Jackson trial pumps numbers

The cable news channels saw a surge in viewership during Monday’s conclusion of the Michael Jackson trial.

During the 15-minute period in which the verdict was read, an average of more than 4.8 million viewers tuned into Fox News, 334% more than its usual ratings during that hour.

While the top-rated cable news channel, Fox News, once again beat its rivals, the other networks saw increased audiences, as well. CNN pulled in more than 3.4 million viewers at that time, MSNBC drew more than 1.4 million and Court TV had 3.4 million, its largest audience to date.

The music of Jackson also surged on American commercial radio stations. According to Broadcast Data Systems, which tracks the airplay of songs on U.S. radio, the number of radio stations playing his hit “Beat It” surged from nine the day before the verdict to 96 on the day the jury’s decision was made public. Other dramatic spikes were noted for “Thriller” (from two stations to 51) and “Smooth Criminal” (two to 38). Still, no Jackson song would have cracked the list of top 40 most-aired songs for the day.