In its news article today about the CNN Headline News talker signing a deal to join Fox News next spring, the Times reports that Beck represents a coup for Fox because Beck's a hot entity and his ratings are on the rise.

Mr. Beck appears first at 7 p.m. and then in a repeat at 9 p.m. The 7 p.m. show has been averaging about 375,000 viewers in recent months, and the 9 p.m. repeat exceeds 485,000 viewers.

That does sound impressive, right?

Except here's the phrase the Times politely avoids in its write-up: “last place.” Because that's where Beck has been in his CNN HN time slot since pretty much the day he went on the air. He's been the Detroit Lions of cable news. As in, dead last. Like often, not-even-close-to-the-competition last.

But what about that big viewership spike this year? Well, it's an election year and pretty much all the prime time cable shows are up this year.