Blitzer Leads The Situation Room to No. 1 Among Younger Viewers in 2008

Throughout a record-breaking year for CNN, more viewers in the 25-54 demographic turned to CNN during the 5 p.m. hour than to any other cable news channel. Additionally, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., was No. 1 among 18-34 and 18-49 viewers in 2008.

For the three hour block, The Situation Room attracted, on average, 81,000 viewers in the 18-34 demo, as compared to the 61,000 viewers who turned to Fox News and the 53,000 viewers who turned to MSNBC. In the 18-49 demo, an average 219,000 viewers watched The Situation Room versus 209,000 and 129,000 who turned to Fox News and MSNBC, respectively.

At 5 p.m., The Situation Room averaged 245,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic, compared to the 243,000 for Fox News’ Election Headquarters and 197,000 for MSNBC’s Hardball. According to Nielsen data for the year, The Situation Room also beat its competitors in the 5 p.m. hour in the 18-49 demo with 213,000 viewers, versus Fox News’ 190,000 and MSNBC’s 146,000, as well as in the 18-34 demo with 77,000 viewers, compared with Fox News’ 57,000 and MSNBC’s 58,000.

“I attribute 2008’s ratings to The Situation Room’s incredibly hardworking, talented team who tirelessly wrote, booked, produced, directed, anchored and performed countless other tasks to craft the most comprehensive and fair newscast every weekday,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s political director. “Viewers trusted Wolf Blitzer and this team during 2008, and we promise to not disappoint in 2009 and beyond.”

The Situation Room airs weekdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eric Sherling is the program’s executive producer.

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