Fox News' Ratings Grow; CNN, MSNBC Plunge

[tonymctones]

All propaganda must be popular and its intellectual level must be adjusted to the most limited intelligence among those it is addressed to. Consequently, the greater the mass it is intended to reach, the lower its purely intellectual level will have to be. But if, as in propaganda for sticking out a war, the aim is to influence a whole people, we must avoid excessive intellectual demands on our public, and too much caution cannot be extended in this direction.
The more modest its intellectual ballast, the more exclusively it takes into consideration the emotions of the masses, the more effective it will be. And this is the best proof of the soundness or unsoundness of a propaganda campaign, and not success pleasing a few scholars or young aesthetes.

The art of propaganda lies in understanding the emotional ideas of the great masses and finding, through a psychologically correct form, the way to the attention and thence to the heart of the broad masses. The fact that our bright boys do not understand this merely shows how mentally lazy and conceited they are.

Once understood how necessary it is for propaganda in be adjusted to the broad mass, the following rule results:
It is a mistake to make propaganda many-sided, like scientific instruction, for instance.

The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan. As soon as you sacrifice this slogan and try to be many-sided, the effect will piddle away, for the crowd can neither digest nor retain the material offered. In this way the result is weakened and in the end entirely cancelled out.

Thus we see that propaganda must follow a simple line and correspondingly the basic tactics must be psychologically sound.

do you think it possible that ppl relate more with FOX and their views on certain issues than the other channels?

[240 is Back]

FOX and MSN are BOTH political propaganda.  Anyone who can't see that, or believes one is and the other isn't... is eitehr blind or stupid.  They do the exact same things for the left and the right.

Unfortunately for america, msnbc has been more effective in the last 3 years with making the right look bad and the left look good.  FOX has been working jsut as hard and has a bigger audience... but obama won the election over a better canddiate, and he has passed his first 2 major changes.

[tonymctones]

FOX and MSN are BOTH political propaganda.  Anyone who can't see that, or believes one is and the other isn't... is eitehr blind or stupid.  They do the exact same things for the left and the right.

Unfortunately for america, msnbc has been more effective in the last 3 years with making the right look bad and the left look good.  FOX has been working jsut as hard and has a bigger audience... but obama won the election over a better canddiate, and he has passed his first 2 major changes.

agreed and definitly agree that msnbc has been more effective at making the right look bad as opposed to the left but they do have more left leaning stations out there than right...I dont think MSNBC had as much to do with obama winning as it did bush blowback and having a lame duck and palin to run against

[Colossus_500]

Not surprised. 

Fox News' Ratings Grow; CNN, MSNBC Plunge
Monday, 29 Mar 2010     

CNN continued its huge plunge in ratings for its prime-time programs in the first quarter of 2010 even as Fox News had its best period ever, The New York Times reported Monday night.

In fact, the trend in news ratings for the first three months of this year was only up for Fox, while MSNBC continued its huge plunge, too.

The data backs up the comments of Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who told Newsmax.TV in an exclusive interview that CNN is stuck to an old model while MSNBC has hired unpopular “guttersnipes” as hosts who drive viewers away in drives.

Editor's Note: See the exclusive Newsmax interview with Bill O'Reilly in its entirety here.

“CNN basically stayed where they were 10 years ago, they didn’t change with the times,” said O’Reilly, host of "The O’Reilly Factor."

“We live in a very intense country right now, a very difficult time. CNN doesn’t reflect that urgency.”

CNN merely reports the news, O’Reilly points out. They do it well, as evidenced by their Haiti coverage.

But Americans already know the news from the Internet and other sources.

“They want analysis and perspective from a cable network,” O’Reilly explained. “CNN doesn’t give you that.”

As for MSNBC, “They made the key mistake of hiring bad people. It’s as simple as that,” O’Reilly said.

How are they bad? “They have a bunch of guttersnipes on their network, that even if you’re a liberal, which is what they sell, you don’t like these people,” he said.

CNN had a slightly worse quarter in the fourth quarter of 2009, but the last three months have included compelling news events, like the earthquake in Haiti and the battle over health care, and CNN, which emphasizes its hard news coverage, was apparently unable to benefit, the Times reported.

The losses at CNN continued a pattern in place for much of the last year, as the network trailed its competitors in every prime-time hour. (CNN still easily beats MSNBC in the daytime hours, but those are less lucrative in advertising money, and both networks are far behind Fox News at all hours.)

Read the full New York Times story here

http://newsmax.com/InsideCover/cnn-fox-msnbc-ratings/2010/03/29/id/354175

A real-life beatdown by Fox News on the other networks.   

[240 is Back]

'A real-life beatdown by Fox News on the other networks.    '

A beatdown leading to... what exactly?

Obama winning on stim bill, willing on healthcare, and still treading water with half the nation approving of him?

With a 24/7 media machine devoted to destorying his lib agenda, you would think he would have seen a few roadblocks by now.  Instead, the nation is still pretty much 50/50 on every issue and party. 

I dont think the negative "you're a lib socialist" screams are going to work.  maybe something a little more positive?

[headhuntersix]

Anybody have a problem with the cut and paste warrior passing of passages of Mein Kampf, as his/her own.

240 u see whats in front of u and no further. Obama got his bill past by threats and bribes. He doomed many dems to defeat in Nov. He got a very unpopular bill passed. He's fucked the country...u see a hand out.

[Jezebelle]

Anybody have a problem with the cut and paste warrior passing of passages of Mein Kampf, as his/her own.

240 u see whats in front of u and no further. Obama got his bill past by threats and bribes. He doomed many dems to defeat in Nov. He got a very unpopular bill passed. He's fucked the country...u see a hand out.

Did I not attribute the correct author?  Can you please show us where I claim it was mine?

I thought the passage to be more than apt for the discussion at hand.  How could it not be?

[headhuntersix]

Posting the correct source would be...."From Mein Kampf" or "as Hitler wrote"...not "oh shit 3 easily saw through my bullshit cut and paste job".....dude this is ur MO, u've done it before and u will do it again. Ur shit is weak.

[Colossus_500]

'A real-life beatdown by Fox News on the other networks.    '

A beatdown leading to... what exactly?

Obama winning on stim bill, willing on healthcare, and still treading water with half the nation approving of him?

With a 24/7 media machine devoted to destorying his lib agenda, you would think he would have seen a few roadblocks by now.  Instead, the nation is still pretty much 50/50 on every issue and party. 

I dont think the negative "you're a lib socialist" screams are going to work.  maybe something a little more positive?

I'm speaking specifically to the fact that Fox News has been public enemy #1 to the White House and it's press corps (NBC and its affiliates, ABC, & CBS), yet their ratings are higher than ever before.  That might be a more telling "poll" than any political poll that we see daily.

Bottom line 240, it's an ass whoopin' for the other networks, pure and simple.  That's all I'm saying. 

As with your argument of Obama winning yada yada yada.... the stimulus was under Bush (I'm still pissed about that), the healthcare law has the public enraged and you cannot deny that, and the ratings will continue to go down.  The key number to watch is the independents.  Go back and look at the favorability ratings in 2006 when the Bush administration began spending like crazy.   You'll notice that the numbers were in favor of the Democratic party with respect to the economy (the number one issue for Americans, though the president went after Healthcare against our will).  Today, those numbers are almost an exact flip, with the Republican party having more than 50% of the favorability vs.  39% of the left.  Time will tell.  I've been saying this all along, from the day that President Obama took office.  And I've been right.  His numbers are on a steady downward trend. 

[240 is Back]

i agree its a ratings ass whooping.

i just wish they'd start kicking some ass in terms of accomplishing their goals.  They're like the popular, well-paid doctor whose patients keep on dying on the table.

[Colossus_500]

i agree its a ratings ass whooping.

i just wish they'd start kicking some ass in terms of accomplishing their goals.  They're like the popular, well-paid doctor whose patients keep on dying on the table.

I hear ya, bro.  It will be very interesting to see what what the results are come November.   It's amazing to me, because just in 2008 everyone was saying that our vote was more crucial than ever.  Not even two years later, I'd say that this November warrants votes every bit as important. 

Guess King Solomon was right when he said, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

[Jezebelle]

I hear ya, bro.  It will be very interesting to see what what the results are come November.   It's amazing to me, because just in 2008 everyone was saying that our vote was more crucial than ever.  Not even two years later, I'd say that this November warrants votes every bit as important. 

Guess King Solomon was right when he said, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Just what exactly would you be voting for?

[Colossus_500]

Just what exactly would you be voting for?

true conservatism

[Jezebelle]

true conservatism

Define that notion and show me someone who represents EXACTLY what you define.

[headhuntersix]

This is how u debate..with nonsense and then when ur forced to make an actual point, u cut and paste some crap. We don't want barry and his outright attack on American industry, we want lower taxes, we want a foreign policy stance that doesn't alienate the only viable democracy in the Middle East, we want lower taxes...the list is endless. This guy is a friggen disaster.

[Slapper]

Gotta love this country.

One side wins and immediately people start watching the TV shows that critizice the government.

They're going to polarize people to the point that one of these right-wing militia nutcases is going to carry out a terrorist attack... God forbid though.

It's going to be interesting hearing their excuses when the fingers start pointing in Beck's and O'Reilly's direction...

[Jezebelle]

This is how u debate..with nonsense and then when ur forced to make an actual point, u cut and paste some crap. We don't want barry and his outright attack on American industry, we want lower taxes, we want a foreign policy stance that doesn't alienate the only viable democracy in the Middle East, we want lower taxes...the list is endless. This guy is a friggen disaster.

YOUR taxes are lower under Obama.  What part of his tax plan do you not understand?

[blacken700]

 We don't want barry and his outright attack on American industry

who's we as far as i remember obama won the election you lost,when you guys are smart enough to run someone besides a senile old man and a retard you might be able to change things, until then keep crying

[headhuntersix]

YOUR taxes are lower under Obama.  What part of his tax plan do you not understand?

My taxes are lower...hows that. What did I get back? The Bush cuts run out in 2010....and assmonkey wants to pass a bill that he says will raise my energy bill. Sure thing TA, sure thing.

[Slapper]

We don't want barry and his outright attack on American industry

who's we as far as i remember obama won the election you lost,when you guys are smart enough to run someone besides a senile old man and a retard you might be able to change things, until then keep crying

Maybe he is in Iraq (or was, I dunno) because mother nature intended his type to be in harm's way... for a reason. Namely to take eachother out.

My # 1 goal is to survive, thus I look to minimize taking part in acts that can get me killed in an instant.

Some people don't. And it's no coincidence.

Revels looking for a cause I guess ("defending" the USA is one of them, or so they think).

[Dos Equis]

Gotta love this country.

One side wins and immediately people start watching the TV shows that critizice the government.

So why was Fox News beating CNN and MSNBC during the Bush years? 

[JohnC1908]

Define that notion and show me someone who represents EXACTLY what you define.

Each person represents what they believe in. Some of us have not given up our brain letting a politician define our thoughts/beliefs. It's called individualism.

[Jezebelle]

Each person represents what they believe in. Some of us have not given up our brain letting a politician define our thoughts/beliefs. It's called individualism.

You do realize we have a representative Government.  It makes no difference what YOU believe in unless YOU run for office.  The best you can hope for is matching someone with your ideals or not voting at all.

Again, who matches your ideals and what exactly is Conservatism as you define it?

[Slapper]

So why was Fox News beating CNN and MSNBC during the Bush years?

I do not know the main reason per se. I know for sure that most of the anti-Bush commentary on the left was so bland, so lame it posed no real threat. The only one calling Bush out, in mainstream media mind you, was Keith Olbermann. On the other hand you had the usual suspects, O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh yelling out the top of their lungs focusing all legitimate public discontent (i.e. high taxes, lower paying jobs, longer working hours, too many layers of government, the government lying to everyone by re-invading a country that had nothing to do with a terrorist attack, Guantánamo, et cetera) on those institutions controlled by the democrats. And the public didn't buy it. Obama won.

Now, the key word here is (widespread) discontent, on both sides of the spectrum. MSNC and all other "leftist media" (I put it into quotes because there's no such a thing, it's a fallacy; the day I see a TV show talking about worker's rights and conditions as much as they tout CEO's lavish lifestyles or the benefits of becoming a currency hoarder will be the day I'll believe it) surely do not represent the core left. I mean, they do hit it right on the head by presenting themselves as the polar opposite of Bush during the later's years of terror, but that's it. Once you only have two options you're fucked. Your discontent is still there.  

That's why I laugh at all these Tea Party nutcases, because they stand no chance. Until people realise they have to educate themselves and formulate their OWN opinions they will always fall prey of the mainstream media mermaid melodies, with their two-second solutions to pretty much every conceivable problem, their cool, calm and collected nothing's-wrong attitude and their outright refusal to investigate and present the truth.

Thus, it is not a problem of political options, it's a problem of IQ. It's a very powerful thing you know. You've got this immense mass of "lost" human beings just waiting to be "led". All it takes is one loud voice they can trust. Too bad politicians don't do it anymore, TV personalities do.

Too bad it's the precursor to fascism too.

Interesting years ahead for this nation.

[JohnC1908]

You do realize we have a representative Government.  It makes no difference what YOU believe in unless YOU run for office.  The best you can hope for is matching someone with your ideals or not voting at all.

Again, who matches your ideals and what exactly is Conservatism as you define it?

Yeah, I know how the govt. works, that doesn't mean I need to pigeonhole my beliefs into a certain politician or party.