zimv20
May 24, 2004, 10:55 PM
i must say, i was absolutely shocked to find none of CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox carrying the speech. only channel 11 in chicago, the public TV station, carried it live. i've never seen that before.
from here (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20040524-1338-bushspeech-tv.html)
ABC, CBS and NBC decided not to offer live coverage of President Bush's speech about Iraq Monday, although the cable news networks planned to pre-empt their regular programming for the address.
[...]
The broadcast networks took an unusual amount of time to tell viewers their plans for Bush's speech – ABC didn't decide until Monday afternoon – because the Bush administration did not formally request the time.
When the White House requests the networks set aside time for a presidential address, it's unusual for them to refuse.
But it's a difficult decision for the networks, forced to weigh the newsworthiness of the event, when it is left up to them. In that case, the three networks often take their cues from one another.
Monday was one of the last nights of the May "sweeps" period, when television ratings are used to set local advertising rates.
but from the post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57618-2002Oct7?language=printer)
ABC, CBS and NBC all decided not to carry President Bush's speech live at 8 last night. They said yesterday that they made this call because the White House never asked them to carry the speech live.
But the White House said it did not put in the usual formal request because it wanted to keep the American public from thinking we were going to war.
Yesterday around 4 p.m., the White House was rethinking that strategy. Aides called the networks' Washington bureau chiefs to get them to reconsider and offered to beef up the speech, but still they made no formal request for coverage.
"On this call they were saying things like 'what if we do this, what if we do that,' " one network insider said.
"It's possible they miscalculated. . . . We think it's possible they had second thoughts . . . But they know how this works. If it's important, they ask for the time and we usually give it, especially given the circumstances we're in right now."
Fox suits, who originally said they would not carry the speech live, changed their minds at about 6 p.m. yesterday after canvassing their stations and finding that a significant portion of them wanted the speech. The network worked with baseball officials and got them to postpone the first pitch until the president wrapped his speech, a network rep told The TV Column.
not sure if non-chicago fox stations carried it; in chicago, they were showing the Swan.
who wants to bet this story'll show up on ATC (All Things Considered) tomorrow?
from here (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20040524-1338-bushspeech-tv.html)
ABC, CBS and NBC decided not to offer live coverage of President Bush's speech about Iraq Monday, although the cable news networks planned to pre-empt their regular programming for the address.
[...]
The broadcast networks took an unusual amount of time to tell viewers their plans for Bush's speech – ABC didn't decide until Monday afternoon – because the Bush administration did not formally request the time.
When the White House requests the networks set aside time for a presidential address, it's unusual for them to refuse.
But it's a difficult decision for the networks, forced to weigh the newsworthiness of the event, when it is left up to them. In that case, the three networks often take their cues from one another.
Monday was one of the last nights of the May "sweeps" period, when television ratings are used to set local advertising rates.
but from the post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57618-2002Oct7?language=printer)
ABC, CBS and NBC all decided not to carry President Bush's speech live at 8 last night. They said yesterday that they made this call because the White House never asked them to carry the speech live.
But the White House said it did not put in the usual formal request because it wanted to keep the American public from thinking we were going to war.
Yesterday around 4 p.m., the White House was rethinking that strategy. Aides called the networks' Washington bureau chiefs to get them to reconsider and offered to beef up the speech, but still they made no formal request for coverage.
"On this call they were saying things like 'what if we do this, what if we do that,' " one network insider said.
"It's possible they miscalculated. . . . We think it's possible they had second thoughts . . . But they know how this works. If it's important, they ask for the time and we usually give it, especially given the circumstances we're in right now."
Fox suits, who originally said they would not carry the speech live, changed their minds at about 6 p.m. yesterday after canvassing their stations and finding that a significant portion of them wanted the speech. The network worked with baseball officials and got them to postpone the first pitch until the president wrapped his speech, a network rep told The TV Column.
not sure if non-chicago fox stations carried it; in chicago, they were showing the Swan.
who wants to bet this story'll show up on ATC (All Things Considered) tomorrow?
