The return of MSNBC's Ed Schultz to week days did not pay off in the ratings for the struggling liberal network. The Ed Show, which replaced Hardball with Chris Matthews at 5 p.m., garnered just 486,000 viewers Monday to lose to CNN's The Situation Room (488,000 viewers) and Fox News Channel's The Five (1,979,000).
Schult'z dismal showing broke a 24-week-day streak that Hardball beat CNN in the numbers at 5 p.m. CNN hadn't drawn more viewers at that hour since July 22, the day the royal baby was born.
It was Schultz's first hosting appearance on week days since being banished to the weekends in favor of Chris Hayes, whose 8 p.m. show All In With Chris Hayes has also been a ratings flop.
