Malaysian plane disappearance is a big ratings draw for CNN

CP27591726
Malaysia\'s Minister of Transport Hishamuddin Hussein, center, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation, left and Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, right, listen to questions from the media during a press conference regarding missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370, Friday, March 14, 2014 in Sepang, Malaysia. The international search for the missing Malaysian jetliner expanded westward Friday toward the Indian Ocean amid signs the aircraft may have flown on for hours after its last contact with air-traffic control nearly a week ago. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet has become a hot television story, particularly on CNN.

The network was devoting the bulk of its time Friday to the story, tracking various theories about what happened to the Boeing 777 airliner that has been missing since taking off from a Kuala Lumpur airport a week ago.

That’s a direct result of ratings showing a fascination among viewers about the vanished jet. The Nielsen company said the network averaged 588,000 viewers on Thursday, well above its average this year of 320,000.

Anderson Cooper’s prime-time show, which has focused heavily on the mystery, more than doubled its typical viewership the last two nights.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles