The President Obama Show will be making an appearance in the May sweeps. Officials from the Obama administration have asked the major broadcast networks for up to an hour of primetime next Wednesday at 8, according to sources familiar with the request. Mr. Obama wants the time for a news conference outlining his first 100 days in office. The end of those first 100 days comes on April 29, and at least one cable news channel, CNN, had already announced plans for a major Election Night-style coverage extravaganza. By scheduling a press conference on the night, the president is positioning himself to directly participate in the debate over his early performance. There’s no word yet on whether the broadcast networks will agree to the White House request, though one network insider said it’s all but a given they will. Programmers have been peeved at President Obama’s numerous primetime appearances since taking office, because every unscheduled speech or press conference results in a loss of ad revenue. The latest appearance falls on the first Wednesday of the May sweeps, which means networks also will have to reschedule some key programming.

Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tvweek/News/~3/pPlj71YyFxk/president_asks_for_primetime_s.php

---

Posted Thu, Apr 23 2009 2:06 PM by News