Fox: We Didn't Push Back World Series For Obama Ad

Politico:

A Fox Broadcasting executive denied that Barack Obama's half-hour ad, scheduled for tomorrow night, forced Fox and Major League Baseball to delay the start of a World Series game.

That notion -- which had been reported repeatedly, including here, has become a Republican talking point.

"No one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I'm president," John McCain said today.

But the Fox account executive who negotiated the ad buy said Obama's ad isn't delaying the first pitch -- it's just replacing the pre-game show.

"Our first pitch for the world series is usually around 8:30 anyway -- so we didn't push back the game, it was really just about suspending the pre-game -- you know, Joe Buck," said the account executive, Joe Coppola. "That's all we did."

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[ENOS]

Man, Good ol' Johnny McGEEEE.. I wished I'd thought of that!

[appleknocker]

And what presidential power would McCain use to ensure that "No one will delay . . ." ?

[mykobar]

In an important policy statement, John McCain announced that no one would delay the World Series with an infomercial when he was President. In other news, the Weather Station stated that there was a 30% chance of showers in Philadelphia. A spokesperson for Major League Baseball said there was a 55% chance a game would be played today. Polls show that there is only a 40% chance that McCain will be elected President. Republican operatives have admitted that there is a less than 10% chance that MCain can garner enough campaign contributions to air a nationwide infomercial and that, if aired, 90% of the American public would not watch.

[NuOrigin]

Nothing to see here folks. Just another McCain lie. Please keep it moving...

[ENOS]

! FOR REAL!!!!!

[Pyott]

What a consummately idiotic statement on McCain's part: "No one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I'M president."

That is just about the most inane political campaign promise I've ever heard. The country would probably only BENEFIT if more time were devoted to political discourse -- even in the admittedly flawed form of political campaign advertisements.

As with so many other issues, it's a matter of priorities. Mmmm... What's more important? On-time broadcasting of an annual sports game with essentially no positive long-term impact on people's daily lives....or a half-hour overview of a presidential candidate's public policy platform?

Certainly, if one examines sports-related NEWS coverage, one cannot but conclude that it is excessive and only ends up crowding out more substantive uses of television airtime. The disproportionate time and resources devoted to sports news coverage do in fact measurably detract from the frequency, depth, and quality of coverage devoted to more newsworthy and substantially more important subjects.

The media is one of the primary agents capable of setting the country's public policy agenda, both through the kinds of issues it chooses to cover and the time and resources allocated to that coverage. The daunting number of chronic and acute public policy crises this country is likely to face in the coming decades DEMANDS we ramp up the level and quality of serious news coverage considerably above its current level.

And guess what? Sports isn't even NEAR the top of that list.

[foxfan]

I watch my team all season, 162 games starting at 7:00 on weeknights and 1:00 weekend afternoons, but the big network gets the big games and suddenly all games start after 8:00 in the dark and I'm left listening to the radio while I shave to find out who won. Shame on Fox with or without Obama's infomercial.

[wolfmason]

"No one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I'm president," - Wait, is he trying to become president of Fox, the US, or both? Oh well, I guess it wouldn't surprise anyone to learn that the leaders of the RNC also decide Fox's content.

[honeydiva]

why is 0 in a ray's uniform?

[honeydiva]

or is that a sox uniform? I guess no one noticed it was him in the picture.

[publicmenace]

Sox uniform. It's his home team, being from Chicago and all.

[patianneb]

Dear FAUX: You might inform Johnny ... between suggesting Obama "forced" the delay and suggesting ya'll sold you for the m0ney (not that you ever would) he made you look even w0rse than usual.

[JustCommonSense]

This is probably true. Fox has a habit of starting WS games as late as possible to help ESPN News' ratings the following morning as baseball fans try to find out who won.

[DinkSinger]

"No one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I'm president."

Does it occur to anyone that John McCain's concept of the presidency is as an all powerful dictatorship? When he's president not only will television networks and advertisers lose their first amendment rights, they will also no longer enjoy the constitutionally guaranteed right of contract.

After the media pointed out that the President cannot fire the SEC chair, the McCain camp reacted by saying something like "but there are ways of getting him to resign". A McCain presidency is a truly frightening thought.

[mjc]

Nope. That dictatorship style stuff is Obama's mantra, not McCain's. Ask yourself why he had to have ALL of the tv networks blabbing the same old Obama stuff at the very same time? Is there really any logic or rational concept behind that?

[publicmenace]

What are you smoking in your crack pipe? Buying an air slot that a network is NOT being forced in any way to give up isn't dictatorship, it's free enterprise. Fox could have chosen to say "no", but they opted for the money. I swear to jesus these dolts from the right have absolutely no reasoning powers whatsoever.

[DinkSinger]

The concept is called the free market. Networks sell time, Obama bought it.

[publicmenace]

So Fox is skipping Jeannie Zelasko. Big deal. It won't affect the outcome of the game, anyway. Go Phillies!

[gwhizz]

I usually turn off the volume when O.b.ama gets started preachin' (note, that doesn't mean I'm not voting for him but he does go on...) but given the choice between Fox's pregame philly luv phest and B.O. I'll take the informercial.

FIND A WAY RAYS!
Bring it Home and win it at the Dome!

[lwilkerson50]

I turn when mccain, palin, elisabeth h, or the other robots talk.
They need to start talking about the issues.

[gwhizz]

Oh don't get me wrong, I turn the set OFF when they start!

[Quotidien]

GO PHILLIES.... BRING IT HOME !!!

[NoWMDs]

Fox is following in step with Joe Lieberman (Traitor Joe) . Now that they know their side is losing, they're trying to get in with the winning wagon, so they can get future interviews with the Democrats.

[beartrack]

Funny how traitors do that sort of thing.