OLD Media Moves

Biz news shows now drawing more than Imus on Fox Business

April 13, 2011

The Huffington Post is reporting that business news shows on Fox Business Network, which once relied on “Imus in the Morning” to give it some of its viewers, are now outdrawing the disk jockey’s show.

The Post reports, “According to the Nielsen ratings, Imus averaged 65,000 viewers in the first quarter of 2011 — down 45% from his 2010 figures. Imus is also down 48% thus far in April when compared to his April 2010 numbers. (The show averaged around 127,000 viewers when it launched in October 2009.)

“Imus was brought in to boost the profile of the network, which has struggled mightily in the ratings since its 2007 launch. But his show, once the top-rated program on FBN, has now slid to the 10th slot. For instance, the program that follows it, Varney & Co, is averaging 20,000 more viewers thus far in April.

“Some of the network’s business-related shows, such as ‘Cavuto’ and ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight,’ have been gaining traction in the ratings. Overall, though, the network is still struggling. For instance, on Friday, when all the cable networks saw their ratings spike due to the government shutdown fight, FBN averaged 61,000 viewers for the day — as compared to rival CNBC, which averaged 207,000 viewers.”

Read more here.

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