On Tuesday, more Americans watched the reporting of the re-election of Donald J. Trump on FOX News than on any other mainstream television channel — cable, cable news, or broadcast television.

Despite the ongoing exodus of people from conventional television, for those who had not yet cut the cord, FOX News’s prime time election night coverage was watched by over 13 million people.

According to Nielsen Media Research, which has provided TV ratings since the 1950s, the competing channels averaged the following viewers in prime time (P2+ is viewers aged two and older; A25–54 is the advertiser preferred demographic of viewers aged 25–54):

ABC (broadcast): 5.7 million P2+; 2.2 million A25- -54

MSNBC (cable news): 5.5 million P2+; 1.6 million A25–54

NBC (broadcast): 5.3 million P2+; 2.1 million A25–54

CNN (cable news): 4.7 million P2+; 2 million A25–54

CBS (broadcast): 3.5 million P2+; 1.2 million A25–54

At one time, this ascent of a cable news outlet, in this case FOX News, trouncing the venerable broadcast TV channels, which have been in business since the late 1940s, would have been unthinkable. Today, in light of the prominence of cell phones and streaming services, and massive cord cutting (disconnecting altogether from conventional television, much like ditching a landline phone), the days of mainstream television in general, and broadcast TV in particular, are likely numbered.

CBS, in the past referred to as the “Tiffany Network,” which dominated television news coverage in the days before cable, was limited to a paltry 3.5 million viewers in prime time on Tuesday.

Inevitably when I write about conventional television, I can expect comments like “You’re still watching TV?” The answer is “yes,” in addition, of course, to a variety of other sources, many of them online.

There is nothing like watching live news break on conventional cable and broadcast TV — and to see how it is presented by the mainstream.

For this reason, I often monitor CNN and MSNBC which provides insights into what the enemy is cooking up for their next spin. I recall how Steve Bannon’s War Room Plandemic used to have a large TV monitor behind the host showing the bottom part of CNN live. When asked why this was so, Bannon replied (to paraphrase) to monitor and know the enemy.

In the case of FOX News, critics fail to note that it is the only mainstream basic cable channel providing anything close to comprehensive coverage of the news and access to a wide range of conservative voices. In the 2024 campaign, FOX News has featured scores of appearances, including live video of Trump rallies, and interviews with Donald Trump, Don, Jr., and Eric Trump; Lara Trump; and numerous Trump campaign surrogates. Nowhere else have these appearances and interviews been available. According to a recent YouGov study, more Independents get their news from FOX News than from any of the competition.

On Election Day night, FOX News was the first mainstream media outlet to call the 2024 election in favor of Trump, at 1:46 AM EST. This was several hours in advance of the other cable channels, the AP, and the mainstream print and online media following suit.

The news programming on FOX News, distinct from its nighttime opinion programs hosted by Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, and Sean Hannity, provides a more fair and balanced view than CNN and MSNBC. Chief anchor Bret Baier’s Oct. 17th interview with Kamala Harris for the first time challenged the vice president with probing questions and was viewed by over seven million Americans.

Peter Barry Chowka has been reporting on national elections since 1964, starting in high school. Later, he reported from several national political conventions and traveled around the country with presidential candidates. Peter is a frequent invited guest on the BBC, the largest broadcaster in the world (his July 27 appearance is here). He has been a frequent contributor to American Thinker since 2007. In 2017, one of Peter’s tweets, linking to his article at American Thinker, was retweeted by the 45th president below.

Image from X.