ABC Show Us the Debate LIVE

As I get ready to Twitter, LiveBlog, and run an Open Thread on tonight's Democratic debate I've been told ABC is not treating this as a live event, but as a television show. They will be showing the debate TAPE DELAYED to the West Coast.

Um...ABC, in case you haven't heard-this is rather important and putting me three hours behind everyone else is rude, a disadvantage, and just plain stupid.

In case you also missed the other memo, user generated content is kind of a big deal. In fact it has been noted on a few occasions, that it is the driving force behind what is being discussed and what is shaping this election.

Time to get with the program. You're not in charge any more. We are.

If you don't stream it live, I'll find a way to get it live on my laptop. I mean, if I just happen to be chatting with my family on the east coast tonight via webcam and they just happen to have the tv on in the background, I might happen to catch a glimpse.

I'm not going to watch the SuperBowl tape delayed and I'm certainly not going to watch what could be the last Democratic debate tape delayed.

ABC you've got a few hours...get moving. Or you can suck it.

Warm regards,

Erin Kotecki Vest

Comments

[sweetnonnie]

I sent an e-mail to ABC news and told them that first I was mad because I couldn't watch the debate real time (California here), but after following it on the blogs, I didn't care. It was a disgusting excuse of a debate. Shame on ABC.

[CSamuels]

When we lived in LA we had a Big Giant Satellite which is what you needed then - just so we could watch east coast feeds. I saw Nightline at 8:30PM Very cool.

It does seem short-sighted since there is no new prime time stuff tonight anyway as far as I can tell so they're not pre-empting primo material or anything are they?. They will have Greys tomorrow night to get their numbers back up anyway.

But then, the reason networks are in such trouble is that they don't think in relation to what's happening in thee times but are back someplace else.... sigh.

[missbritt]

I can see if they REPLAYED it - at least then they could claim "access" or something.

But to just delay it as a "show" for "ratings"... well, that says a lot about what the "news" has become.

And journalists wonder why blogs have become such a valuable news source.

[Ann Handley]

It's insane that you even had to write this post!

Dear ABC -- GET WITH THE PROGRAM!

[repuglycon]

Charlie should recuse himself.

[ittakesavillage]

It is sucky beyond words that ABC would not have realtime coverage. One more proof of the death of old media... 1/4 of all TV ads are for their own shows, they are in desperate straits..

[Erin Kotecki Vest - Huffpost Blogger]

Amen Karoli! Power to the People and all that! Seriously....they don't get it, do they?

[Adriennevh]

They find the Oscars important enough to broadcast Live, but not the election?

Sounds like no more watching of Lost or Ugly Betty.

Change your channels everyone!

[Karoli]

ABC News has a problem, In my view, they are attempting to control national politics with this. They may say it's about ratings, but the fact is that by denying over half the country the right to listen and or view this debate in real time and instead tape-delaying it, they are claiming editorial control over the public square.

It doesn't work that way. McCain's going to discover that the old has passed away and the new is here. At 5 pm PDT I will be watching that debate one way or the other. ABC News just lost me as a viewer and created an anti-establishment media evangelist in its place.

[treadway123]

leave it up to abc to screw every thing up for the viewers, and people here! That's why thie Network is dying big time. Because they simply dont get that pulling stuff like this loseing the viewers! They really need a good P.R. man/woman I can tell you that!