Categories: OLD Media Moves

Bartiromo’s early ratings at Fox Business are terrible

Julia LaRoche of Business Insider writes Friday about the low ratings for Maria Bartiromo since she joined Fox Business Network.

LaRoche writes, “There were high hopes when Fox Business hired Bartiromo from CNBC after two decades there. She’s known for her deep Wall Street Rolodex and ability to book big-name guests. So the thought was that loyal CNBC viewers might follow Bartiromo to FOX.

“So far, it certainly doesn’t seem like they are.

“Bartiromo’s morning show, the ‘Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo,’ which began on February 24, ranked 119th out of 123 cable news shows, according to first quarter ratings data posted by TVNewser. The other Fox Business shows that came in behind her were ‘Willis Report’ and ‘Money With Melissa Frances,’ the data shows.

“The ratings data shows that Bartiromo’s show is reaching a total of 53,000 viewers. However, in the critical viewer demographic that FOX wants to reach — folks ages 25-54 — she’s averaging only 7,000 viewers per show.

“Bartiromo has one the best time slots of the day because it’s around the opening of the market, which is generally the busiest time with breaking news and headlines, so these numbers are particularly disappointing. They’re also lower than the viewership FOX was getting in this time slot before Bartiromo debuted.”

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.