3 networks cut off President Bush before end of his news conference

[Spazito]

NEW YORK (AP) - A quick schedule shift by the White House enabled President George W. Bush to get considerably wider television exposure than he would have otherwise gotten for Thursday's prime-time news conference.

Three of the country's four biggest broadcasters gave the president a quick hook, however, by cutting away to entertainment programming before his session was finished. The White House moved the news conference from 8:30 p.m. EDT to 8 p.m. after realizing that CBS, Fox and likely NBC would not air it live. ABC said all along it would cover the president fully.

The White House tried to be accommodating when it realized it had left the networks in a bind on the first night of the May "sweeps," when ratings are closely watched to set local advertising rates, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

"I think this worked out for everyone involved," he said.

more

http://www.canada.com/news/world/story.html?id=f6a12c30-503e-4ff0-a06d-075d6cf0fa49

(I just loved the bit about giving "the president a quick hook", it brings to mind the vaudeville days when unfunny comedians were given the hook, bush's performance last night was certainly bad enough for it.)

[northzax]

1. it was the first night of sweeps, what do you expect?

Bush's 'press conference' last night cost the networks about 50 million dollars. you'd be pissed too.

[fasttense]

3. Serves them right. Their profits are going to continue to drop

as long as they serve as the right wing wacko's propaganda tools.

[yorkiemommie1]

2. he wants the corporations to rule

so they do what they gotta do, lol! it's just bidness.

[all.of.me]

4. news from canada. i love that!

[fertilizeonarbusto]

5. Hee, hee, hee

The networks know it may have been live, but it was still a re-run. :evilgrin:

[DemoTex]

6. I cut him off after about 30 minutes of his swill.

Freeping fascist.

[renaissanceguy]

7. I personally found it entertaining.

For once the reporters were actually asking him real questions. And he couldn't answer them, he just kept getting cocky.


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.21272015

[NVMojo]

8. Blowhard waxes boring!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. And we thought

we had lost our media. Whatever the reason, this is GREAT news.

[w4rma]

12. I maintain that he wouldn't have been cut off if he was doing well.

But a Democrat would be cut off for doing well.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. True eom

[seemslikeadream]

10. "Thanks for the answers"

That was the best part!

[rocktivity]

11. I stopped watching after Bush said, "One last question"

Exactly how far past 9EST did it run? Five minutes--ten? The networks have been willing to run their primetime shows five to fifteen minutes late.

:headbang:
rocknation

[RawMaterials]

14. anyone else notice the lack of Texas draw in his

voice, i guess he doesn't have to play that act anymore.

[PATRICK]

15. This betrays a lot of things

The Bush team is doing things without any consideration(or to deliberately tweak) others. The Pentagon being surprised by the oil refinery plan for closed military bases is par for the Bush course. "Watch this swing."

They barely care about the effectiveness of the conference and the rush to do one with last minute changes betrays some ulterior plans ADDED to arrogant neglect. They barely care about how the networks react with the "hook" because spinning the conference, not the conference has become the only game in town- and that is barely worked at either.

You can interpret this almost any way you want but definitely they expect something other than daily performance and news toadies will keep them on top.

[cliss]

29. You've noticed too?

I've noticed a general softening of the stance these past few months. The rhetoric seems tired. The repetition of the same lies is just - well, repetition.

Stan Goff wrote that soon Washington will stop the pretenses. They will become more & more open about their intentions.

We'll see.

[kodi]

16. bushevik idiots. its thursday night ads let the networks pay their bills

any other night draws less audiences, and less ad revenues.

someone in the white house fucked up bad, besides bush this time.

[dArKeR]

17. Are you nuts? This was part of the conspiracy! This aids aWols poll #s.

They networks are trying to boost aWols poll #s by not letting the American people see what an idiot D- student he is.

Dems really are pussys! What a great campaign commercial that would have been. "Would you hire a D- student to put his finger on the nuclear launch button?" And then this commerical would have come nearly true with the shown incompetence of aWol pre-911 and the butchering in Iraq.

[DeepModem Mom]

18. I have serious doubts about this AP account; the networks lost millions...

of dollars.

I believe that the networks were furious, and initially said no way they would pre-empt their expensive first-night-of-May-sweeps programming, as sweeps ratings determine ad rates. They were, I believe, saying this publicly. And I believe that pressure was then brought to bear, and, one by one, the networks caved.

[rocktivity]

26. I remember when Fox couldn't air a football game

because a post-season baseball game went into overtime. As someone who used to work in advertising, I laughed because I could almost hear the money leaking away, not to mention the network exces banging their heads on their desks!

:headbang:
rocknation

[wellst0nev0ter]

19. You Know He's A Limping Waterfowl When Even FAUX Won't Give Him Play

Serves him right to, because I missed the "OC". Now I'll never know if Kirsten cheated on Sandy with that Carter guy, or if Seth and Marissa finally got together :(

[high density]

20. Thursday night during sweeps

What the hell did the White House expect? He could have done this last week and they probably would have given him two hours of coverage.

It is pretty sad though that the president gets interrupted by programming like "Survivor" and "The Apprentice." I guess that could just go to show how worthless his words are since companies like News Corp. and General Electric decided that they weren't worth airing in entirety on their flagship networks.

By the way, here's a great article from the WP on this issue:

The President's Preemptive Strike
One by one the broadcast networks caved yesterday and agreed to preempt the first night of the May ratings race to make way for President Bush's non-news conference, after 'Sopranos'-style arm-twisting" by the White House, as one network suit described it.

Here's how it went down:

On Tuesday, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found President Bush's approval rating is at an all-time low of 47 percent, owing no doubt to some combination of a) still no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, b) 60-day tour pitching Social Security "privatization" a bust, c) attempt to use Terri Schiavo for political gain backfired, d) nomination of John "Yosemite Sam" Bolton for U.N. ambassador turning into long nightmare, e) key House ally under attack for alleged ethical improprieties.

What's a president to do?

Continued: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/29/AR2005042900250.html

[UCSBLiberalCat53]

21. I can picture what those "victimized" right-wingers are saying

OMG TEH LIBRUL MEDIA!

[truthisfreedom]

22. he's just winning the hearts and minds of everyone. or should i say jeff

gannon/james guckert.

[earth mom]

23. ROFLMAO! Both * and the Corporate media screwed each other over!

I LOVE IT! This is funny as hell! :rofl:

[pdefalla]

24. Physics whiz

I loved the part where he talks about "Gas being liquified into a solid".......

[newyawker99]

25. Hi pdefalla!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mahina]

27. No way.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh...........nooooooooooooo.............
that is so humiliating.

[mahina]

28. And welcome, welcome , welcome to DU!

[daleo]

30. People tuned in for The Apprentice and got

The Impostor.

[Oeditpus Rex]

31. It's The Donald's fault

How the President's News Conference Ended Up Live on Four Networks