Rahm Emanuel Called Media CEOs Personally To Lobby For Obama Airtime

Washington Post:

Rather than calling ABC, the White House chief of staff phoned Bob Iger, chief executive of parent company Disney. Instead of contacting NBC, Emanuel went to Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric. He also spoke with Les Moonves, the chief executive of CBS, the company spun off from Viacom.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[RTIII]

Rahm apparently isn't following quite the Bush example; Bush paid an average of about $800M per year to the mainstream media for favorable coverage.
.

[blimie]

Over Obama on the tv. Can't take any more taxing news.

[funkalicious]

What is Rahm's agenda to ask Obama to tell the middle class that they must pay higher taxes.... and smooth his bullsh!t its not for the Trillion dollar wall street bailout. The higher taxes are for health care
and to sign your knucklehead brother in law up for a new truck loan he won't be able to afford when
the gas price hits five bucks again.
Not only will you be paying off Banker bonuses your brother in law will be moving into your basement
when his car loan and mortgage go south.
Woot go Rahm! We should give you the finger back.

[Dunsmuir]

Watch coverage for the GOP increase tenfold. They want to keep the president "out of sight - out of mind.

[Betrayed]

More heavy handed tactics from the Obama camp.

Big Surprise!

[Weirdwriter]

If I had my way, the commercial networks would never get a chance to air ANY presidential press conferences, important speeches, etc. All they do is blather on before and after with inane "punditry."

Keep these events on PBS and CSPAN.

[Carl Caroli]

God forbid the people watch the President discuss an incredibly important issue instead of rereuns of Lost. This country is screwed up it scares me.

[Trustandalwaysverify]

This morning, as I entered the gym, Mr. Obama came on, I guess a mid morning press conference,
(i did not have my headphones on yet).
As I walked thru the treadmills I heard at least 3 people going... geeeshhhh... and changed the channel.

Somebody needs to tell Mr. Obama this overexposure is making people tired of watching him all over the place all the time.

[Trustandalwaysverify]

should read was on tv...

[Toxictort]

It's a sad commentary on our times that any level of arm twisting is necessary for the President of the United States to get airtime to talk to the media or to address the American people. I think the commentators are absolutely correct when they say that America is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave, but the land of the charge cards and the home of the mega corporation.

[DrMJG]

Rahm was hired because he knows HOW to do the hardball stuff that needs be done. Does ANYONE think other administrations have not done this?

Obama has had more press conferences, been open to questions left and right t a pace that outstrips the previous president by miles.

Either the news divisions decide that questioning the president matters or decide that their bottom line is more important. It is clear by its backlash that the networks have decided to forgo an informed public over their pablum. Has anyone noticed that the network news divisions are now headed by the same programming departments that provide sitcoms and the like? Are there any true news divisions?

We lament the passing of Cronkeit but fail to mention that in Paley time, it was OK for the news divisions not to show a profit?

I would have loved for more pressers by Bush. Perhaps his chiefs of staff did not press for them because they disliked Bush speaking.

Time perhaps for at least a bi-weekly session similar to the prime ministers questions in Parliament in England? I read the comments here as avoiding the substance of the pressers and more on trying to avoid hearing what the president has to say.

All people are bitching about here is that Rahm plays hard and does his job with force. So be it. I am sure both he and Obama will lose sleep over this making a mountain out of an ant hill.

[Ihaveadream]

So what's the diff between the Rahm and the Rove propaganda machines?

Just wait until they start the big push to make everyone take that untested flu vaccine.
http://www.pandemicfluonline.com/?p=206

[CheshireCat2]

In typical arm twisting Chicago fashion.

[mrskorn]

"W]e prefer to use the power of persuasion, but if that doesn’t work we use the persuasion of power.”

[Daniboy]

You Libs just don't understand-Bush Bashing is done-it no longer works on normal thinking Americans-Obama is spending our money now-maybe you should question his choices a little more!

[Daniboy]

The Obama Plan-break the media and then nationalize it-put Ralhm in charge!