Staff Reports
The ratings disaster for MSNBC illustrated that some viewers simply can’t handle the truth—especially when it comes looking them in the face after a decisive Trump victory. In an astounding turn of events, the network’s progressive viewers abandoned ship faster than a rat fleeing a sinking vessel. Days after the election night celebration, where MSNBC briefly beat CNN with 6 million viewers to their 5.1 million, the tide turned dramatically. It’s almost like being the captain of the Titanic—they threw a party right before the iceberg hit.
The sagging numbers tell a stark story. On Thursday, while Fox News was basking in a staggering 2.6 million viewers, MSNBC whimperingly managed a paltry 596,000. Not only that, but CNN didn’t fare much better, scraping by with 419,000 viewers. Those who tuned into Fox were clearly reveling in the sweet taste of victory while the other networks seemed caught in a reality they clearly didn’t want to face. The audience for Fox in the coveted 25-54 age range was also robust, standing at 375,000, while MSNBC’s sad little number only reached 71,000. Someone ought to call a medic for the health of those ratings.
As if that wasn’t enough, the ratings grim reaper paid a visit to the primetime shows, where CNN and MSNBC collectively felt the pinch of reality hitting their broadcasts like a runaway truck. MSNBC’s Alex Wagner achieved an ignoble distinction—having the lowest-rated show in her career, and even Chris Hayes failed to draw in viewers, landing the worst ratings since May 2016. These are not just bumps in the road; they’re craters that could swallow a pickup truck whole.
MSNBC Viewership Plummets After the Election
https://t.co/3J0o5pYdxK— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 12, 2024
It got worse for the network on Friday, which saw seven shows collapse to their lowest ratings of the year. Yes, this wasn’t just a bad day for MSNBC; it was an unprecedented Friday of despair that even holiday weekends couldn’t match. Their grim predicament is alarming and raises questions about whether Comcast may soon be putting them up for sale. Perhaps they could start a ratings consultation service while they’re at it because, clearly, they need one.
With bitter cries from their hosts about minority men not voting the “correct” way, it seems the network suddenly realized dusty old narratives just don’t cut it anymore. Meanwhile, Jen Psaki of MSNBC voiced a revelation that perhaps too much airtime was dedicated to never-Trump Republicans, a claim so profound one might wonder if someone slipped her a truth serum. Even former Senator Claire McCaskill grudgingly acknowledged that, despite all the flak, Donald Trump might just have a better handle on the American electorate than MSNBC’s lineup of experts. If that doesn’t conjure images of a political awakening within the Democratic Party, what will?
As the smoke clears from the election chaos, one thing is abundantly clear: viewers are abandoning the suddenly irrelevant and overly progressive narratives in droves, and the future of cable news looks decidedly more decentralized and far less reliant on corporate media giants. The call for accountability in reporting isn’t just about viewership; it’s a demand that networks recognize the shifting tide and reflect the very real sentiments of the American people.
