What's going on with cable news channels?

May 30, 3:05 PMColumbia Conservative ExaminerAnthony G. Martin

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From Matt Drudge:

CABLE NEWS RACE
THURS., MAY 29, 2009

FOXNEWS OREILLY 3,526,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 2,474,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,009,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 1,871,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 1,834,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,787,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,298,000
MSNBC MADDOW 1,029,000
CNNHN GRACE 915,000
CNN COOPER 852,000

It is no secret that Barack Obama loathes Fox News.  He has refused to appear on any Fox program during the campaign and after the election, with the exception of Bill O'Reilly.  Yet it is Fox News that has increased its viewership since November and totally decimated the competition, while decidedly pro-Obama networks such as MSNBC and CNN have lost viewers during the same period.

In fact, O'Reilly's show alone pulled in more viewers than all of MSNBC and CNN combined.

Further, Hannity has been named specifically by Obama on several occasions as a TV commentator for which he has utmost disdain.  Yet Hannity has managed to pull in more viewers than the top 2 MSNBC programs combined.

What's going on here?  Is there an explanation for this curious phenomenon where the very network that dares criticize Barack Obama is making minced meat out of its competition?

To put this in perspective, remember that Obama critic Rush Limbaugh was also named by Obama and his minions as a commentator for which they hold the highest disdain.  Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs mockingly referred to Limbaugh as 'the new face of the Republican Party.'

Rush had also made it clear that he wants Obama's policies to fail, given that the programs the President has proposed and implemented are blatantly collectivist in nature, drawing from the economic tenets of fascism and socialism.

For this the Obama team blasted Limbaugh with both barrels.  The result?  Limbaugh's radio audience increased by 30%.

There is a subtle but distinct backlash occurring in the heartland toward the Obama plan for the country.  We saw signs of it with the Tea Parties on April 15.  The backlash also manifested itself with the recent Dick Cheney-Barack Obama speech debate concerning the War on Terror.  Cheney's approval ratings rose significantly.

But the most telling signal that voters are turning their backs on the Obama plan, although they like the President personally, is the abandonment of pro-Obama sources of news.  The New York Times, MSNBC, CNN, and a host of other media outlets are in deep trouble.  Yet Fox News and Rush Limbaugh are picking up new viewers/listeners on a daily basis. 

The so-called 'great silent majority' may not be prone to criticize Obama openly in the polls, but they are voting against his programs with their channel changers.

So, buckle your seatbelts.  We may be in for quite a ride in the upcoming 2010 midterm Congressional elections.

For more commentary on a variety of issues, please visit my blog, updated daily, at The Liberty Sphere.