A hefty share of viewers was given by the MSNBC s Rachel Maddow.
Since Maddow, host of the network's marquee 9 p.m., the network's ratings with the all important 25-54 age group have taken nearly a 30% hit. The program ET has gone on a hiatus to work on a variety of projects, including a movie. Ali Velshi and Alex Wagner filled in for Maddow, and MSNBC has plans for others to step into the critical spot.
Maddow left earlier in February and is expected to be gone for two months. News reports have suggested that she may not return to her eponymous 9 p.m. show.
MSNBC, which is part of the NBCUniversal conglomerate that is owned by Comcast CMCSA, isn't the only cable news network dealing with major changes. CNN fired its longtime 9 p.m. host Chris Cuomo last year - he was originally suspended because of his political ties to his embattled brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the network have also parted ways with its president, Jeff Zucker, in a growing management scandal. The ratings of CNN took a hit after Chris Cuomo left.
The ratings downturns don't come as a surprise to media watchers who say that cable news has become a personality-driven business. That is because viewers aren't tuning in just for the news — they tune in for a particular host's take on the day s events.
Eric Schiffer, a Los Angeles-based media and marketing expert, says there is a human relationship that happens.
Schiffer says that the tie between host and audience has only deepened during the epidemic because so many of us have been living in increased isolation. The news anchors have taken over the place of friends.
Americans have long placed their faith in prominent television news people - think of the hold that CBS Walter Cronkite once had on the nation.
Robert Thompson, a media expert who is now the director of Syracuse University's Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, says Fox especially changed the game with hosts such as Bill O Reilly and Sean Hannity, who became celebrities in their own way. Fox Corp., FOXA, and News Corp. NWSA, parent company of MarketWatch publisher Dow Jones, share common ownership. Thompson said that the loss of a star news talent is devastating for a network in that the host is a daily presence. Contrast that to a hit sitcom that airs but once a week — and might have only 26 new episodes a year.
Thompson notes that star hosts give networks a face, one that can be leveraged to develop or promote other programming. They are very important for a network's identity, he says.
It is not to say it is over for a cable news network with the departure of a star.
Marc Berman, editor-in-chief of Programming Insider, says the key for networks is not to look for a carbon copy of a popular host, since no two talents are quite alike. He says networks should look out for fresh faces who bring their own skills and perspective.
Who is more like Rachel Maddow? Berman says something. Who is trustworthy, has knowledge and has a good presence?