CNN saw its lowest ratings in more than a year last week. The cable news network averaged just 385,000 total viewers, which is the lowest weekly ratings period since August 2012.
During the sluggish ratings week, CNN focused on the Affordable Care Act with frequent stories about the inadequate healthcare website, HealthCare.gov. However, Fox News and MSNBC also covered the site's inadequacies and both got higher ratings than CNN.
Plus, CNN attracted only 95,000 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54, which is a key demographic that news advertisers want to reach.
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According to
The New York Times, Fox News averaged 2.4 million overall viewers with 377,000 in the 25-54 age group. MSNBC averaged 683,000 overall viewers with 150,000 in the 25-54 category.
In the past, CNN's ratings have done well during times of crisis and dipped during the quiet times.
A CNN employee told the Times last year that the network was like an emergency room. It's a place you turn to during an emergency, but you don't stay any longer than you have to.
In an effort to change this perception, CNN brought in former NBC boss Jeff Zucker to lead the network at the beginning of the year. He has made changes to several programs including morning and afternoon shows,
but few changes have occurred during the prime-time hours.
CNN has hired Bill Weir from ABC, which Politico suggests could mean prime-time changes are coming soon.
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