Fox giving more coverage to RNC Convention? [BARF ALERT]

US Newswire ^ | August 31, 2004 | MMFA

[ejdrapes]

MMFA: FOX Gives 33 More Minutes to Republicans at RNC, Almost Twice the Time Given to Democrats at DNC; FOX News Channel Breaks Promise to Viewers for Equal Time of Both Conventions

To: National Desk, Political and Media reporters

Contact: Naomi Seligman, 202-390-0700; or Beth Kanter, 773-551-7044, both of Media Matters for America

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On the first day of the Republican National Convention, Media Matters for America found that FOX News Channel showed 74 total minutes of primetime speech coverage at the Republican National Convention -- 33 more minutes than was shown of the speeches at the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Following the announcements by FOX News Channel (FNC) hosts Bill O'Reilly and Cal Thomas that FNC will devote the same amount of coverage of live speeches at the Republican National Convention as it did at the Democratic National Convention, Media Matters for America (MMFA) found that on the first day of the Republican National Convention, FNC gave substantially more time to the speeches at the RNC than it did at the DNC.

MMFA will monitor FOX News Channel's live speech coverage and will produce daily a chart comparing the coverage, holding FNC accountable for its hosts' comments and its motto of being "fair and balanced." The findings will be posted to http://www.mediamatters.org.

During the Democratic National Convention, which took place between July 26 and July 29, MMFA monitored coverage by FOX News Channel, CNN, and MSNBC and calculated the amount of time each aired convention speeches live. FOX News Channel aired one hour and 16 minutes less of speeches from the convention live than did CNN and one hour and 47 minutes less than did MSNBC.

"FNC hosts made a promise to their viewers at the DNC that there would be equal time given during both conventions," said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters for America. "FNC has broken that promise on the first night of the convention and we will continue to monitor to see how they progress. This certainly would not qualify as fair and balanced coverage."

[Mike1973]

I am interested in seeing Media Matters' analysis of the ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and other channels during the DNC convention. If they can't do it for all channels and both conventions, then what is the point?

[dead]

C-Span rocks. No idiot talking heads, and you get to watch people in the crowd act like complete goofballs between speakers.

[areafiftyone]

LOL - you should have said you felt water come thru the tv - Chris Matthews was spitting again!

[Kaslin]

The cable news networks were horrible last night. I ended up watching CSpan thru the whole convention. Too many talking bobble heads chattering like chickens and too many commercials.

I watched the rats convention on FNC and muted the speeches . But I watched yesterday on C-Span so I would not miss any of the speeches and will do so again today, tomorrow and on Thursday. Guess that makes me biased, but who cares. I love my president

[Republican Wildcat]

I'd say that's probably because Giuliani's (and others) speech was 33 minutes longer than the Dem speech. What were they supposed to do, cut off in mid speech saying that's all the time available? This press release is a lie.

[dirtboy]

"FNC hosts made a promise to their viewers at the DNC that there would be equal time given during both conventions," said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters for America. "FNC has broken that promise on the first night of the convention and we will continue to monitor to see how they progress. This certainly would not qualify as fair and balanced coverage."

I can only venture that the liberals believe, in a time of war, they can whine their way to victory in November.

[Political Junkie Too]

How can this be true?

The MSM was going to cover one hour a night for three of the four nights. For the DNC, they chose Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. For the RNC, they chose Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Therefore, already, any coverage of the RNC will be more than was covered for the DNC on the first day.

Do I have my days right?

-PJ

[Chieftain]

Whaaaaaa....
Whaaaaaa...
Whaaaaaa....
Whaaaaaa!

[areafiftyone]

I love CSpan's coverage of conventions. They do a bangup job showing everything from start to finish and I don't have to hear people giving their opinions and miss something that is not a speech. The good thing about CSpan is they repeat things later that evening or sometimes on the weekend.

[cyncooper]

Better speakers who didn't let the tv channels dictate the length of their speeches.

Kerry couldn't even lead on that. They told him one hour, so he spoke too fast and waved aside any (pathetic, but still, the audience tried from time to time) applause or chanting.

I guess this stupid group that fancies itself some kind of watchdog would want Fox to pull the plug once the stopwatch says the exact time given to the dems has come and gone.

And say---did MSNBC and CNN by chance cover our speakers in full? Hmmmmmmmmm O Harpies at Media Matters?????

[dirtboy]

I am interested in seeing Media Matters' analysis of the ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and other channels during the DNC convention. If they can't do it for all channels and both conventions, then what is the point?

Well, for someone who gets all bent out of shape for Fox News calling itself fair and balanced, he's pretty unbalanced himself:

And here he is, back in the news again, on the same theme, unsurprisingly, this time as founder of a new Web site called Media Matters for America. Backed by $2 million raised from liberal contributors, the site promises to monitor and correct misinformation and lies from the conservative media "in real time."

[Defiant1]

This is an outrage. Swift Boat Vets, purple heart band aids, now unbalanced coverage by Fox. I bet Kerry calls for a "do over".

[Peach]

Exactly so, cyn.

They are trying to copy Media Research Center, imo, and failing miserably.

[MEGoody]

"MMFA will monitor FOX News Channel's live speech coverage and will produce daily a chart comparing the coverage",

So will they be doing the same with the alphabet networks, CNN, MSNBC and so forth?

Maybe when pigs fly.

[pepperhead]

And how much time did the broadcast networks give the GOP on the first night? More or less than the democrats? They didn't even bother covering it. One night in and the mainstream media already has their panties in a bunch. It seems to me Fox seen a opportunity to gain more viewers since the broadcast networks were not covering it. My guess is that Fox would have shown less if ABC, CBS and NBC would have covered the first night like they did the democrats.

[68 grunt]

Yep, thats why they're my network of choice!

[OneTimeLurker]

Of course they are. They know what their viewers want to see.

[TommyDale]

Total up all the time that Fox gave to the RNC, then total up all the time given by all the other news sources given to the DNC. Hmmmm... just a bit out of balanced, huh? Fox really has these people scared for some reason.

[Happy2BMe]

If you are a "FOX FAN" or a Bill O'Worship-ME FAN, I'm sorry to be the one to break this news to you . . .

QUOTE:

"According to the Kerry for President campaign, News Corp. President and chief operating officer Peter Chernin has endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate. News Corp. owns Fox News Channel."

"That would put Chernin in the ranks of some other Kerry-supporting media executives, including Barry Diller, Kirk Kerkorian (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.) and Harvey and Robert Weinstein, who backed the release of Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11.

____________

"News Corp. owns Fox News Channel." . . and Bill O'Reilly, and Hannity and Colmes. Is it any wonder direct posting from FoxNews is on the "No-No" list?

____________

That 'splains this . .

The Questions Bill O' Reilly Failed To Ask Michael Moore

* *

CNN - The Name You CANNOT Trust

[pepperhead]

The MSM was going to cover one hour a night for three of the four nights. For the DNC, they chose Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. For the RNC, they chose Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Frankly I don't see why one of the networks didn't break with the group and show a night the others were not. If I was in charge I would have done that and not shown another night.