NYT: Fading in Ratings, Fox Bets on a Late Surge

The New York Times
January 6, 2005
Fading in Ratings, Fox Bets on a Late Surge
By BILL CARTER

For the Fox network, the television season so far has amounted to a limbo contest: how low can they go? That question relates both to the network's ratings, which have dropped precipitously, and its program content, which may have hit a new bottom this week with "Who's Your Daddy?," a reality series that featured a contestant, who turned out to be a one-time actress in a soft-core pornographic film, trying to identify her birth father in a quest for $100,000. (It too bombed in the ratings.)

snip

Consider Fox's current position. The network has lost about 8 percent of its viewers from a year ago (8.5 million, down from 9.2 million), but Fox, like NBC and ABC, cares most about viewers between ages 18 and 49 because advertisers pay a premium to reach that group. There, Fox is off even more: 11 percent, dropping to a 3.3 rating from 3.7. A rating point in the 18-to-49 category is worth about 1.3 million viewers.

In reality (and that word cuts several ways in Fox's case), the picture is considerably worse. Of all the prime-time shows on Fox this fall, only one, the 16-year-old hit "The Simpsons," has a rating well above the network's average, a 4.6 in that 18-to-49 category. One reality series, "Nanny 911," has a 3.4, and another, "Trading Spouses," has a 3.3.

Every other show Fox has put on this fall is below the network's own average rating.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/arts/television/06fox.html?pagewanted=print&position=

what else can I console this network with?

(Sentence ended in a prepositional phrase, noted)

With the exceptions of their two animated shows "King of the Hill" and, of course, "The Simpsons", Fox, as a network, really sucks!:puke:

When the NFL's network contracts come up for bid again, I really do hope NBC out-bids Fox for the NFC--it would serve Rupert right!:7

B-)

It's great, and sure to be cancelled.

To TNT and Cartoon Network. Although they did have an episode where Ted Turner had sex with a dog. :)

Later this year.

And Ted Turner hasn't been involved with those networks for years.

who had sex with his dog. :evilgrin:

This is really interesting. Where did their viewers go? Did they just give up tv or did they go to some other station or network?

turn off your TV.

read. listen to music. talk with friends. play a board game.

keep the idiot box for renting videos and as a fancy knick-knack table.

I hate Fox as much as anyone posting here, but the Idol show will probably save them in February sweeps.