FNC Tops CNN’s Town Hall Palooza; Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg Score Slot Demo Wins
FNC outscored CNN’s town-hall palooza Monday night. MSNBC did same in total viewers only, but fell short of CNN in the news demo.
From 7 PM to midnight, FNC clocked 2.3M viewers and 380K in the 25-54 age bracket, besting MSNBC (1.8M, 2.85K) in both metrics and handily trumping CNN (1.2, 371K) in overall audience, with a tighter win in the news demo.
Related stories
Joe Biden To Hit Beverly Hills Fundraiser In May In 2020 Ramp-Up
CNN’s 10 PM town hall with Kamala Harris (1.4M, 496K) fared best among the Dem White House hopefuls who played along with CNN’s town hall orgy of excess, that started at 7 PM with Sen. Amy Klobuchar and wrapped at midnight with its one-hour Q&A with Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
At 7 PM, Amy Klobuchar’s Q&A clocked 869K viewers, including 183K in the news demo. FNC’s Martha McCallum (1.9M, 320K) bested in both metrics, while CNN edged out MSNBC’s Chris Matthews (1.4M, 201K) in the news demo.
At 8 PM, Elizabeth Warren’s CNN Q&A (1.2M, 332K) got beat by FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight (2.9M, 498K) but edged out MSNBC’s Chris Hayes (1.4M, 238K) in the news demo.
Bernie Sanders (1.3M, 457K) topped 9 PM in the news demo, out-delivering FNC’s Sean Hannity (2.9M, 453K) and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow (2.6M, 446K), though both those programs thumped Sanders in overall crowd.
Kamala Harris (1.4M, 496K) handily beat FNC’s The Ingraham Angle (2.3M, 339K) and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell (2.1M) in the key age bracket but fell to those programs in total viewers.
And, wrapping CNN’s town hall night from 11 -PM until midnight Pete Buttigieg (1.2, 389K) outscored MSNBC’s 11th Hour with Brian Williams (1.6M, 225K) and FNC’s Shannon Bream (1.4M, 225K) in the news demo, but fell behind both programs in overall crowd.
CNN devoted the five straight hours Monday night to five consecutive town halls with the Dem White House hopefuls who debated – just not at the same time on stage – whether people convicted of felonies still serving time should be allowed to vote, impeaching President Donald Trump, free state college tuition, healthcare, etc.
Klobuchar tried to distinguish herself talking about her political prowess in red districts, boasting she won Michele Bachmann’s district, which got no response from her college-student crowd, likely owing to their having no idea who Bachmann is.”That’s when you guys are supposed to cheer, okay?” Klobuchar instructed helpfully.
Harris’s trotted out her “we should have a conversation about” dodge on some hot-button issues. Sanders made headlines insisting convicted felons still serving time should have the right to vote.
And Buttigieg got the night’s most enthusiastic applause when asked about U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Crenell, who blasted his remarks about Vepe Mike Pence’s opposition to gay marriage and championing of “religious freedom.” Grenell accused Buttigieg of perpetrating a “hate hoax” and compared him to Jussie Smollett.
Responded Buttigieg, “I’m not a master fisherman, but I know bait when I see it, and I’m not going to take it,” setting off robust round of applause.
When the dust settled, Bernie Sanders Fox News Channel town hall with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on April 15 still stands as the most watched town hall of this election season to date.
Sanders had clocked nearly 2.6 million viewers from 6:30-7:30 PM on FNC; that includes 489,000 in the 25-54 news demographic, thumping its cable news competition combined in both metrics.
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
