CNBC's Ratings: Not So Rockin'

Earlier today, NBC U CEO Jeff Zucker made the claim on a JP Morgan's conference call that business cable channel CNBC is thriving amid market turmoil. And it should be: two of January's biggest stories -- the market crash and the rogue trader that almost brought down Societe Generale -- were business stories.

But the numbers were a mixed picture. In total viewers, CNBC was up 28% in January (302,000) from a year ago (236,000). But CNBC's advertisers only care about the 25-54 demographic, and in that demo CNBC was down double-digits across the board, which hits the network's bottom line.

The theory that market turmoil brings viewers has a flipside: depressed investors turn off the coverage when things get bad. Another theory: Political coverage could be siphoning off CNBC's adult viewers. We'll look at FNC, CNN and MSNBC numbers for January to see if that could be the case.

In the meantime, CNBC Jan. 2008 vs Jan. 2007 ratings in 25-54, according to Nielsen:
Squawk On The Street -19%
The Call -23%
Power Lunch -40%
Street Signs -34%
Closing Bell -29%
Fast Money -31%
Mad Money -32%