Fox News Crushed As Younger Viewers Flock To MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow

Last Friday, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show attracted more younger viewers than every Fox News program that aired from 4 PM-11 PM.

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Maddow drew 315,000 younger viewers for a Friday night broadcast. Maddow’s audience with viewers age 25-54 was bigger that both The O’Reilly Factor (301,000) and The Kelly File (280,000) on Fox News. Maddow’s show had the largest 25-54 audience of any of the programs on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News. Even though MSNBC is not on basic cable and appears in fewer homes, Maddow came within 500,000 total viewers of beating Fox News in her 9 PM timeslot.

Rachel Maddow’s strength with younger viewers demonstrates that younger people will watch cable news, even on a Friday night, if the program is appealing. Maddow’s success also highlights the ongoing problem that Fox News is having with attracting younger viewers. Megyn Kelly was supposed to help Fox attract a younger audience, but the network’s viewership continues to mirror the demographics of the Republican Party.

Fox News’ audience is predominately older, whiter, and more conservative than the rest of the country. The Fox News is the oldest audience on all of television. Fox News has been cleaning up regarding overall viewership. Fox was even the highest rated network on all of cable, but the big total viewership numbers can’t hide the problem that Fox is having attracting younger viewers.

Fox News doesn’t have a Rachel Maddow type star who appeals to younger viewers. Maddow is a unique talent who is the foundation of MSNBC. As much as the network wishes that Morning Joe was their star, the real straw that stirs the drink is Maddow. In the midst of a critical election year, younger viewers are flocking to Maddow.

While Fox News continues to deceive and misinform, Rachel Maddow is helping to build a more education electorate that will lead this country in the years to come.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association