THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
The Five

Fox News Channel's The Five dominated the ratings on Monday, scoring wins in both total average viewers and in the key 25-54 age demographic prized by advertisers.

According to data from Nielsen, The Five raked in a total of 3.49 million average viewers, putting it well above its rivals for the most-viewed show on cable – Tucker Carlson Tonight. Carlson secured 3.01 million total viewers for second place, while Sean Hannity's eponymous show Hannity came in third with 2.51 million.

Fox News swept the top five, with Rachel Maddow’s 1.94 million total viewers on MSNBC putting her in sixth.

In the demo, The Five topped the charts with 534k viewers. Carlson came in a close second with 530k in-demo viewers, while Hannity secured third place with 429k viewers in the demo.

Here's a full breakdown of Monday’s cable news ratings by show.

As for the three networks overall, here are the total day averages in total viewers and the 25-54 category.

  • Total viewers:
    • CNN: 553,000
    • Fox News: 1.75 million
    • MSNBC: 876,00
  • 25-54 Demo:
    • CNN: 117,000
    • Fox News: 294,000
    • MSNBC: 101,000

Here are the prime time averages in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

  • Total viewers:
    • CNN: 612,000
    • Fox News: 2.44 million
    • 1.42 million
  • 25-54 Demo:
    • CNN: 115,000
    • Fox News: 414,000
    • MSNBC: 178,000

Read the full article here, from Mediaite+!

MEDIA LOSER:
Emerald Robinson

Newsmax White House correspondent Emerald Robinson will leave the network next month, the conservative news outlet has confirmed.

"Emerald is still with Newsmax, however her contract ends in January and we will not be renewing it," the network said in a statement. "We appreciate the work she has done on-air for the network."

Robinson frequently clashed with White House Press secretary Jen Psaki in a series of memorable exchanges. Most notably, however, she raised eyebrows in November after she tweeted that Covid vaccines contain trackers that should worry Christians.

She doubled down on her claim and was permanently suspended by Twitter as a result. After the tweet, Newsmax appeared to pull Robinson from the airwaves and sources at the network said Robinson was on borrowed time, saying that “the decision has essentially been made” to let her go.

Robinson will be replaced by former Fox News reporter James Rosen, who left the network in 2017 amid a series of sexual harassment allegations.

Her departure isn’t the only notable move at Newsmax of late.

Last month it was announced that Cortes & Pellegrino cohost Steve Cortes would be leaving after a public spat with the network’s Covid vaccine policy.

Newsmax said it would be implementing a vaccine/testing requirement in accordance with the Biden administration’s policy. In response, Cortes tweeted, “I will not comply w/ any organization’s attempt to enforce Biden’s capricious & unscientific Medical Apartheid mandate.”

Robinson departs after comments that may have been too much even for that environment. Newsmax did not respond to Mediaite when asked for comment.

The A-Block

Fox Christmas Tree Set on Fire

The large Christmas tree outside of Fox News headquarters in Manhattan caught fire early Wednesday morning just after midnight. Fox News host Shannon Bream broke the news.

[VIDEO FROM FOX SQUARE]

An NBC News 4 employee in New York saw police arresting a man near the tree. The suspect was later identified as a 49-year-old homeless man whose last known address was in Brooklyn. Police released his name and other details in the case.

The Fox & Friends crew mourned the burning of the holiday symbol that is meant to represent both religious and secular values of peace, love, and good will, and had some speculation about the circumstances that can lead to such crimes. 

In a memo to the network's employees, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott addressed the early morning arson and praised the FDNY and NYPD for their swift work in both extinguishing the fire and making an arrest.

Scott also announced plans on a lighting ceremony for a new “All-American” Christmas tree, details of which she will reveal once planned.

"This has become a new wonderful tradition on FOX Square over the last three years. We will not let this deliberate and brazen act of cowardice deter us," Scott wrote. "We are in the process of rebuilding and installing a new tree as a message that there can be peace, light and joy even during a dark moment like this."

[READ THE FULL MEMO]

We share the Fox News family's sadness at such a senseless act.


More...

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott is in the news Wednesday for happier reasons, as well, after being named one of Forbes Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women in the World.

From the list: "Fox News, helmed by CEO Suzanne Scott, launched a 24/7 weather streaming service in October—its app saw 28 million page views during its first week—to top off a winning year for the cable network."

Scott's quick efforts with the attack on Fox's Christmas spirit are a good example of that corporate leadership.


In Other News...

MSNBC Contributor Calls for Biden to Deploy a 'Federal Takeover' of Elections in Texas

Hillary Clinton Shares Speech She Would Have Given If She'd Beaten Trump in 2016

Nate Silver SHREDS Study Dana Milbank Cited to Claim Media Treats Biden Worse Than Trump: ‘Complete Crap

MATH: Steve Scalise Blames Opioid Crisis — That's Existed for Five Years — on ‘Biden’s Border Crisis’ Of the Past 10 Months

Must See Clip

‘Grossly Incompetent’

Stephen Colbert took aim at Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) for resigning from Congress to lead a new media company owned by former President Donald Trump.

“Speaking of catastrophes,” Colbert said on Tuesday’s Late Show, teeing up his take on the Republican. “There’s news about California representative and goldfish who watches you have sex — Devin Nunes.”

“Nunes has been named the CEO of the former president’s new media company despite having ‘no apparent prior experience working in the tech industry or as an executive,’” Colbert said“Instead, Nunes is a former dairy farmer.”

Then he really took the joke home.

Links We Like

Parents Of The Social Media Generation Are Not OK
- Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business
He Voted To Impeach. Can He Survive In The GOP?
- Tim Alberta, The Atlantic
Analysts and Researchers Prove COVID’s Racial Disparities in Pittsburgh
- Noah A. McGee, The Root
Andrew Cuomo’s Team Looked to Joe Biden for Lessons on How to Shut Down Misconduct Allegations
- Branko Marcetic, Jacobin
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