Posted on 09/24/2002 5:58:24 AM PDT by floriduh voter
WTSP-TV Ch. 10 won't let Friday's Bush-McBride debate pre-empt the season premiere of 48 Hours.
What does Lesley Stahl have that Gov. Jeb Bush and Bill McBride don't have? Ratings and ad revenue, apparently.
Friday's debate between Bush and McBride isn't scheduled to air in the Tampa Bay area, McBride's home, because CBS won't let WTSP-TV Ch. 10 pre-empt the season premiere of 48 Hours Investigates, the station said Monday.
Stahl is the show's new anchor, replacing Dan Rather, and CBS has been heavily promoting her new role. So instead of seeing Bush and McBride answer questions posed by Floridians, local viewers will see a story about a psychiatrist accused of having sex with a patient who has multiple personalities.
"Once we hit prime time, we have to ask CBS, and when you're talking about covering up something in premiere week, they're just not as cooperative," said Lane Michaelsen, vice president and news director at WTSP in St. Petersburg.
"This is premiere week for many network television shows, so yeah, this is a very important time for them," he added. "They're launching new shows and new people and new promotions. The networks want those shows on the air."
The debate is sponsored by the Florida News Network, a consortium of TV stations from around the state representing myriad networks. WTSP, a CBS affiliate, is the local member.
Another CBS affiliate in the network, WINK-TV of Fort Myers, can't air the debate either, its program director said.
But the third CBS station in the network, WCTV in Tallahassee, will air the debate live, 48 Hours be darned. Executives expressed surprise that WTSP and WINK weren't.
"We told (CBS) we were going to run the debate. I discussed it with them, and I got the impression they understood," said Nick Waller, vice president of operations and program director at WCTV. "They didn't say adamantly we had to run their programming. They're pretty flexible."
Waller and Mike Smith, the station's vice president of news and production, said WCTV committed to airing the debate months ago. While they didn't like preempting 48 Hours, they believe it is worth it.
"We felt like that was the best thing for the viewing public," Waller said. "A political debate is somewhat more important that one episode of 48 Hours."
The hourlong, commercial-free debate is scheduled for 8 p.m. from the studios of WJXT in Jacksonville, an independent station that until recently was a CBS affiliate. It also will air on WPLG in Miami, WFTV in Orlando and WEAR in Pensacola.
Michaelsen said he asked WJXT, which is independent, to move the debate to 7 p.m. so WTSP could air it, but the station declined.
Bush campaign spokesman Todd Harris said the campaign negotiated a 7 p.m. airtime with FNN, "and they came back to us and told us it had to be at 8." Harris said the Bush campaign was "hopeful" WTSP would reverse its decision.
This is the first of three scheduled Bush-McBride debates, and the format will feature the usual opening and closing statements with questions posed by Floridians randomly selected and videotaped by member stations. The moderator is WPLG political reporter Michael Putney, who has the leeway to ask followup questions.
Two more gubernatorial debates are scheduled before the Nov. 5 election: a radio debate Oct. 15; and an Oct. 22 debate in Orlando that will be televised on NBC stations, including WFLA-Ch. 8.
WTSP does plan to carry the debate live on its Web site, www.wtsp.com. Michaelsen said he also hopes to persuade another Tampa Bay area station to carry the debate live.
Greg Stetson, program director at WINK in Fort Myers, said he's looking for a time this weekend to air a recording of the debate, but it is proving difficult. "We've got enough football this weekend that I have not found a spot to put it yet."
-- Times staff writer Steve Bousquet contributed to this report.
This would have been the first of three important debates in our Florida governor's race. Local FR registereds and your friends need to place calls or email their local CBS affiliate if they learn that the September 27th debate WILL NOT BE TELEVISED IN THEIR AREA. Tampa Bay is a major market but we are being SHUT OUT BY CBS at some level.
The Tampa Bay area phone number that I have for CBS-WTSP Ch. 10 is (727)577-1010.
This is not about 48 HOURS - it's about ONE HOUR on Friday night that I have been looking forward to since January! Many Floridians expected to see the candidates in a debate forum. If this is about ratings and revenue, how much do you suppose the DNC or McBride pressured CBS to spike this very important debate?
If you aren't in Florida, please call your local CBS affiliate and register a general complaint about CBS and be sure and BOYCOTT 48 HOURS this Friday evening - it's Leslie Stahl's debut instead of Bill McBride's.
I've been saying all week that something was fishy about no debate announcements. Now let's check c-span's schedule for Friday because the most important race in Florida's history isn't as important as a story "about a psychiatrist accused of having sex with patients with multiple personalities."
Finally, it bears repeating that this looks like the handiwork of McBride's camp, Carville or MacAuliffe. Apparently, they don't want Floridians to see the real Bill McBride. These are the kind of tactics they will use to hide Bill McBride.
Let's call this one DEBATE-GATE. Fregards, floriduh voter
I hope someone posts one of the pictures here of McBride from his debate with Reno and Jones. That is why this debate was spiked. It takes "just one look."
In any event, I view it as debate-gate.
What will McBride do when he's up against Governor Bush & Timmy Russert in the final debate? I suppose he'll just pass out. LOL
To my knowledge FNN is not FSN. From Orlando, east to daytona and south to the keys gets FNN on adelphia.
I'd be making assumption for the Tampa area and South West area. And the panhandle is like livin' in siberia...:-)
The supposed 'launching' of a new season of 48 Hours Investigates is the reason for this. But, true to form, the lying liberal mainsteam media (of which, CBS is a big part) will continue to stonewall the ability of information and facts by Jeb to be given to the voting public, and instead help McBride and the DNC lying machine.
Call CBS and voice your displeasure with there decision to do this. If they Do not change there minds, hopefully another TV Station will be able to broadcast it.
Do we want some guy who already controls the media who himself is controlled by the FEA Teacher's Union and other PACS to cheat his way into the governor's mansion? I certainly hope not.
According to today's St Petersburg Times, WTSP will not air Friday's gubernatorial debates so that they can air the premiere of 48 Hours. Please take the time to express your displeasure with WTSP by emailing their Community Relations Director at community@wtsptv.com. Please forward this to your friends and neighbors and ask for their help in correcting this. It's important that your voice be heard on this matter.
I find it hard to believe that the network affiliate of the home of news giants like Edward Murrow, Walter Cronkite & 60 Minutes would do this.
Well, this is getting interesting. Maybe the national DNC is behind this after all. Well, if it's not on and McBride wants to be on, then McBride loses either way IMO.
Not only is he controlled by the teacher's union, he's got carte blanche from Terry McAwful and the DNC.
WTSP has apparently worked out an arrangement with WEDU. WEDU will carry the debate. Thanks to all who helped make this work.
You can thank me, too, McBride. lol
FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 27TH AT SOMETHING O'CLOCK. WEDU is on Channel 3 in Tampa Bay. FV
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.