Glenn Beck‘s ratings might have been down when he left Fox News Channel, but there was still chatter about needing big shoes to fill that 5 p.m. time slot. But according to this summer’s Nielsen ratings, it looks like the replacement show “The Five” has held on pretty well.
In its first full month on air in August, “The Five” retained most of Beck’s audience, getting an average of around 1.5 million viewers, compared to the about 1.6 million Beck was getting in June.
On the show, Washington types, like former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and political strategist Bob Beckel, are rotated in as part of a daily lineup of five hosts. The show has attracted advertisers, too, unlike Beck’s program. “The Five” also bested its D.C.-based cable news competitors Wolf Blitzer and Chris Matthews. In August, CNN’s “The Situation Room” averaged 711,000 viewers while MSNBC’s “Hardball” averaged 685,000.
There’s no official word from Fox about what might replace “The Five” come fall, but maybe these numbers could help it stick around.
