Posted on 03/18/2009 8:17:47 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
Networks are pulling their shows over to the side of the road to make room for the lights and sirens of president Barack Obama's latest primetime address.
Obama will take to the air next Tuesday evening on four broadcast networks and bump the most popular series on television, Fox's "American Idol."
Fulfilling their scheduling civic duty is starting to seem increasingly cumbersome to broadcasters, however. Between a struggling economy and ratings sagging in midseason, every interruption costs networks advertising dollars and momentum.
"At a time when we're struggling not only financially but to build audiences, this doesn't help on either front," one network executive said. "These repeated interruptions -- and the rumor of even more to come -- really make it difficult to build audience flow and loyalty. We will all lose one or two million dollars for this."
The presidential election resulted in a fall season regularly interrupted by political news coverage, followed by primetime inauguration coverage, then two primetime speeches since then about the economy. For the White House to request another primetime slot, during sweeps and right after several shows dropped to new lows in last night's ratings, has some executives exasperated.
"I believe in the president and his policies, and as broadcasters we have a responsibility to provide the airtime," said another network insider. "But these frequent primetime requests are wreaking serious havoc with our schedule and our advertisers. Ratings are down everywhere and the airtime is costing us all significant dollars when we can least afford it."
(Excerpt) Read more at thrfeed.com ...
Zero’s in the toilet bowl and panic may be setting in.
Two prime-time press conferences in less than five weeks...his internal polling must be absolutely tanking.
YEAH....and he thinks THIS will improve his polling....that’s how OUT OF TOUCH this idiot/marxist is.
I am glad that I did not shell-out cash for a converter box...
I hope Zero’s not going to bump the finale of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions.
Told of network irritation, the Oabamassiah thrust out his jaw in a Mussolini pose and said, “La media c’est moi!”
agreed. He is trying to prevent free fall in his popularity. He needs to get the rest of his radical budget through before the numbers collapse.
I hope he’s not planning on getting into the typical Commie practice of bloviating as often as possible on TV and radio. Really taking some lessons from Chavez and Fidel.
Wait till he starts preempting the networks for 4 hr speeches. He probably would now but the teleprompters don’t have enough memory.
I kind of have a feeling that the .... I guess ~20-25 million people who will miss AI will blame it on him. So be it.
Hey networks you backed the socialist scumbag with everything you had to get him elected. Now you’re losing money because of him.
SCHADENFREUDE at its finest.
Suck eggs networks.
Didn't the networks (some of them at least) refuse to cover George W. Bush during primetime. I seem to remember a speech or press conference that wasn't on some networks because they refused to bump their regular lineups during the sweeps.
"I believe in the president and his policies, and as broadcasters we have a responsibility to provide the airtime," said another network insider. "But these frequent primetime requests are wreaking serious havoc with our schedule and our advertisers. Ratings are down everywhere and the airtime is costing us all significant dollars when we can least afford it."
They would never have put up with this from Bush.
We'll see how long before the Party Propaganda Ministry refuses to give "The One" airtime that is rightfully his.
Wouldnt you just love to see some network say to Obambi weve got better shows than the dog and pony show youre gonna put on.
Well, bumping AMERICAN IDOL.
That’s the one thing that could get him impeached.
You can fool some of the people most of the time. He'll get a little bump from tonight's Leno, 60 Minutes and next week's press conference. But, it'll be temporary. And eventually it will all catch up and he won't be able to continue to outrun the giant boulder careening down the hill.
You can mess with up the health care.
You can mess up the military.
You can mess up the economy.
But don't you ever, ever mess with Idol, Mister smart guy!
That’s what the Leno gig was for. The Chief Imbecile was too ‘tired” to meet PM Brown but he aint tired to meet Leno nor make his NCAA brackets.
Lets see,,he has pissed off American Idol, Mentalist is canceled. AI is up against the NCAA, the networks are mad.
THe vets are enraged at the attempt, given up, to cut them off govt healthcare for service connected injuries.
Catholics and others are mad as hell about the conscience rejection.
PIlots are mad about the gun issue.
Business is furious. AIG is being played to cover up Obama asking for the pensions to stay in the bill.
Dodd revolted and told the truth on tv about that amendement being pushed by Treasury.
His Treasury secy is an idiot.
Nobody can pass inspection for appointees.
The man is in deep troube and when he sneaks health care thru on the reconcilliantion bill, the entire country will wake up with a model of health care that is going to kill our old people and then the young.
He is far more dangerous than even I could imagine.
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