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Maddow Suffers Lowest Ratings Since Show Debut

MSNBC slumps to fourth place

AP

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow's May ratings were her worst monthly showing since The Rachel Maddow Show debuted in 2008, and the liberal network suffered double-digit drops overall in primetime viewership (20 percent) and the 25-54 demographic (19 percent) from last May, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Partly to blame for Maddow's drop are the continuing woes of All In with Chris Hayes, which began in April to replace Ed Schultz and has been a ratings flop. Maddow even finished behind perennially struggling Piers Morgan:

The soft start for All In With Chris Hayes has not helped. Hayes, down 32 percent in total viewers from The Ed Show last May, has offered a poor lead-in for MSNBC's primetime flagship The Rachel Maddow Show at 9 p.m.. The show delivered its lowest-rated month since it debuted in Sept. 2008 (717,000 total viewers) and its second-lowest with adults 25-54 (210,000). Maddow was topped by typical time slot victor Sean Hannity and, in a rare feat, CNN's Piers Morgan.

Winner FNC, posting modest year-to-year losses in the key demo, was still number one across all of cable in both primetime and total day. Heavily covering White House woes like the Benghazi hearings, the network averaged 1,246,000 daily viewers (up 24 percent) and 236,000 adults 25-54 (down 5 percent) for the full day. Primetime saw 17 percent growth with 1,973,000 total viewers and a 6 percent dip with 308,000 in 25-54.

CNN is in significantly better shape than it was last May when it hit 20-year lows. The network's year-to-year growth brought in a third place 465,000 total viewers for total day and a second place 660,000 total viewers in primetime, growth of 61 and 70 percent. CNN's demo jumps were more considerable, rising 92 percent to 161,000 adults 25-54 in total day and 97 percent to 225,000 adults 25-54 in primetime.