viewership for where the two run neck- who was in position to take
the season that ended last and-neck at the top of the advantage of this. When
month, the Nielsen com- ratings. The 6 percent dip in the need to explain things
pany said. That fits a typi- Pelley’s ratings, larger than came, she already had her
cal pattern, where news the other two, contributed staff in place and the for-
ratings generally rise during to his downfall. mat to be able to do that.”
an exciting election year With Trump usually the Fox News had record rat-
and fall when a new presi- day’s biggest story, the ings during the first two
dent becomes immersed broadcasters often don’t months of Trump’s admin-
in the day-to-day grind of offer enough to satisfy peo- istration, and is often the
governing. A similar trend ple who burn with interest most-watched network in
is visible in the morning, and too much to people all of cable television. Fox
where ABC’s “Good Morn- who are sick of him, said is still No. 1 in cable news,
ing America” and NBC’s news consultant Andrew but has faded recently with
“Today” show are trying to Tyndall. the firing of Bill O’Reilly and
stop viewers from bleeding “If you’re not interested in stories that are depressing
away. that, it’s pretty dense stuff,” to its majority pro-Trump
To the broadcast networks, he said. audience. Its prime-time
it isn’t necessarily fair to If you are, it’s a sea of audience in May was up 11
compare the different tra- riches. The news networks percent over 2016, Nielsen
jectories since the missions even benefit from a news- said.
aren’t the same. The eve- paper war; a stream of ex- CNN was up 26 percent in
ning news shows, an insti- clusive stories posted in the viewers compared to May
tution in place since the early evening by The Wash- 2016 and MSNBC was up
middle of the last century, ington Post and The New 105 percent.
are designed to present a York Times in recent weeks It’s easy to sense the en-
half-hour, nonbiased re- have given them fodder for thusiasm among the po-
port on the day’s news for hours of talk. They usually litically involved, the feeling
a broad audience. The ca- come out too late to signifi- that if you go a couple of
ble networks can respond cantly impact the broad- hours away from the news
to viewers’ interest with an cast outlets. “you’re going to miss it and
unlimited amount of time. Tyndall, whose compa- you have to get back to
The three telecasts are ny studies the content of the television set,” said An-
seen by just under 24 million newscasts, said he believes drew Heyward, former CBS
viewers each evening, still that the broadcast news- News president.q