Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Cable news channels, aiming to hold on to the ratings spoils of a lengthy presidential campaign, are taking cues from the victor, President-elect Barack Obama.

Just as Obama used the Internet and mobile devices to get out the vote, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC are using online tie-ins to promote their programs. The moves are part of a broader strategy to maintain interest with new shows and personalities after ratings soared in the months leading up to the election.

``There's a new atmosphere, a new flavor that this new administration brings,'' Jonathan Klein, CNN's U.S. president, said in an interview. ``Likewise, we are going to take the next- generation approach in covering this administration.''

CNN averaged 2.14 million viewers in October during prime time, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., compared with 711,000 a year earlier, according to Nielsen Co. Fox News more than doubled to 3.36 million, and MSNBC more than tripled to 1.58 million.

History suggests those viewers won't stay long. In 2004, CNN's prime-time audience had dropped 38 percent by December from its October peak, according to Nielsen. Fox slumped 31 percent from levels in October, and MSNBC fell 42 percent.

``Despite their efforts, it's going to be hard to sustain those type of viewing levels,'' said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media, which plans media buying for clients. ``There are going to be people who are casually interested in politics. These news stations are not going to be a destination stop for them.''

That doesn't mean they won't try after cable networks drove profits for media companies last quarter.

Cable Networks

News Corp.'s cable networks, led by Fox News, increased profit 31 percent, buoyed by advertising and subscription gains, even as the parent reported a drop in net income. Time Warner Inc.'s cable networks boosted profit by 21 percent, countering lower earnings from AOL, films studios and publishing.

The networks used interest in the election to introduce new shows, new personalities and technical wizardry, such as the life-sized holographic images of remote reporters CNN beamed into the studio. The executives say they're trying to present the news in the way Obama presented his candidacy, as a dialogue across many platforms.

``There's a younger set that understands this new modern media,'' Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, said in an interview. General Electric Co. owns a majority of the network. ``We fit in the way they try to understand today.''

`Rachel Maddow'

MSNBC's ``Rachel Maddow Show,'' which began airing on Sept. 8, reflects that approach. Over two months, the program averaged 586,000 viewers ages 18 to 49, the demographic group advertisers seek, in the 9 p.m. time slot, according to Nielsen. That exceeded the 557,000 who tuned in for CNN's ``Larry King Live.''

Griffin credits Maddow's daily podcasts on iTunes, as well as her correspondence with viewers through Twitter, a free messaging site the talk-show host uses to announce upcoming guests, share cocktail recipes and muse about politics and life.

``The addition of Rachel was a game changer,'' Griffin said.

MSNBC recently added the slogan ``The Power of Change'' to its marketing, echoing Obama's theme in a TV spot that features both presidential candidates.

Twitter

CNN introduced a Twitter-based show in September, featuring reporter Rick Sanchez, and after noticing the popularity of an internal daily memo on politics, the network decided to publish it online, calling it the Political Ticker.

The network also began airing ``D.L. Hughley Breaks the News'' on Oct. 25, a Saturday night show featuring the comedian mixing humor with news of the week.

CNN's black prime-time viewership has increased to more than 300,000 nightly in 2008 to date from about 115,000 a year earlier, according to spokeswoman Barbara Levin, citing Nielsen data. The Obama campaign, as well as documentaries such as CNN's ``Black in America,'' have boosted the audience, Klein said.

Fox News Channel also has beefed up its online presence and programming. During the election, Fox started a separate online channel, called Strategy Room, which continues to broadcast only on the Internet on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Fox has also hired Glenn Beck from CNN Headline News for a show that begins in January, and on Sept. 27 started a new Saturday program with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the one-time Republican presidential candidate.

``One thing that broadband and cell phones will do for these networks is bring them a younger audience'' said Horizon Media's Adgate.

Web Campaign

The Obama campaign used the Web and mobile phones as campaign tools, sending news via text messages and updating the candidate's whereabouts on Twitter. Obama also placed ads in video games.

``One can argue that our television success is based on our digital success,'' said Greg D'Alba, chief operating officer for CNN sales and marketing. ``New newsies found our brand online and followed our brand to television.''

The best post-election hope for the networks may be that events such as the credit crisis, two wars and the first black U.S. president keep viewers from drifting away.

Still, the networks promise more technological changes, such as the meter CNN used to track the instant reaction of voters during presidential debates.

``You're going to continue to see these technological innovations'' after the election, Klein said. ``But no, we're not going to create the hologram newscast.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Oshrat Carmiel in New York at ocarmiel1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 13, 2008 00:01 EST