While those in the financial industry who are forced to make profits by trading other people's money (note: never their own) enjoy CNBC for the comedic content and the endless barrage of humorous propaganda (while getting their actionable info from Bloomberg and sellside soft-dollar services), the retail investor has traditionally relied on the Comcast channel for news updates, biased as they may be (remember: the Fed, ECB and BOJ are only micromanaging the global economy and injecting trillions because all is swell and self-sustainingly recovering and stuff) and trading recommendations.
At least that's how it used to work. However, when one looks at the most recent CNBC ratings something odd emerges: either the "retail investor" has found an alternative media outlet for getting their financial information during the day (or simply is tired of being lied to about some magical recovery that only affects 1% of the population) or said retail investor simply no longer exists despite all the endless propaganda to the contrary spewed by CNBC itself.
The reason? According to the latest Nielsen Media Research data, in the second quarter of 2014, CNBC business day viewership for all viewers just dropped to 162,000 - a new (and depressing for Comcast) low, on par with Q2 of 1997!
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Where things get funny is when one looks at the ratings of that consummate entertainer, that self-appointed "voice of the people", Jim Cramer. Sadly for Cramer, the people are now gone. Because also according to Nielsen Jim Cramer's Mad Money show just had its lowest ever rated month in the 25-54 demo, and is about to have its second lowest rated month ever across total viewers.
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But the punchline is when one looks at Cramer's ratings on a daily basis. It is here where one finds that this past Friday not only was Mad Money trounced by its competition including Fox Business' brand new Making Money with Charles Payne (at a ratio of some 9 to 1), but Mad Money had a laughable 2,000 (!) viewers in the targeted 25-54 demo.
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Surely even the cancelled Larry Kudlow could find more viewers than this? And in other rhetorical question, maybe it is not too late for Comcast to ask for its money back?
