Fox Becomes Most Popular Network (tops NBC, CBS, and ABC)

[Wretched Excess]

Fox Becomes Most Popular Network

It was a typical week in prime-time television — "American Idol" dominated everything — but Fox may have another reason for remembering it fondly: The network moved past CBS into first place for the TV season for average number of viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

For years Fox was regarded as fourth behind the Big Three of CBS, NBC and ABC. Now it's America's most popular TV network.

With a full season of "American Idol" to go, it's likely no one will eclipse Fox before the season ends in May.

The powerful talent competition had just under 30 million viewers for its Tuesday edition last week, and the Wednesday show had 24.8 million. No other show even reached 15 million. ABC's "Lost" was the most-watched scripted series.

CBS premiered the broadcast network version of Showtime's "Dexter" on Sunday to a decent 8.2 million viewers. The series about a serial killer has been the subject of protests for being too disturbing for broadcast.

For the week, Fox averaged 11.5 million viewers (6.7 rating, 11 share), NBC had 8.9 million (5.5, 9), CBS 8.1 million (5.2, 8), ABC 7 million (4.4, 7), the CW 2.2 million (1.5, 2), My Network TV 1.2 million (0.8, 1) and ION Television 540,000 (0.4, 1).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with a 3.4 million average (1.7, 3), Telemundo had 1.1 million (0.6, 1), TeleFutura 790,000 (0.4, 1) and Azteca 110,000 (0.1, 0).

ABC's "World News" narrowly won the evening news ratings race, averaging 9.44 million viewers (6.4 rating, 12 share). NBC's "Nightly News" had 9.41 million (6.3, 12) and the "CBS Evening News" 7 million (4.8, 9).

A ratings point represents 1,128,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 112.8 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of Feb. 11-17, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 29.96 million; "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 24.75 million; "The Moment of Truth," Fox, 14 million; "Lost," ABC, 13.76 million; "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC, 13.49 million; "Survivor: Micronesia," CBS, 13.18 million, "Deal or No Deal" (Monday), NBC, 13.15 million; Movie: "Knight Rider," NBC, 12.72 million; "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.5 million; "Deal or No Deal" (Thursday), NBC, 12.18 million.



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Personally, I don't watch broadcast networks.  It's not a rule, or a personal boycott, or anything, I just never find myself interested in anything they air.  but fox seems to have a particularly worthless lineup.

[Duke Nukum]

I like Sarah Conner on Fox.

I liked Journeyman on NBC but that got cancelled.

I like Pushing Daisies on ABC.

So I guess CBS is my least favorite.

Probably Sarah Conner is the best new show.

[Lord Undies]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

[Duke Nukum]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

A lot of people have gone back to roof top antennas for HD broadcasts.  They are supposed to be superior, in most cases, to the HD from cable.  And I have Dish and get the local channels but they aren't in HD yet.

[Wretched Excess]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

I actually had to google this, and I'm still not sure what the hell it is, or does. 

[Lord Undies]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

I actually had to google this, and I'm still not sure what the hell it is, or does. 

What a difference a decade in age makes! 

It use to be common knowledge that watching television in the dark ruined your eyes.  The TV lamp solved this problem by having a light (i.e. - The Panther lamp) project a 40-watt light on the wall behind your set. 

The idea wasn't totally unfounded.  Staring at a black and white TV hours on end did tend to blind people for a while after the experience.  Those peeps would look away and see the opposite light effect (as is common with the human brain).  Folks would look away from the gray and black and white and see day-glo colors of pink and purple and deep red. 

I think that is what made LSD popular.

[Wretched Excess]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

I actually had to google this, and I'm still not sure what the hell it is, or does. 

What a difference a decade in age makes! 

It use to be common knowledge that watching television in the dark ruined your eyes.  The TV lamp solved this problem by having a light (i.e. - The Panther lamp) project a 40-watt light on the wall behind your set. 

The idea wasn't totally unfounded.  Staring at a black and white TV hours on end did tend to blind people for a while after the experience.  Those peeps would look away and see the opposite light effect (as is common with the human brain).  Folks would look away from the gray and black and white and see day-glo colors of pink and purple and deep red. 

I think that is what made LSD popular.

my mother just made us turn the light on in the den

but thanks for the trip down nostalgia lane.  was the fact that it was a panther somehow significant? 

[Randy]

I think it's the Black & Unobtrusive thing.

I just saw something about a month ago stating you should backlight your new HDTV with a small light to help your eye focus and to help the colors pop. If I remember correctly they said as small as a 7watt bulb would do. Just something to let your eyes catch the edges of the set.

[BEG]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

Medium is one of my favorite shows too Undies.

[Lord Undies]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

I actually had to google this, and I'm still not sure what the hell it is, or does. 

What a difference a decade in age makes! 

It use to be common knowledge that watching television in the dark ruined your eyes.  The TV lamp solved this problem by having a light (i.e. - The Panther lamp) project a 40-watt light on the wall behind your set. 

The idea wasn't totally unfounded.  Staring at a black and white TV hours on end did tend to blind people for a while after the experience.  Those peeps would look away and see the opposite light effect (as is common with the human brain).  Folks would look away from the gray and black and white and see day-glo colors of pink and purple and deep red. 

I think that is what made LSD popular.

my mother just made us turn the light on in the den

but thanks for the trip down nostalgia lane.  was the fact that it was a panther somehow significant? 

Nope.  It was a vestige of art deco the grown ups brought forth the 1930's. 

[Chris_]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

Frasier and "Everybody Loves Raymond" consistently make me laugh so hard I cry.  2 of the funniest episodes of any sitcom ever are the silent Valentine vignette when Niles irons his pants and pricks his finger and ends up almost burning down Frasier's condo and when they did the radio drama and Niles starts killing off all the characters.

And I have fallen in love with "Las Vegas" with James Caan -- that is one hell of a show. I didn't even know it has been on for 5 years!

[Atomic Lib Smasher]

I too do not watch Big 4 network television.  I do like "Medium" and record it on my U-Verse system for viewing at my pleasure.  The odd thing about that is I looked on my website onscreen guide to tag "Medium" for recording.  I couldn't tell you what network actually broadcasts it.  I don't care.

I get confused in this day and age.  Are there really enough people who still have rooftop antennas and rabbitears - folks with no cable, satellite, or U-Verse - that the "Big 4" really matters to anyone?  Do Ma and Pa Kettle still let the cat sleep on top of the TV because they get better reception when she's lying their?   Do people still turn on the ceramic panther TV light so they won't hurt their eyes? 

My favorite "network" right now is LifetimeTV.  They rerun "Frasier", which is the best sitcom television ever saw, and "Still Standing", which I did not know even existed before the reruns, and "Reba", which I tried to catch when it was on but never got to see regularly.

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

That's my guilty pleasure too... watching Fraiser on the Man Hating Channel at 11:00 at night.

My TV watching habits tend to lean more towards History, Discovery, and the Nat Geo channel. I love watching Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, the Dog Whisperer, Shockwave, Modern Marvels, and am very intrigued by HC's "The Universe" series. Other than that, it's reruns of The Simpsons, Married with Children, Futurama, and Robot Chicken. So, I'm not much of a Big 4 watcher. Don't really care for most of the shows they have.

[CactusCarlos]

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW IT!!!  YOU'RE GAY! 

(just kidding, I watched all of The Nanny episodes several times over!)

[Lord Undies]

I have another confession:  I didn't know "The Nanny" existed before LifetimeTV started the reruns.  I like it too.     

I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW IT!!!  YOU'RE GAY! 

(just kidding, I watched all of The Nanny episodes several times over!)

That is very interesting.  So now we know CarlosCartos is a homosexual amongst us.  Bless his heartt.  We know there are conservative homosexuals.   It is dick blowers like you who make the rest of us safe in our beliefs.

[CactusCarlos]

That is very interesting.  So now we know CarlosCartos is a homosexual amongst us. 

Not merely "a homosexual" - THE homosexual.  Get it right. 

[Lord Undies]

That is very interesting.  So now we know CarlosCartos is a homosexual amongst us. 

Not merely "a homosexual" - THE homosexual.  Get it right. 

He was the first one in that fairy shoe thread.