FBN Finally to get Rated by Nielsen…
TVNewser’s Chris Ariens writes that starting Monday FBN will be rated by Nielsen. And that means all those media people who have to break down ratings data into custom fields now have more work to do. It also means that all ratings highs and lows that FBN has going forward are real and genuine.
I’d still like to see someone pin FBN down on why it took so long to get to this point. None of the explanations that have surfaced so far fully explain what caused the delay. And as a process junkie I’m very interested in how a path to fully rated status that was reportedly going to take about a year morphed into a path that nearly took four.
Inside Cable News 
March 23, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Great; the mystery channel that I’ve never seen will have a number.
March 23, 2011 at 4:39 pm
I’d watch FBN if I had it.
A few weeks back there was that Imus ratings story, which resulted in Kevin Magee going on with Imus to dispel any rumor of an impending split. If Imus’ ratings were so bad, then why do they allow him to bleed into the 9 AM eastern hour? I think that’s stupid. Varney & Company should be on from 9-11, or shorten it to one hour and put another show on the other hour.
March 23, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Josh,
I agree with your comments.
I only get CNBC and their news is good, too.
E.g. They’re the ONLY news org. That reported the Portugal government falling because they did not pass their budget cuts.
That has implications the EURO tomorrow.
And Gold right now is reflecting a -.12% decline, presumably in after hours.
And the people like me who have a bunch of gold positions scattered in my IRAs and such; have some thinking to do.
Commodity Issues like copper was very strong into the close; this changes some of that tomorrow, I think.
March 23, 2011 at 5:00 pm
One added comment; it’s my fav NOT; Cavuto who’s the managing editor of FBN, too.
March 23, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Finally, after ripping FBN for years and years they’ve finally caved to my demands.
SHOW ME THE NUMBERS!
On a related note: It’ll be interesting to see if they really ramp up covering non biz stories for ratings. Wait. There is always a biz angle. Just think, every time I flush the toilet it involves money. (Keep that in mind in case you need a biz ‘tie in’, losers.)
March 23, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Terence, people said the same thing when FNC launched. Roger Ailes has ways of making things work.
After all, FBN is only in 50 million homes. If they get 100,000 during the day, I would be surprised.
March 23, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Good analysis, Josh; Never have seen the shows on FBN; Frankly would like to see the personalities that FBN scooped up from CNBC, too.
Klaman (sic) was always a good one when she was at CNBC, and Cavuto keeps hiding her;
She had ONE shot in shis slot, I believe, when he was on leave.
Perhaps if they rotated the people into that slot around the market closing hour, the vast FOX news audience would call their cable provider like Cavuto always lame says, “Call them and demand it.”
March 23, 2011 at 10:08 pm
^You REALLY hate Cavuto huh?
March 23, 2011 at 10:11 pm
He’s such a lovable fuzzball, what’s not to like?
March 23, 2011 at 10:18 pm
^I know right?!
March 24, 2011 at 4:33 am
Oh let me count the ways; or list the fuzz oh his…ball/ or wherever he hides it. As a managing editor he’s miserable.
March 24, 2011 at 5:11 am
And lets not forget Cavuto also failed at FBN just like Glick! Wait. Lets just blame her since she got the boot, eh?
March 24, 2011 at 8:37 am
Glick probably could have stayed around, although I’m pretty sure they let her go because she sucked as an anchor. She was a much bigger camera hog than Cavuto. She wanted 4 hours a day!
March 24, 2011 at 10:48 am
I think Eddie Munster grew up to be Neil Cavuto. 😉
March 24, 2011 at 11:10 am
I’m looking forward to finally seeing the ratings, but disappointed that the entire 9 to 5 block is lumped in as one. That block is prime time in business and market news. I’d like to see how individual shows are faring.
Does anyone understand what Nielsen’s rationale is in making publicly available detailed ratings from 6-9 am and in prime time, but holding back the intraday ratings?
March 24, 2011 at 11:37 am
Was wondering why Glick was (((gone))); thought it was because she didn’t get time, when Imus started.
Brit Hume should be credited with bringing FNC to the lead; that cannot be said of Cavuto; his legacy is that Carriers won’t even place their FBN on their carry menus.
I’m frankly glad that COX cable doesn’t even carry them.
That is my personal vote on NO on FBN; can’t uderstand why FBN has all that high-priced talent if Cavuto hogs it all (time on camera) to himself.
March 24, 2011 at 11:45 am
From my understanding, the individual cable news networks or their competitors release the ratings. So, I guess they could release hour by hour.. I’ve seen them before but its rather rare.
For instance, if a really big story hits, I wouldn’t be surprised to see hour by hour if FBN wins or loses. Someone will be blowing that bugle loudly.
That said, I still expect to hear whining about FBN not having the same amount of subs.. If they win it’ll be, “look what we did with 50% less subs” but if they lose the subscriber ‘card’ will fly high as the sky.
March 24, 2011 at 11:48 am
Cavuto has one hour on FNC and another on FBN. That is hardly hogging the camera. He’s the most well known biz person on FNC and attract more than a million viewers at 4PM, so it makes sense to try and get his 4pm viewers by giving him another show on FBN.
March 24, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Fine, Josh; you watch him. I don’t have to because COX doesn’t carry FBN, and I can skip his show on FNC at market close.
March 24, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Why are we back to the nonsense that Cox doesn’t carry FBN? They carry FBN. Some people don’t want to pay extra for the tier its on. But FBN is available in most Cox systems.
Cavuto is getting busted over FBN? That’s funny. He’s beaten CNBC by himself at different times with his FBN show. That’s pretty good when FBN is in 57 million homes and CNBC is in around 100M.
FBN is right on track to be in the black in 2012 just like Rupert had planned.
They haven’t spent hardly any money promoting the network/ doing promotions etc other than on other News Corp properties.
Then people gripe about carriage. Yeah, when they come out of the gate and they are getting .11 to .13 to start off with for the channel. That at the same time, MSNBC was getting .15.
I never would have hired Liz Clayman. Glick lacks the business gravitas to be on air. Happy Hour was stupid.
They’ve done plenty of stupid things there. But its certainly not all Neil’s part.
And yeah you can attack FBN for alot of things but look at the highest rated show on CNBC…. a RERUN OF TRUMP!
I don’t think Cavuto’s call them and demand it is lame. I always thought it was a joke take off from 1980 or 81 with “I Want My MTV”. When it started they were in 10M homes.
Gripe because NewsCorp won’t spend money on ad campaigns (outside of in company stuff).
Gripe because they blew the SB just like I mentioned before. They should have had the whole channel front in center on Fox.
Like I said, Cavuto should have interviewed Obama on the economy. The Bill-O thing was a total waste. Look at the ratings a week after the SB. Did it pay off ? Heck no. But Cavuto and FBN being front and center could have paid huge dividends. They’d just have to deall with Bill-O and his bruised ego.
But at least with this–perhaps now–the blogosphere and the little bloggers can go obsess about Bloomberg and why after 17 years its not rated.
And perhaps Cavuto should change what he says from call them and demand it to… upgrade to a digital tier if you don’t get us at home.
March 24, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Too bad most of the news blogs don’t keep up with the rest of the news… most would have seen this and not been surprised:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/464832-Fuel_TV_Retools_To_Lure_Ratings_Dollars.php
March 24, 2011 at 3:37 pm
via TVN
CNBC has an 18-year, 41 million home (CNBC is in 98.4 million homes, FBN is in 57.3 million) advantage over FBN. And other than in Manhattan, FBN is an all digital channel.
Starbroker – Does the 57.3 count include people that still need to upgrade their tier to get the channel?
Because as you know, simply having a STB with a lower package leaves you out of gas. I had FBN on Directv with the Choice Xtra package which was $5 more a month. Now I have Uverse U-200. But, need the U-300 (U-400 is tops) to get it again.
March 24, 2011 at 4:57 pm
I believe the 57.3 number is from the households they get carriage fees from.
March 24, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Cavuto is getting busted because he’s awful. and, has done nothing to make FBN so important that it becomes a MUST carry by the cable networks, like Brit Hume did with FOX in its embryonic days.
I get bent when Cavuto looks in the camera and says, “if you don’t get it demand it…!”
and smugly collects his $ million salary.
My view is he should be apologizing to us.
And, Laura, my new correction came in today and all the fonts appear to be pt. 12 (tiny) but at least I can see them, now…
…and yes, Cavuto bugs me….MS and all.
March 24, 2011 at 7:45 pm
…and yes, Cavuto bugs me….MS and all.
That’s not nice.
March 25, 2011 at 6:06 am
Rick Santelli, that’s a market man I’d really miss!