The latest cable TV news ratings are out, and the news is grim for CNN and MSNBC.

The Hill:

Fox News topped MSNBC and CNN combined in the cable news ratings race for the month of October, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Overall, Fox averaged 2.8 million total viewers in prime time, up 25 percent from October 2017.  MSNBC placed second in the category, with 1.58 million viewers, while CNN finished third, with 931,000 viewers, during the time period.

In the key 25- to 54-year-old demographic advertisers covet most, CNN fared better than MSNBC, averaging 290,000 viewers to 281,000.  Fox News won that category with 540,000 viewers.

The top programs in cable news for October were Fox News's "Hannity," with an average of 3.5 million viewers; "Tucker Carlson Tonight," with 3.23 million; "The Ingraham Angle," with 2.97 million; "The Five," with 2.84 million; and "Special Report with Bret Baier," with 2,668,000.

MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show" finished sixth in cable news as that network's highest-rated program.  Overall, MSNBC finished fourth in basic cable behind Fox News, TBS and ESPN.

MSNBC bills itself as a progressive alternative to Fox News.  But CNN has tried to maintain the fiction that it is an "unbiased" news source.  How's that working out, Jeff Zucker?

CNN President Jeff Zucker made an embarrassing admission during an interview with Vanity Fair published Thursday, saying that his network depends on covering President Donald Trump in order to maintain the attention of its audience.

When Zucker broached the question of why CNN spends such an inordinate time covering the president versus other subjects, Zucker said that he is practically dependent on him in order to keep their ratings.

"We've seen that, anytime you break away from the Trump story and cover other events in this era, the audience goes away.  So we know that, right now, Donald Trump dominates," Zucker said.

Ironically, Zucker has repeatedly struggled to compete with Fox News and MSNBC, despite his now admitted strategy of obsessing over Trump's every move.  While CNN's viewers have grown since the 2016 election, the network still regularly falls behind other news channels.

Earlier in October, CNN even drew fewer viewers than Nickelodeon – and the latest ratings released showed that it had even fallen behind Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movies.

Perhaps CNN could boost its ratings a bit by programming a game show.  "Trump Trivia" would probably be a huge hit.  It would almost certainly draw more viewers than Wolf Blitzer.

The blatant hostility to Trump by CNN has grown since the beginning of the his presidency to the point now where it is positively unhinged.  Led by White House reporter Jim Acosta, CNN on-air talent make little effort to hide their Trump-hate.  And they spew it 24-7.

Acosta is a piece of work.  His latest from his Twitter feed reveals just how partisan and biased he is.

A Trump source was pretty candid about the new web ad (not linked to here because it’s offensive) saying it’s their way to change argument from family reunification to “invasion” (which it’s not). They want to talk immigration, not health care, source admits.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 1, 2018

Note his use of the term "offensive" – an extremely subjective judgment that appears to have infected the groupthink mentality of the media in general.  But the point is, this guy is a "journalist."  Shouldn't he be letting the audience make up their own minds whether the ad is "offensive" or not?  The only way that his followers on Twitter can determine if the ad is "offensive" is if they see it themselves.

Guess not.  His followers on Twitter like his dwindling number of viewers on TV should just sit down, shut up, and think as he tells them to.

I find that attitude far more "offensive" than any campaign ad.

So Zucker gambled everything on going anti-Trump all day, every day and has lost.  I wonder how long the CNN corporate leadership will put up with these antics.