The official Nielsen Media Research cable TV ratings for the weekend of June 10 and 11, 2017 are out, and the ping-pong effect of the popularity of the three cable news channels is continuing.  Overall, Fox News (FNC) continues in a weakened position compared with its performance in past years.  This change in the fortunes of FNC followed the upheavals in management and the imposition of a weak new lineup of programs this spring. Cable news ratings for Saturdays and Sundays are often very different from ratings for weekdays.  For one thing, MSNBC, the consistently virulent anti-Trump channel, is now beating FNC and CNN during most weekdays.  But on weekend evenings, much of MSNBC's schedule is inexplicably devoted not to news, but to reality shows focusing on the lives of convicted criminals behind bars. In the current hyper-polarized political climate, these "lockup" programs are not ratings...(Read Full Post)