Obviously, some of these Democrats and independents are hate-watching Carlson or dialing up Hannity for a good laugh. But these numbers can’t be erased with such limited excuses. Better than CNN and MSNBC combined, Fox knows how to make zesty television. Take the career of Tucker Carlson, for example. A bright, charismatic guy, he failed to make a splash at CNN at the beginning of the century when he co-hosted Crossfire. Then his show struck out at MSNBC (2005-2008). Not until he landed at Fox in 2009 and got schooled by Roger Ailes for seven years in the arts of broadcasting did he enjoy his breakout moments.

Fox’s founding ethos, formulated by Ailes and owner Rupert Murdoch, was that an unserved conservative audience existed, ignored by other news networks and most newspapers, and that they could fill it with something akin to what Rush Limbaugh was doing on AM radio. Their formula, which depended on tabloid instincts, was more successful than either imagined. Gone was the politesse that characterized the competition and in was the two-fisted contention of a street fight. Fox does its best to seek conflict and accentuate it for the camera. It’s never going to win a Peabody, but it’s what the masses like — and clearly not just conservatives.

Liberals and independents who tune in are there for political catechism. Some may be drawn out of curiosity or pause there after stumbling onto that day’s hot Fox topic while channel surfing. Fox also appeals to some viewers (raising my hand here) because the network covers sensationalist stories that won’t appear on CNN or MSNBC unless the New York Times or Washington Post gets there first.