Missing Malaysia Airliner Theories Boost TV Ratings

It's become a world-wide obsession as news of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has millions glued to their TV’s.   

The story has been a ratings bonanza for struggling CNN. Their non-stop coverage of the story generated a 100% boost in ratings for the network.

Stephen Battaglio, business editor of TV Guide told INSIDE EDITION, "It is a real life drama and mystery unfolding right in front of our eyes and we have no idea when it is going to end. That is why we keep tuning in."

Coverage of Flight 370 has come under criticism because of some of the wild theories that are hitting the airwaves.

One theory proposed by retired Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney, former Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Japan, was that the plane landed in Pakistan.

"My concern is that this plane could be used as a bearer of a weapon of mass destruction," he said. 

CNN's Don Lemon asked if something supernatural happened, saying, “People are saying to me, ‘Why aren't you talking about the possibility’ and I’m just putting it out there, that something odd happened to this plane, something beyond our understanding?"

Battaglio told INSIDE EDITION, "When you are devoting so much time to a story and you don't have all the facts, it is going to send you off to some strange places."

Not everyone's happy about the non-stop coverage and wild theories.  

Bill O’Reilly said, “Watching some of the media coverage is painful. I know its ratings. Obviously it's ratings. People want to watch the mystery. But it's now corrupting the news business, I think.”

Battaglio said, "You have to fill the time because there is an appetite for this story."