The Endeavour

Nope.  What looks like a specific agenda is really a reflection of a target audience.

This is an area that I am well versed in.  What we are seeing on the Cable News Networks isn’t a political agenda, as some would claim, but rather a ratings war.   Ratings are complicated so I will simplify.  There are only so many televisions in American homes.  Those televisions are counted but are not instant ratings results for any television production or network.  Those televisions must be ON in order to be counted as “having viewed” anything.  So, Houses Using Televisions, or HUTs are very important as a POTENTIAL audience.  That audience as a whole is called the total market share.  That market is limited by the number of televisions both on, and being watched at any given time.

It’s supply and demand.  The audience drives the demand and the networks supply the content accordingly.  Not the other way around.  That is Business 101.  It all comes down to market share.  How does a program or network grab the lion’s share of that market?  They provide what the audience is asking for based on rating.  Those ratings determine what the audience wants.  Networks respond to those rating so that advertisers will spend money to reach a target audience.

Once that balance is achieved, a network will strive to maintain that audience.  Network news is one of the hardest to maintain due to the rise and fall of political power in the United States.  CNN started the whole ball rolling and owned the market share.  Then other news networks started up to compete with CNN and the market share thinned. 

So why do some News Networks seem to lean politically to the right or to the left?  Again, it is a reflection of the audiences they serve.  The demographics of the American audience are in line with the political views of those same people.  There are more Democrats in America than Republicans.  So, the major news networks, naturally, serve the larger audience in order to gain a higher market share.  What Fox has done is business genius.  They went after an underserved market share.  Now they “own” it.

So, why do the current ratings seem to favor Fox?  This doesn’t signal a shift in the American demographic.  Ratings do not determine such things.  Fox is representing the opposition to the current Government.  Opposition usually is signaled by a jump in ratings.  During the Bush years, Progressive radio, for example, saw a huge leap in market share.  Did that mean that America was changing in its political swing?  Not really.  It was just opposition and those outlets and advertisers took full advantage.  The complacent audience shows its apathy which is evident in the ratings as well.  Politically satisfied audiences spend their viewing time elsewhere.  So, Fox ratings are up and MSNBC, CNN, etc. are down.  This does not signal a shift in the Political winds.  It is merely a reminder of how the News Networks are affected by those winds and the ratings.

The evidence of a political slant is not found in news coverage itself but in the Editorial Commentary.  It can also be seen in the types of advertisers.  News is news and must be reported according to Journalistic standards.  Editorial is not governed by the same rules or ethics.  Disguising Editorial AS News is unethical but not illegal.  Audiences and Advertisers demand current editorial mixed with straight news today.  It is something to get used to or we can adjust the demand by not watching.  It’s OUR choice.

 -MRC