Brian Stelter’s CNN Debut Gets Bumpy Ratings Start

Stelter’s premiere as “Reliable Sources” host drops sharply from most recent airing

brian stelter
CNN

Brian Stelter’s debut as the new host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” drew less than stellar numbers on Sunday, drawing an underwhelming 400,000 total viewers and 118,000 viewers in the key 25-54 news demographic, according to Nielsen.

Compared with the average for the fourth quarter of the year, Stelter’s “Reliable Sources” premiere was down 10 percent in total viewers and 9 percent in the demo. And versus the most recent airing of “Reliable Sources” on Nov. 24, Stelter’s premiere was off 35 percent in total viewers and 49 percent in the demo.

Also read: New York Times Exodus: Hugo Lindgren, Brian Stelter and Matt Bai All Leaving

Meanwhile, former “Reliable Source” host Howard Kurtz’s new Fox News Channel show, “Media Buzz,” drew 960,000 total viewers, with 239,000 of them in the key demographic. MSNBC’s “Melissa Harris-Perry” averaged 325,000 total viewers, with 115,000 in the demo.

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