“Fox News Sunday” outperformed NBC’s “Meet the Press” — and every other major political Sunday show — among Washington, D.C., residents last weekend, marking a rare win for the program.
While “Meet the Press” captured a higher total audience number in the region, the networks place their focus on the coveted 25-to-54-year-old demo.
Among that demo, “Fox News Sunday” attracted 23,000 DC viewers, according to Nielson Media Research. “Meet the Press” locked up just 19,000 D.C. viewers.
“Fox News Sunday” featured interviews with Sens. Tim Scott and Sheldon Whitehouse, Reps. Sander Levin and Charles Boustany, as well as a panel that included Fox’s Brit Hume, the AP’s Julie Pace, columnist George Will and The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward.
By contrast, “Meet the Press” landed an exclusive interview with outgoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, but couldn’t overcome Fox’s DC ratings.
DC viewership is an essential measure for the Sunday shows, where the conversation always revolves around DC’s political and policy battles.
Fox’s Chris Wallace moderates’ “Fox News Sunday” while NBC’s David Gregory hosts “Meet the Press.”
Speculation has swirled for months that Gregory will lose the gig as the show’s once-dominant ratings continue to slide.
This is the second win for “Fox News Sunday” in the D.C. demo in the last 14 months.