2/6/2019

MEDIA/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump, a ratings junkie, should be pleased with the results of his State of the Union address on Tuesday [2-5-19] night. The ratings for Tuesday’s prime time address were up slightly compared with the same speech last year. The hour and a half long event averaged 46.8 million viewers across 12 broadcast networks and cable channels that showed the address live. Last year his State of the Union averaged about 45.8 million viewers. Tuesday night was not a personal best for Trump, since his first joint address to Congress in early 2017 drew about 48 million viewers. But for the first time, he can claim a clear ratings victory over his predecessor. The State of the Union audience at the start of Trump’s third year as president exceeded the viewership for Barack Obama’s comparable speech in 2011. Obama’s speech averaged 42.8 million viewers that year.”

Brian Stelter, “Trump’s second State of the Union clocks higher ratings than his first,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, February 6, 2019 5:26 pm