CNN's ratings dramatically improved in April, but Fox was so dominant among cable news stations that it cracked the Top 3 among all cable networks in total viewers. HLN, meanwhile, knocked MSNBC out of third place for the month.
In a busy news month that included the Boston marathon bombings and the deadly explosion in West Texas, CNN had a 79 percent boost in total viewership, averaging 638,000 total-day viewers, compared to last April's 356,000. In the key 25-54 news demographic, the network climbed 109 percent with a total-day average of 228,000.
One reason for CNN's boosts is that it was so far down this time last year: April 2012 was its worst month since August 2001 in both the key demo and total viewers.