MSNBC Tops CNN For October

MSNBC has throttled into second place in three hours of cable news primetime, beating CNN for the month of October.

Fox News, as usual, retains the top slot and is in no danger of relinquishing it. But MSNBC turned in its best primetime performance in its 12-year history in the adults 25-54 demo, according to Nielsen Media Research. It surpassed CNN for second place between 7-10 p.m. with "Hardball," "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" and "The Rachel Maddow Show."

MSNBC GM Phil Griffin said Monday that it's a historic placement for the network and part of MSNBC's long-term strategy when it set out on this course two years ago.

"We wanted to challenge CNN and become a player by the election," Griffin said. "Guess what? In the months leading into the election, we beat CNN."

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