Entertainment

FOX NEWS BEATS NETS ON SPEECH

FOX passed another milestone Tuesday night – outrating the broadcast networks in covering a news event, for the first time in its history.

Fox’s coverage of President Bush’s State of the Union address, anchored by Shepard Smith, snared 9.2 million viewers from 9 to 10:30 p.m. – compared to NBC (9 million), CBS (8.5 million) and ABC (7.2 million), according to Nielsen data.

You can argue that Fox had the benefit of a huge “American Idol” lead-in (28.6 million viewers), but consider this: Fox finished last among the broadcast networks in its coverage of last year’s State of the Union address – with a similarly huge “American Idol” lead-in (25 million viewers).

Tuesday’s numbers could be an indication that the branding of top-rated Fox News Channel has carried over into the broadcast arena.