See Minute 3:22 for MSNBC’s “We’re Number One” promo

Now that Fox is officially the GOP informercial network, it has lost its top spot in news channel rankings, leaving the field to MSNBC:

For the first time, MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” beat CNN’s prime-time highlight, “Anderson Cooper 360,” and … Rachel Maddow’s programs both finished solidly ahead of “Larry King Live” in the prime-time hours.

In the past few months, the ruse that Fox was a news channel has collapsed under its own weight. In August, a poll found that three-quarters of Fox viewers said they believed as articles of faith lies and distortions about health care reform — Republican disinformation that nonpartisan analysts had debunked without equivocation.

At a real news network, a report that 75 percent of the audience was misinformed would taken as a sign of gross incompetence in delivering the news. Heads would roll. But because it’s Fox, no one is surprised because it’s an open secret that Fox’s objective is to disinform. From Fox’s point of view, they have succeeded.

Recently, the Obama White House has generated headlines by calling Fox an “ideological unit” and by excluding it in the president’s round of Sunday shows last month.

With Fox out of the picture, the new ratings reflect MSNBC’s rising influence:

For the month, CNN averaged 202,000 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 — the group that television news organizations use as their basis of success because of their advertising sales. [It] trailed MSNBC, which had 250,000 viewers in that group and HLN, which had 221,000.

The only CNN show from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. that did not finish last was Larry King, which was [second], ahead of the new Joy Behar show on HLN. [First] was Rachel Maddow on MSNBC with 242,000. Mr. King averaged 224,000 and Ms. Behar 181,000.

At 7 p.m. CNN’s host, Lou Dobbs was [last], barely beaten by Jane Velez Mitchell on HLN, 166,000 to 162,000. [First] was Chris Matthews and “Hardball” on MSNBC, with 79,000 viewers.

CNN’s performance was worst in the 8 p.m. hour. Mr. Olbermann, with his first-run program, was [first] with 295,000. Close behind was the first edition of Ms. Grace’s show with 269,000. Campbell Brown on CNN trailed with only 162,000.

For the record, Bill O’Reilly, Fox’s top rated GOP infomercial host drew 881,000 viewers, trailing by nearly 3 million viewers its closest in-kind competitor — wrestling. WWE Friday Night Smackdown had 3.8 million viewers for its Oct. 2 anniversary show.