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Thanksgiving Holiday Brings Traditional Ratings Dip

An average of 2.35 million viewers checked in to the Maria Bartiromo-hosted program. She spoke with outgoing President Donald Trump in his first interview following the Nov. 3rd election.

Doug Pucci

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Outside of sports, the Thanksgiving holiday does not usually attract as many households to television viewing compared to normal levels. This was especially exhibited with the depressed ratings of most prime time programs, especially on the cable news front.

With that, combined with a featured special guest, the Sunday Nov. 29 morning edition of Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” became the most-watched cable news telecast during the entire Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 26-29). An average of 2.35 million viewers checked in to the Maria Bartiromo-hosted program. She spoke with outgoing President Donald Trump in his first interview following the Nov. 3rd election. Trump continued to present unfounded claims of voter fraud amidst the multiple results certifications that confirmed Joe Biden’s victory from various states.

In addition, “Sunday Morning Futures” delivered 382,000 adults 25-54 — the top mark for a cable news program from Nov. 26-29 in the key demographic.

As stated here on BNM last week, for the week ending Nov. 22, the three major cable news networks were separated by just 94,000 viewers, based on their total day viewer averages. For the week ending Nov. 29, 2020, the margin got even narrower: a mere 29,000 viewers. According to total day data (from 6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m. each day), CNN — despite not airing a single telecast that landed in the top-25 most-watched cable news programs for the week — rose back up to the No. 1 cable news network spot with an average of 1.114 million viewers. It is the third week within the past four weeks CNN has led all cable news in total viewers. They also remained the key demos cable news leader (for the fourth consecutive week) with 273,000 adults 25-54; 378,000 adults 25-54 in prime time (8-11 p.m.). CNN came 1,000 total viewers short of topping cable altogether, but the Christmas movie-laden Hallmark Channel earned those top honors.

Fox News Channel led cable news in prime time among total viewers with an average of 2.048 million. Nonetheless, in total day, FNC averaged 1.095 million viewers and 169,000 adults 25-54.

MSNBC, with the Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 editions of “The Rachel Maddow Show” being the top two most-watched cable news telecasts of the holiday week, averaged 1.085 million viewers and 168,000 adults 25-54.

The three cable news networks were three of the top four most-watched networks on cable overall; also, they were three of cable’s top five in prime time behind “Monday Night Football”-enhanced ESPN (3.085 million) and Hallmark Channel (2.53 million). Here are their prime time averages during the Thanksgiving week:

  • Fox News Channel: 2.049 million viewers; 289,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 1.43 million viewers; 378,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.635 million viewers; 253,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top CNN program with associated rank) in total viewers:

1. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Tue. 11/24/2020 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.680 million viewers

2. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 11/23/2020 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.465 million viewers

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 11/23/2020 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.444 million viewers

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 11/24/2020 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.378 million viewers

5. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 11/23/2020 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.883 million viewers

6. Hannity Special (FOXNC, Mon. 11/23/2020 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.839 million viewers

7. Tucker Carlson Special (FOXNC, Wed. 11/25/2020 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.814 million viewers

8. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 11/24/2020 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.715 million viewers

9. Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (MSNBC, Tue. 11/24/2020 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.703 million viewers

10. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wed. 11/25/2020 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.695 million viewers

26. Erin Burnett Outfront (CNN, Mon. 11/23/2020 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.330 million viewers

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News Television

Joe Scarborough: I Was a Conservative When Women at Fox News ‘Were Still Playing With Their Barbies’

“I’ve got a 95% (American Conservative Union) rating. I’m more conservative than any of them.”

Barrett News Media

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A photo of Joe Scarborough
(Photo: MSNBC)

MSNBC Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough spent time in Congress as a Republican. Despite his current position on a liberal cable news network, he argues he’s still a conservative and has been one since before his detractors on Fox News knew what the word means.

On Thursday morning, Scarborough called the Fox News hosts criticizing him for his role in the removal of former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel from NBC News “little idiots,” adding that he’s not a “left-winger.”

 “First of all, I’ve got a 95% (American Conservative Union) rating. I’m more conservative than any of them. I was part of Congress, and a big part of the reason if anybody was around, they’ll tell you that we balanced the budget for four years in a row for the first time, and the only time in 100 years,” the former Republican Congressman said.

He continued by adding that Liz Cheney, who also has a similar rating from the conservative think-tank was chastised for her failure to support former President Donald Trump.

While speaking with George Conway, Scarborough took a shot at the females from Fox News — without naming names — who have been critical of him in recent days.

“George, you and I were conservatives — and are conservatives — but we were conservatives when some of these women on Fox News who call us liberals were still playing with their Barbies,” Scarborough said confidently.

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News Television

NBC News Chair Cesar Conde: I Made Decision to Sever Ties With Ronna McDaniel

“I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

Barrett News Media

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A photo of Cesar Conde
(Photo: Jeffery Salter/ Fortune)

On Tuesday, NBC News ended its relationship with former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel after just five days due to intense internal backlash over the hire. The network’s News chairman, Cesar Conde, is taking responsibility.

In a memo sent to employees Tuesday, Conde says he approved McDaniel’s hiring, and ultimately made the decision to remove her from the outlet’s list of contributors.

“After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor. No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal,” Conde wrote. “I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

McDaniel — who has also been dropped by the CAA talent agency — has reportedly been seeking legal representation to explore potential breach of contract litigation with the network.

NBC News announced the hiring of the former Republican leader on Friday, which led to scrutiny from staffers angered by McDaniel’s previous comments about the press and her role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

However, in her first paid appearance for the network, she told Meet the Press‘ Kristen Welker that Donald Trump did not win the election in 2020, and that the process was not rigged against him. It was the first time she publicly admitted those sentiments. She inferred that she felt a duty to back the former President’s claims as RNC chair, and will have more freedom as a political analyst at NBC News.

“Now, I get to be a little bit more myself,” she told Welker, before being lambasted by former moderator Chuck Todd for her lack of credibility.

After the appearance, several MSNBC hosts — including Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Nicolle Wallace, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell — shared their extreme displeasure with the hiring, which ultimately led Cesar Conde to reverse course.

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News Television

NBC News to Drop Ronna McDaniel After Backlash From Network Staffers

Ronna McDaniel is reportedly “seeking legal representation” should NBC News attempt to exit its contract that reportedly was set to pay her $300,000.

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A photo of Ronna McDaniel

NBC News has made plans to sever its ties to political analyst Ronna McDaniel after near unanimous pushback from employees inside the outlet.

A report from Puck’s Dylan Byers claims the network is making preparations to end its short, but tumultuous, relationship with the former RNC chair.

On Friday, NBC News announced it had inked a deal for McDaniel to join the network as a political analyst.

Subsequently, MSNBC President Rashida Jones informed network staffers that the former Republican leader would not appear on the cable network after intense backlash from employees over past comments from McDaniel.

During her first appearance on Meet the Press Sunday, McDaniel admitted — for the first time — that the 2020 presidential election that was won by President Joe Biden was not “rigged” against former President Donald Trump, and shared her belief that Biden did in fact win the vote.

Former moderator Chuck Todd blasted the network for its decision to hire someone who had been involved in the “character assassination” of not only journalists and the media as a whole, but specific members of the staff at NBC News and MSNBC.

Todd’s comments were backed by those of Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Nicolle Wallace, Jen Psaki, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell who all shared their opinions about the situation on-air Monday.

According to the report from Byers, Ronna McDaniel is “seeking legal representation” should NBC News attempt to exit its contract that reportedly was set to pay her $300,000.

McDaniel joined NBC News after resigning her position as RNC chair, which she had previously held since 2017.

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