In fact, Fox News' ratings have been grim since the election. "The days of Fox News’s uninterrupted dominance appear to be on leave, which neatly coincides with the final days of President Donald Trump, whose administration the vast majority of the network’s personalities fell in line behind," says Colby Hall. "That’s a driver, but not the sole reason why Fox News is in the T.V. ratings doldrums." Hall blames Fox News emphasizing opinion over news, going all-in on election conspiracies and being outflanked by One America Network and Newsmax for the ratings woes. Hall also blames message fatigue -- what he calls "classic rock problem." "How many times can a radio listener get a thrill from Hotel California or Stairway to Heaven?" he says. "Yes, they are incredible songs that help define the term 'classic rock,' but even they have diminishing returns. This is why classic rock programmers often cull their lists of songs and redefine the format by adding more recent 80s hits say from Genesis, REM, or The Police. Similarly, how many times can someone tune into Hannity and hear complaints about private citizen Hillary Clinton, or tune into Tucker Carlson and hear about media bias, or Laura Ingraham and hear about the Russian Hoax?" ALSO: Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott's job may be in jeopardy as Rupert Murdoch takes a more hands-on role at the cable news network.
TOPICS: Fox News Channel, Rupert Murdoch, Suzanne Scott, Cable News