Update: 3.14.07 – Cox has fired up the site again. My guess is he is a glutten for attention. All that blog coverage…
Update: 3.2.07 OlbermannWatch has shut down – apparently because they felt they actually had a positive impact on Keith’s ratings. Maybe yes, maybe not.
While lurking over on this site, during the last week or so, I have been fascinated more-so by the comment section, than by the main post written each day by Robert Cox.
There was some discussion about Olbermann’s MSNBC ratings as opposed to O’Reilly’s on Fox. Cox (in a comment on his OlbermanWatch blog 9/18/06), referred commenters to BlogPulse, where he ran this query, that included O’Reilly and Olbermann and…President Bush. Frankly, the ratings between Olbermann and O’Reilly and the connection to Bush (in this particular context) escape me.
So, I ran a query on the rank for one month of Olbermann, O’Reilly and Hannity. I was more interested in looking at trends relating to similar data (talking heads) rather than two talking heads and one President of the United States. After all, the discussion in the comments seemed to be focused on Olbermann’s ratings as opposed to O’Reilly rather than opposed to President Bush. Garbage in – Garbage out to use an old geek term.
BlogPulse Results:
From the BlogPulse results, it looks to me that O’Reilly and Hannity are trending rather flat, even during peak news such as 9/11. Olbermann on the other hand, seems to have some major spikes relating to his “special comments,” and seems to not only be trending slightly upward but, during this month at least, meets or exceeds his competition on a regular basis.
Frankly, I was surprised at the results (even as off the cuff and casual as this little research project of mine is) . I had no idea that so many other people were as moved as I have been by Keith Olbermann’s “Special Comments” or that O’Reilly and Hannity has a stability in the blog ratings that borders on them sleeping through their broadcasts.
Just asking… Could it be that O’Reilly and Hannity have no new ideas to offer? Or that they are so locked and loaded into “the” position that they couldn’t use a new idea – even if they had one – without losing viewers and any credibility they enjoy presently?
Remembering a similar (I guess) mashup thingy that is posted over at HuffPo and being in the mood to do some very minor research, I did a little name dropping myself and grabbed a screen cap over at HuffPo as well. Same data, but the time period examined is one week rather than one month.
HuffPo Mashup Results:
A further contextual thread (in the comments at OlbermannWatch) seems to be the “special comments” he has made recently, his just published book, his ratings and the connection they all have to each other.
As blogs go – OlbermannWatch:
- Fun Factor is a Medium 3.
- Newsworthiness factor (regarding Olbermann in the news – only) is a Extra Large 5. (Cox’s interest in all things Olbermann is like an addict trying to connect with his crack dealer, he links to everything Olbermann.)
- Nit -picking factor – also an Extra Large 5 – if there is a nit – Cox will pick it.
- Cox postings are predictable because of his obvious political bias and his deep distain for Keith Olberman, but the posts are entertaining.
- The comment’s are stay pretty much on topic and people flame each other from both directions. There are some comments that are well thought out and are frequent enough to give his comment section a Big 4.
One has the feeling after perusing OlbermannWatch that Cox is on a personal mission to rid the airwaves of Olbermann, and it seems personal.
