CNN tops Fusion data; Fox News loses it

Networks can get pretty intense when it comes to how their ratings data gets reported. But no organization can go from zero to batshit faster than Fox News.

I've just spent about 24 hours struggling to get a story finished that's just about the dullest thing you'll ever read.

First, here's the "story:"

Though Fox News has long won the primetime ratings race against CNN, there’s one Nielsen data measurement system that puts CNN on top.

Nielsen "Fusion" combines the audience reach of the news networks plus the popularity of their respective Web sites. When both portals are taken into account, CNN/CNN Digital reached 125.3 million viewers, MSNBC/MSNBC Digital had 105.6 million and FNC/Fox News Digital had 104.3 million. That’s for the month of April, the most recent month the “Fusion” data is available.

That's it. Riveting stuff, huh? 

Now, networks have been looking for all-encompassing measurements that take online viewing into account. Whether Nielsen Fusion is really a “fair and balanced” way of bundling linear and online ratings can certainly be debated. Is this Fusion data or Franken data?

Well, one could rationally argue that these are cume numbers, meaningless to advertisers. And CNN Digital apparently includes People.com and SportsIllustrated.com -- so is it really a fair comparison for a news organization?

But as those who regularly deal with them are aware, the reps at Fox News aren't big on "rationally." Network publicists were outraged a reporter would dare write about such a measurement, one that CNN is touting in press releases, and responded to a simple request for comment with a flurry of passive-aggressive lines such as “Do you know how many reporters have turned this story down?” ... [Your predecessor] would never have reported this. ... Don’t you worry you’re hurting your credibility by reporting this?”

And after a couple conversations, I hung up on a network publicist for the first time in years.

Then Fox News called my editor. Then my editor's editor.

So let's use the quote Fox News gave to Daily Finance, which TV Newser also picked up, two outlets that reported the Fusion numbers:

"Apparently the sheer embarrassment of getting beat by both Headline News and MSNBC along with the continued implosion of Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper has led CNN to its latest act of desperation. We wish [Turner research guru Jack Wakshlag] well in continuing to defend their battle for fourth place."

Nice.

The problem with Fox News is they're sore winners. Even after years at the top of the ratings, and glowing victory lap stories published here and elsewhere, the network runs around with their hair on fire in the face of any reporting that has a single sentence they don’t like. Eventually I was able to drag some perfectly reasonable arguments (using email this time) about Fusion from Fox News, but not without effort. The funny thing is they had good points to make ... they just prefer to not have to make them. You start to realize their goal is to wear reporters down, saying anything and calling anybody to stop a story. Once a network takes it to that level, well, it starts to seem all the more crucial to write the damn thing ... even if the item is as lame as this one.