CNN Falls Behind MSNBC in Annual Prime-Time Ratings CNN will finish 2009 behind MSNBC in prime-time ratings, the first time CNN has ever trailed a competitor other than the Fox News Channel over a full calendar year. That finish had been expected. In recent months, CNN, which continues to stand behind its policy of steering clear of the opinion-based shows that draw large prime-time audiences for its competitors, has also trailed its own sister network, HLN (formerly Headline News). CNN has frequently finished fourth in the news channel category. CNN will finish the fourth quarter of 2009 in fourth place - another first - and with two weeks left has been fourth on more than 100 nights this year. But the end-of-the-year ratings for the news networks - which were being presented this week because nothing is likely to change by Jan. 1 - are bringing some other, less expected, results. One is the ability of Fox News, which had the biggest ratings year in its history, to grow even against the heavily viewed election year of 2008. Both CNN and MSNBC were down sharply from last year. Another surprise has been the steady growth, up 9 percent in prime time, of HLN, where hosts do offer opinions. Perhaps most surprising is the overall growth in viewing for all the news networks over the last several years. For example, even with its competitive problems in prime time, CNN has had more viewers on average this year than it did in 2006 or 2007. But they both have been left in the dust by Fox News. Fox has averaged 699,000 viewers for the year, up 10 percent, in the weeknight prime-time hours. All figures cited here are for viewers ages 25 to 54, the audience that determines success among news networks because that is the group sought by news advertisers. MSNBC was second with 307,000 viewers, while CNN averaged 297,000. But CNN remained much stronger than MSNBC everywhere but in those prime-time hours. CNN's morning show, "American Morning," beat "Morning Joe" on MSNBC for the year, 161,000 viewers to 136,000. HLN's "Morning Express" even beat "Joe" with 158,000. And from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CNN beat MSNBC, 185,000 viewers to 101,000. In all cases both networks were again far behind Fox News. MSNBC's daytime problems are also illustrated by the puny totals for daytime hosts like Andrea Mitchell and Dr. Nancy Snyderman, which on Tuesday attracted only 17,000 viewers and 23,000 viewers respectively. In ratings for the total day, Fox, which was up 16 percent, averaged 320,000 viewers for the year, while CNN was down 24 percent, to 185,000, and MSNBC was down 21 percent, to 149,000 viewers. CNN also continues to demonstrate the strength of its news brand in terms of digital usage, where it surpassed both Fox and MSNBC. But CNN staff members are increasingly expressing concern about the competitive trend in prime time, which is by far the biggest center of profits for the news networks. In recent months, CNN, with one of its strongest anchors, Anderson Cooper, has fallen behind even a repeat of MSNBC's leading show, with host Keith Olbermann, at 10 p.m. weekdays, though Mr. Olbermann's show is down 13 percent for the year.