• by Wayne Friedman , March 24, 2012

Most savvy TV news media viewers understand the political tendencies of certain cable TV news networks. But what about specific state influences? It is not always clear.

Fox News Channel, home to Republican party supporters, according to analysts -- and still the leading cable TV network in terms of viewership -- might look like what is expected of the network. It has the most influence in Montana, Texas and Mississippi, viewed as predominantly "red states."

But MSNBC, seen as a news channel that Democrat supporters watch, per analysts, does well in Hawaii, Idaho, North Dakota and Iowa. CNN, also mostly Democratic-leaning, is tops in South Dakota.

For MSNBC and CNN, many states may not follow any preconceived notion. For many pollsters, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota are considered safe Republican strongholds.

The data results come from a new Forbes study of America's news organizations released late last week. The research looked at news sources and individual articles/stories that were unusually popular in certain states compared to national averages.

Many news organizations had influence across regional lines: The New York Times was strong among states in the Northeast; The Los Angeles Times was tops in its home state California; and The Washington Post was solid in Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky.

USA Today had the most influence in the middle of the country, especially Western states: Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada.

ABC News was strong in the Midwest and Eastern states, especially in Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma -- and in Pennsylvania and Texas.

Forbes says NPR is popular in Oregon and Minnesota; "The Onion" has influence in Wisconsin; Al Jazeera did well in Vermont, Oregon, New Mexico and Texas; and The Huffington Post is big in the Appalachian  region.