I love doing these posts. I know I shouldn’t, but I must admit that the failure of the MSM brings out the dark side in my sense of humor. I guess you could call it the recognition of the irony that escapes the elites. They apparently have no idea why they are tanking. Frankly, I enjoy that considerably.
At any rate, that failure continues. In fact, it is accelerating. NewsBusters has the latest.
The big three nightly news broadcasts, NBC Nightly, CBS Evening and ABC World, lost a combined one million viewers in the second quarter of 2010, according to TVNewser.
These numbers are comparable to the first quarter, which saw Evening News and World News get their lowest average viewers ever, while NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage helped it get their highest average viewers since 2005. In the second quarter, NBC lost 440,000 viewers, ABC 260,000 and CBS 340,000. It was about this time last year that ABC and CBS’ news programs had their lowest ratings ever.
I wonder why they are losing all of their audience?
These numbers are not at all surprising in light of the public’s continued distrust of the old media. As Newsbusters’ Rich Noyes wrote of a Rasmussen poll released earlier this month, “Perhaps as a result, the poll finds an astonishing two-thirds of the public (66 percent) say they are angry with the media, ‘including 33 percent who are very angry’ with the press.”
This seems to be very consistent with the previous polling that shows people believe that the MSM tried to get Obama elected, and that majorities do not trust them.
And why are they losing their audience? It’s the bias! It’s the persistent ignorance of stories critical of the administration. It’s the refusal to cover any of Obama’s associations, or his background. It’s ignoring critics of the administration, or flat out attacking them. It’s the failure to report about illegal immigration, and that American citizens are dying because of it. It’s taking talking points directly from the White House, and openly admitting it. It’s the political ideology of most of the talking heads; still claiming that global warming is happening, even though it’s been discredited. It’s that most of the MSM are ideological “fellow travelers” with the left, and will view every story and event through that prism. And, being “progressives,” they will mockingly sneer at anyone with an opposing viewpoint.
Media folks will write these losses off as, “the market is changing.” That is at least partially true. However, there are parts of the old media that are growing, or at least losing at a much smaller rate. These sources are more conservative in their political tone. This will lead most reasonable people to conclude that it’s the ideology that is causing their failure.
In the end, if someone can spend 15 seconds on Google and find out that the MSM is lying through their teeth, why should they watch? Why watch, read, or listen to someone who is lying to you, and it can so easily be proven? Why would they watch someone that insults them? So,for the MSM, keep on lying. Tell yourselves that it’s the market that is changing. Hopefully, that will help you sleep at night, but it will NEVER cause people to watch.
Sorry to surprise the MSM, but none of their current strategies constitutes a successful formula. Contrary to what they might think, people do not enjoy tuning in for lies and distortions. They do not enjoy being insulted, and they do not agree with your ideology. If that is consider when they make their decisions, and they might survive. However, I don’t see them doing this. After all, they are the really smart people that know better than you do. They know that AGW is a fraud, but they’ll ignore that, and continue to preach the party line. They know that Cap and Trade will hurt you, but they think they know better. They know that ObamaCare is a pig, but you’re too stupid to manage your health care. They know that Obama is the chosen one, and you’re not quite smart enough to see it yourself. So, they will help lead us into the new age, and, all the while, covering up how much misery it will cause.
I don’t think anyone can question why the government wants to control media. In an environment where people can choose, their propaganda arm is failing. The solution? Shut down the competition!
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Matt
I believe that future generations should have the same opportunities that myself, and those that came before me, had. My parents taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do. I don’t want to have to tell my daughter, “You can do whatever the government tells you to do.” We are at a crossroads in this country; are we going to be free, or are we going to be slaves to the nanny state. I choose freedom.
The MSM is failing because Americans do not like when the game is rigged. We tend to have a competitive nature and when we see the MSM rigging the game, we no longer want to play the game. They have been so completely brainwashed by leftist college professors they don’t even realize that their bias actions are leading to their own journalistic suicide. The only thing that is going to suck is when the President seeks more of our tax dollars to bail them out.
I have heard from an “insider” at one network who tells me that they are clueless. The really have no idea what is happening.
So be it.
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Great post, Matt. You have said many times that the media bears a lot of the responsibility for Obama winning the White House. Because of their complete and total failure to cover the election in the way it should have been covered, they enabled him to fool a lot of Americans. It does seem that more and more of us are becoming aware of just how culpable they have been and they are paying the price.
I would agree. I think many folks are just getting the sense that they are lying to them, and that doesn’t engender trust, or viewership.
No doubt, the media bailouts will be tried.
Oh yes. That will be in the works. For background, read up on what Mark Lloyd wants. A bailout would be the first step in that direction. It’s pure Marxist propaganda. The MSM will complete their transformation into a Soviet era Tass and Pravda.
I agree, Trestin, then the MSM will truly be the State-sponsored media. And we think we’re being lied to now…..
Very true, Kristin. Please see my above post.
Good riddance! Maybe if they actually reported facts once in awhile, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
Tried to comment on the above entry, about the tax increases, but comments are closed. Didn’t know if that was intentional or a mistake, but wanted to let you know in case it’s the latter.
I just hope that they actually go away, and don’t become parts of the government.
I fixed the other post. I don’t know how it happened, but commenting got switched off. It’s fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out!
No problem, Matt. I’d have wanted someone to tell ME, so…
Being that I currently work for the MSM can tell you that these people are so out of touch, they assume their rating are down because they aren’t “liberal” enough.
[...] MSM Deathwatch: Nightly News Broadcasts Continue to Lose Viewers [...]