The Business of Television : Barack Obama

ABC, CBS, NBC to Air Obama; Fox, No

News — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:01:30 GMT

Fox has decided not to air President Obama's first-100-days press conference this Wednesday—the only Big Four network to turn down the White House's request for time. ABC, CBS and NBC have all announced plans to carry the president's appearance...(read more)

President Asks for Primetime Slot in May Sweeps

News — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:06:36 GMT

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...(read more)

40.4 Million Watched Obama Press Conference

News — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:11:18 GMT

President Barack Obama’s primetime press conference Tuesday night drew 40.4 million viewers across 11 broadcast and cable networks. Last night’s press conference was down 18% from President Obama’s first primetime press conference on Feb. 9, which was...(read more)

Ratings Flash: Obama Lifts Leno's 'Tonight Show'

News — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:12:23 GMT

President Obama has joined Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld and the cast of "Cheers" in the pantheon of guests who have given Jay Leno his best "Tonight Show" ratings. Thursday's presidential appearance—the first by a sitting...(read more)

Networks Grumbling About Another Obama Primetime Speech

News — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:11:49 GMT

President Obama’s decision to hold another primetime news conference is playing havoc with the networks’ sweeps schedules—and causing some in the industry to grumble about the financial impact. The president has slated a news conference for Tuesday at...(read more)

‘60 Minutes’ Lands Obama Interview Sunday

News — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:43:57 GMT

President Barack Obama will be interviewed Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Steve Kroft will interview President Obama on Friday in the Oval Office, covering topics such as the economy, bailouts, his budget and America’s involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan...(read more)

Obama to Appear on Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’

News — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:38:31 GMT

Jay Leno may be leaving “The Tonight Show,” but before he departs, he’s going to get one last appearance from Barack Obama. The White House is confirming that President Obama will be a guest on Thursday night’s program, during the president’s visit to...(read more)

Genachowski Faces High Expectations at FCC Helm

News — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:35:03 GMT

As the welcomes roll in for Julius Genachowski, whom President Obama formally announced Tuesday as his nominee for FCC chairman, so are hints of some of the challenges and changes he could bring. Expectations for change from Mr. Genachowski quickly started...(read more)

52 Million Watched Obama’s Speech

News — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:32 GMT

More than 52 million viewers tuned in for President Barack Obama’s address to Congress Tuesday night, Nielsen Media Research said. Drawing 52.37 million, the speech pulled in more viewers than last year’s by nearly 15 million people. Although technically...(read more)

FCC Rejects 25% of TV Stations' Early DTV-Switch Applications

News — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:54:31 GMT

The Federal Communications Commission late Wednesday rejected, at least temporarily, a quarter of the requests from the 491 TV stations that had asked to switch to digital-only signals on Feb. 17. President Barack Obama earlier Wednesday signed legislation...(read more)

DTV Switch Bill Signed; New Date Is June 12

News — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:04:47 GMT

President Barack Obama today signed legislation postponing the national digital TV transition until June 12. “During these challenging economic times, the needs of American consumers are a top priority of my administration,” the President said in a statement...(read more)

ABCNews.com, CBS Interactive Increase Traffic

News — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:25:00 GMT

ABCNews.com saw its number of unique visitors increase 24% in January to 22.1 million from the previous month. Driven by coverage of the presidential inauguration, ABCNews.com page views increased 14% to 214.1 million, while video views were up 50% from...(read more)

49.5 Million Watched Obama’s Press Conference

News — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:49:41 GMT

A total of 49.5 million viewers across eight broadcast and cable networks watched President Barack Obama’s first press conference during primetime Monday night. Updated figures from Nielsen Co. found that 49,455,133 viewers tuned in last night for President...(read more)

White House Spokesman Gibbs Takes on Cable News

News — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:21:39 GMT

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs may have raised tensions with cable news outlets, suggesting today that they have a view of the world that doesn’t necessarily reflect real life. On board a plane to Elkhart, Ind., where President Obama is delivering...(read more)

Tracking the Path to Digital Transition Delay

News — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:10:00 GMT

In the end, a bad brew of poor planning and politics led Congress to delay the nation’s transition to all-digital television signals by three months to June 12. In the poor planning column: An underfunded coupon program to help pay for analog converter...(read more)