Shepard Smith’s New CNBC Show Doubles Viewers in Timeslot – But He’s Still Way Behind Fox

Since its launch next month on CNBC, former Fox News star Shepard Smith’s “The News” has offered a mixed blessing in terms of ratings for the business-focused network. In its first month, the show has increased total viewership during the 7 p.m. ET hour by 90% over September, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The audience has also grown 120% from a year ago, when the network aired reruns of “Shark Tank” at that time. In addition, Smith has shown double-digit gains in the advertiser-coveted news demographic of viewers 25- to 54-years-old, which have risen 33% since September and 27% since last year. But Smith, who abruptly resigned as Fox News’ chief news anchor, badly trails the competition — even losing to repeats of Fox Business’ 5 p.m. ET show, “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” And he’s seen a steady erosion in audience since his Sept. 30 premiere. In total viewers, “The News” has dropped 27% since its premiere week. In the key news demo, it’s down 7%. Smith’s show averaged 272,000 viewers for the full month, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 22, compared to 305,000 for the repeat airing of “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” Also Read: Shepard Smith Debuts Strong by CNBC...

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