Obama's Prime-Time Addresses Could Cost Networks Millions In Lost Ad Dollars

President Obama's desire to talk -- and talk, and talk -- to the American public could cost broadcast networks millions, and millions, and millions of prime-time TV dollars.

Broadcasters are bracing themselves for the likelihood of three prime-time interruptions in three weeks, totaling at least three hours of prime time -- and ad breaks -- yanked.

"His economic stimulus package apparently does not extend to the TV networks," one network exec noted

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[PCdoc]

If the President wants air time, he gets it. Period. No one's gonna miss what ever Billy Mays is selling this week. Most of their programming time is devoted to infomercials anyway.

[scully05]

What's more important, our country and it's problems, or Chuck?

[Kiabell04]

Oh shut up Washington Post, ya bit crybabies. What whiners the networks are and what losers the Washington Post are for trying to drudge up a freakin story.

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

Here's a solution, replace all the self-promotion commercials and replace them with the paid ones.
(My heart also bleeds for the networks...)

[WorldGriot]

Let's see now. Networks make their revenue from advertisers. Advertisers are kicking like a hanging victim because of the low consumer spending and are cutting costs -- Advertising costs are the first to go. so instead of costing them millions, it looks like Obama stands to make them billions if he can get this stimulus through. But, these logger heads are as clueless and witless as the bankers. like true Predatory Capitalists that they are, they can only see GREEN NOW! This is the entire problem with our economy. none of us can see the future clearly and none have patience to wait for it. sad, sad, sad,

[Vitesselt]

If the Repubs were not blocking him, the broadcasts would not be necessary. They need to call their Senator.

[nellie]

Oh boo hoo corporate media. You're part of the reason we're in this mess. Try to give back a little.

[395spoons]

Hundreds of million people are watching these broadcasts and hearing the message directly from the President instead of dilutions and misquotes from clueless pundits! Networks should be happy instead of complaining!

[susie1776]

BooHooHoo!!!!

[patrickf]

They aren't being FORCED to do anything here!

quoting the article:

"Although the broadcast networks can opt out of carrying these presidential appearances, "you don't want to incur the wrath of the White House" because "if you're on the [poop] list, you are last in line for interviews and things like that," one network exec explained. "

[CyberGal619]

Waaaahhhhhhhhh MSM. You're (not) breaking our hearts!

[mexamerican]

and? so what? so the networks won't be able to sell a few miserable teeth whitener commercials so that the president can inform viewers? why is this even a story.

[hoper01]

well, consider the source.

[Casbah]

Boo-hoo! I don't feel sorry for the networks in the slightest. They may lose out in the short run, but Obama has to be concerned about the entire economy, not a relatively well-off portion of it, and they'll benefit if he can turn this economy around.

[Lochmon]

OK, time for the broadcast networks to start paying a fair price for the airways bandwidth they use 24/7.

Or they could remember that public service, especially in times of crisis, is part of the deal.

[hapiday]

These people don't seem to understand how dangerously unstable this economic crisis is. The president is trying to drill it in people's head that we are in real trouble. He could be getting information showing that we may only have months left to do something drastic. What if China starts calling in it's loans and we aren't able to do anything. Our national security could be at risk. The world is at risk of collapsing.

[canobserv]

.people are sooo not getting this.....Canada lost 160,000 jobs in January....there have been riots around the world .........this is global and it is getting worse..not better........EVERY economic institution seems in danger of collapsing...........someone posted on here yesterday that they were instructed in their media job to "bring Obama's numbers down"......... to bring on Republican speakers only....my only conclusion is the Republicans want the economy to fail

[jeremyemilio]

I heard 129,000, but either way, it's ugly. It's worse than that, though. Iceland and Ireland no longer exist, not as they once were at any rate (the end of the world as they know it, so to speak). The banks are insolvent world wide, and unemployment is spiralling around the bowl... you think it's bad now? Wait until the flush.

Obama's not going to save it, though. It's over. There is about to be a tectonic shift. Nations with savings are going to thrive; nations with debt are done.

[sail]

Of course people are not getting this - they have no idea it’s happening. Thanks to the network monopoly on information, most of the American public get only the incessantly repeated corporate approved versions of world events. After decades of enabling and promoting neo-con lies, they are a big part of the reason that we are on the brink of destruction in the first place.

It has also been more than a tad obvious that the latest marching orders are to take Obama’s approval rating down. Over the past two weeks our public airwaves have been bombarded with staged interviews and appearances of neo-con shills disguised as public servants and experts by at least 5 to 1 over Democrats. It’s nice to have confirmation from an insider – but quite unnecessary.

[wrenny]

I was awake very early today and flipped on Faux during commercials on other stations - I found it pretty alarming and dis.gusting that there three guest political advisors were ALL conservative Republicans. Not even an attempt to appear "fair and balanced" with at least a conservative Democrat.