Even though Fox News Channel’s founding boss is expected to leave his post after 20 years amid sexual-harassment charges, the public scandal doesn’t seem to affect how many people are watching the nation’s top-rated cable news network for coverage of the Republican National Convention.
Fox News Channel’s coverage of the final hour of the second night of the Republican National Convention drew more viewers than any of the three major broadcast networks, according to latest figures released by Nielsen.
Fox News Channel averaged 6.35 million viewers for Tuesday’s final hour, which aired from 10-11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and 7-8 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and featured a speech by Donald J. Trump Jr., a son of Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.
NBC topped the major broadcast networks during the time slot, averaging 4.68 million viewers. CBS was second averaging, 2.54 million viewers, with ABC finishing third, averaging 2.35 million.
CNN was second among the cable networks for the final hour, averaging 3.94 million viewers, topping CBS and ABC.
Fox News Channel was also first among the cable networks for the night’s first hour of coverage, averaging 5.09 million viewers to 3.17 million for CNN. Fox also led in the second hour, averaging 5.07 million to 3.7 million for CNN.
A two-hour episode of NBC’s perennial summer ratings champion “America’s Got Talent” was the night’s most-watched program, averaging 11.1 million viewers.
Long-time Fox boss Roger Ailes was named in a sexual harassment filed by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson earlier this month, and another woman anchor, star Megyn Kelly, allegedly said she, too, had been the target of similar actions by Ailes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Fox News Channel leader has denied all allegations, but he is reportedly close to being ousted from his job.
—Staff and wire reports