CBS, NBC Pass on Bush Speech

NewsMax.com ^ | 11/08/01 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

In the midst of America's greatest national security crisis since World War II, two of the three major television networks declined to interrupt regular programming to broadcast President Bush's address to the nation Thursday night on the ongoing war on terrorism.

Speaking from Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control, Bush talked about the anthrax attacks that have plagued the country for the last month, killing four Americans and exposing dozens to the deadly bacteria -- including employees of ABC, NBC and CBS.

But with America at war and the FBI predicting additional terrorist incidents at home, both CBS and NBC stayed with regularly scheduled programming for the half-hour address.

Only ABC carried the Bush speech live.

Rather than switch to Bush, NBC stuck with perennial ratings booster "Friends," while CBS carried its own ratings winner "Survivor."

In the past, TV network news divisions have declined to carry presidential addresses only when they were deemed not newsworthy or seen to be too overtly partisan.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Bush Administration
Media Bias
War on Terrorism

[victim soul]

So much for public service and bias. Last time I looked we were at war. Just think if the radio stations had decided not to air Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. Shame on you people -- and of course many of our elderly and poor don't have cable and rely on you to keep them posted. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!To bad they can't censor the crap and trash they put on their immoral stations.grrrrrrrrrr

[JD86]

Unbelievable.......and the ironic twist is the only network that carried the speech live is hosted by that Canadian twit Peter Jennings.....who still refers to the President as Mr. Bush......after 9/11 I vowed to never watch Jennings again.. but was forced to tonight by the non-participation of the other networks....

[anniegetyourgun]

Obviously the fact that we are at war is not newsworthy to those networks.

[AgThorn]

Why is everyone saying that ONLY ABC carried this speach live, when it was ALSO live on CNN and FOX?

[Winged Elf]

What bout FNC?

[FairWitness]

In addition to NBC and CBS giving it a pass, I was surprised to find that our local PBS station also was not running the President's speech. Maybe that is par for the course for them, but I was still surprised (I watched it on FOX).

[clintonh8r]

The networks have been irrelevant for a long time. I guess they finally realized it. As disappointing and disrespectful as their decision was, it's no more shameful than the fact that many people chose to watch their crap rather than the president's speech.

[outpost44]

Typical yellow (non)journalism. If it would have been Xlinton's speech, all of them would have covered it. I listened to it on the AM radio- the last voices of truth.

[TLBSHOW]

SCUMWORKS ARE NBC AND CBS

[YaYa123]

Unlike Clinton always did, President Bush did not ask the networks to break into regular programming to televise his speech live. I'm sure if he had, they would have done so.

Too bad though...it was a barnburner!

[Dengar01]

I am a devout FReeper, but I chose to watch Survivor on CBS. Now you can all Flame me if you want, but I wanted to watch this show. Does it matter that every station cary Bush's speech? If someone doesn't watch Bush's speech they don't have to. I chose to watch Survivor... so what. Sorry but I'm sick of speech's... I want action. That's why I chose to watch Survivor, and it was a great episode also.

[JD86]

Because some people don't have cable...:)

[LarryLied]

We need to find out what mindless,self-serving, pointless speeches of Clinton all three networks carried. There were more than a few.

[lds23]

I was forced to watch it on C-Span. Immediately after the speech, they put through some whiney caller with complaints. The bias permeates.

[ladyinred]

So deregulation really does exempt them from public service broadcasting eh? Or do they not think the President speaking to us about war on our soil is not a thing that is in our interest?

Or more likely, his message is not in THEIR best interest!

[bamastudent]

OK, complaining about any network not carrying the presidential address smacks of liberal paternalistic thinking. Just as we don't force people to vote (rightly so--do you want important decisions made by people who don't care?), we don't force people to pay attention to politics. In a free society, this is as it should be.

So it stands to reason that if everybody wanted to watch Bush, nobody would watch whatever else is on, and the ratings would reflect that. However, there were almost certainly a goodly number of people watching stuff other than Bush. Is this tragic, horrible, a sign of societal decay? Well, maybe, but that's in the eye of the beholder.

Come on, folks, embrace the principles of the free market and all their ramifications. Some networks will show Bush, some won't, and people are free to choose. The best way to criticize what the networks show is not to yammer but to "vote with your feet"--watch what's worth watching--and if everyone simply does that, any and all real problems will soon prove self-correcting.

[Amore]

Why is everyone saying that ONLY ABC carried this speach live, when it was ALSO live on CNN and FOX?

You know, amazingly there ARE still some people out there who don't have cable. . . .

[LarryLied]

President Bush did not ask the networks to break into regular programming to televise his speech live.

That's a little factoid of which I was unaware. Good going. So typical of Bush to do that. Classy. Sad part of it is that he won't even publicize what he did.

(maybe he was telling them in a nice they don't matter..heh...heh).

[Fred25]

Our local NBC affiliate in Albuquerque, KOB TV, did carry the speech live. I guess that was a local decision.