Search results matching tag 'Barack Obama'

Michael Moore marches out the door.

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Michael Moore may be abandoning documentaries. In an AP interview from Toronto, he complains "I've done this for 20 years. Two years ago, I tried to get the health-care debate going, and it did eventually, and now where are we? We may not even have it. What am I supposed to do at a certain point?" As usual, Moore's stuck somewhere between good intentions and supreme egotism. On one hand, he makes it sound like his has been a one-man crusade for various righteous liberal causes ignored by everyone else who couldn't be bothered to try as hard. On the one hand... well, he's not far off. For better or worse, Moore's proven the only liberal propagandist with a famous enough persona to go up against the remarkably well-organized conservative commenters of the Fox News nation. It's easy to forget that though he made his name with 1989's "Roger and...

Mike Judge, conservative hero

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:15:41 GMT

Since he created "Beavis & Butthead" and made "Idiocracy," Mike Judge is pretty much one of my favorite people around. But he is also an unlikely conservative hero, something I wasn't aware of until "The Goode Family" dropped. It was then that my personal favorite insane right-wing site Big Hollywood started championing Judge as a True Conservative Artist, something that wasn't so clear during the "Beavis & Butthead" era. Big Hollywood's basic tenets are simple: Hollywood is run by stupid liberals enforcing a strict blacklist on conservatives. Barack Obama is a Marxist who may not have been born in this country. "The Hurt Locker" is a piece of anti-Army propaganda. And so on. "The Goode Family" -- the only Mike Judge product ever not to have its staunch defenders -- was an ABC show that ran from May 27th to August 7th, mostly on the Friday night dead zone. The...

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

Anonymous — 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. But Fox today said: No go. “The Fox Broadcasting Company will not air the Presidential News Conference on Wednesday, April 29 at 8:00 PM (ET)," the network said in a release issued Monday afternoon." Fox’s sister networks, Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network will air the press conference in its entirety. Fox will be alerting viewers with an on-screen graphic at the top of the 8:00 PM (ET) hour that the press conference is available on Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network.” It's unusual but not unprecedented for a network to decline to carry a major presidential event. Usually such moves come later in a president's administration, when networks believe the White House is simply playing politics with its requests. However, Fox insiders note that the network also turned down President Bush's November 2001 request to address the nation. The network has also declined to carry several presidential debates. The CW routinely refuses to cover presidential speeches. Still, by not carrying the news conference, the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox risks accusations of partisanship. However, it's like financial matters—not politics—were key to Fox's decision. Pre-empting regular programs can cost networks several million dollars per hour. In the case of Fox, the show that would've been pre-empted—"Lie to Me"—is not a major hit. However, it is a young series that has been losing some Nielsen momentum in recent weeks and probably would have been hurt by another pre-emption. (Editor: Baumann)

President Asks for Primetime Slot in May Sweeps

Anonymous — 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. 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.

40.4 Million Watched Obama Press Conference

Anonymous — 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 watched by 49.5 million viewers across eight networks, and down 23% from his Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress, which topped 52.4 million viewers across 10 networks. The 11 networks that aired the press conference were broadcast nets ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo and Univision and cable channels CNBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and mun2.

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

Anonymous — 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 president on a late-night talk show—scored an eye-popping 11.2 rating/26 share in Nielsen's metered-market overnight numbers, according to data released by NBC. That's up a whopping 187 percent over "Tonight's" season-to-date average (3.9 rating), and tied for the fourth highest-rated edition of "Tonight" in Mr. Leno's nearly 17-year tenure as host. President Obama's visit matched the ratings "Tonight" generated in January 2005 with an edition commemorating the passing of Mr. Carson. The last time an episode of "Tonight" did better in the overnights was on May 14, 1998, the night NBC bid farewell to "Seinfeld." Other higher-rated milestones for Mr. Leno include the May 1993 "Cheers" finale and Mr. Leno's May 1992 debut as host. Not surprisingly, Mr. Leno's huge numbers helped boost the new "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to the best ratings of its three-week existence. Events conspired to provide a certain perfect storm for Mr. Obama's "Tonight Show" appearance. Mr. Leno's chief rival, David Letterman, was both in repeats and delayed due to NCAA basketball. Demographic data for Thursday's "Tonight Show" should be available later today. (Editor: Baumann)

Networks Grumbling About Another Obama Primetime Speech

Anonymous — 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 8 p.m. EDT, his second since taking office two months ago. CBS, NBC and ABC have confirmed they plan to carry it. Fox likely will carry it as well, if history is any guide, although as of Wednesday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the network couldn’t confirm plans. The networks won't be happy about it, however. Fox, which normally airs the performance episode of "American Idol" on Tuesdays, has just decided to shift that episode to Wednesday, March 25, from 8-10 p.m. The usual Wednesday results show will air on Thursday, March 26, at 8 p.m. The move means Fox will have to preempt the planned March 25 episode of "Lie to Me," as well as the March 26 episode of "Bones." A repeat of "House" will follow the president's news conference on Tuesday. The changes mean "Idol" now will face off against CBS' March 26 coverage of NCAA basketball. And "Survivor," which airs a special Wednesday edition on March 25, will battle "Idol" that night. As for the other networks, NBC plans to shift "The Biggest Loser" into the 9-11 p.m. timeslot, bumping "Law & Order: SVU" for a week. CBS, meanwhile, will shift "NCIS" and "The Mentalist" to 9 and 10 p.m., respectively, preempting "Without a Trace" for a week. Of even more concern to network executives, however, is the financial impact to broadcasters. “Every time the president disrupts primetime, the networks lose another couple million dollars,” one TV industry insider said. “In this economy, that’s the last thing we need.” Networks lose money because presidential appearances are commercial-free, meaning any time the networks cover the president, they lose advertising availabilities that can never be replaced. The same insider conceded the economic crisis makes these “unusual times,” and that networks understand the president’s desire to communicate to Americans. “If there’s news, they’ll cover it,” the executive said. President Obama had talked to the networks about a primetime speech following the signing of the economic stimulus bill, but opted against it, in part, perhaps, because the networks indicated their displeasure in a Washington Post article published Feb. 6. “His economic stimulus package apparently does not extend to the TV networks,” the Post quoted one network executive as complaining. In addition to his first primetime press conference last month, the president delivered an address to both houses of Congress. Slate.com is reporting that President Obama is mulling the idea of shorter, 10-minute “fireside chats” to keep Americans up to date on the economy. (1:45 p.m.: Updated with Fox "Idol" plans)

‘60 Minutes’ Lands Obama Interview Sunday

Anonymous — 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. Mr. Kroft spoke to the president in his first post-election interview, which aired Nov. 16 on “60 Minutes.”

Obama to Appear on Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’

Anonymous — 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 the West Coast. Generally presidential candidates show up on TV entertainment shows, but presidents don’t. The White House declined to say why President Obama is breaking tradition this Thursday, but Mr. Leno’s upcoming departure may have something to do with it. Another possibility is that the president wants to counter growing public outrage about AIG bonuses in a more conversational atmosphere. Another consideration: people are getting their news from the entertainment shows than from actual news shows. (Editor: Baumann)

Genachowski Faces High Expectations at FCC Helm

Anonymous — 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 to surface on issues ranging from indecency to keeping Internet providers from giving favored treatment to some content providers, aka net neutrality. “There is no question that Julius Genachowski has the experience and credentials to successfully reinvigorate the FCC as chair,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who will preside over Mr. Genachowski’s confirmation hearing, in suggesting the FCC needed a revamp. The confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled. “I commend President Obama for nominating someone who is completely committed to making technology accessible to all Americans, and I look forward to working with him on the many telecommunications challenges that the commission and the committee will face in the months and years ahead,” Sen. Rockefeller said. The biggest change Mr. Genachowski is expected to bring is a more proactive approach to ensuring that broadcasters meet local public-interest obligations. He’s also expected to institute more questioning of media ownership combinations and more efforts to ensure diversity of broadcast ownership than former chairman Kevin Martin. Mr. Genachowski also is expected to be far less confrontive to the cable industry than was Mr. Martin, who was upset that cable wouldn’t offer programming a la carte. He’s also expected to conduct business in a more open manner than Mr. Martin, who was criticized for using a small group of FCC officials to make decisions. Statements after the announcements indicated some of the changes expected. Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president-CEO of the Media Access Project, a public interest law firm that handles FCC matters, called Mr. Genachowski “one of the best-qualified appointees ever named to head the FCC.” “We look forward to having a more transparently operating FCC, which will promote the free flow of information on all electronic media,” Mr. Schwartzman said. “The fact that Julius is a close confidant of the president is especially important, as it demonstrates the high priority that this administration will place on developing proactive media and telecommunications policy,” he added. Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, and a friend of Mr. Genachowski for 15 years, called the choice outstanding and noted the new chairman was the architect of the Obama campaign’s Technology and Innovation Plan. “It is clear that he understands the importance of open networks and a regulatory environment that promotes innovation and competition to a robust democracy and a healthy economy,” she said. “I believe that in his new role, Julius will work to ensure that the FCC meets its legal obligation to protect the ‘public interest, convenience and necessity’ and will develop a principled, strategic policy agenda that promotes openness, free speech, competition, innovation, access, economic growth and consumer welfare. “Julius also understands that in a democracy, government must be transparent and give the people the tools to participate actively. Thus, I am certain that he will seek to restore public confidence in an agency that has had a long history of opaqueness, industry capture and a lack of data-driven policymaking. His collegial management style will also help rebuild morale at the agency,” Ms. Sohn said. The Parents Television Council, which has been concerned about broadcast decency, congratulated Mr. Genachowski on his nomination. However, it also urged members of the Senate Commerce Committee to ask “about his commitment to enforce federal broadcast decency law and to resolve the tens of thousands of indecency complaints received by the commission.” There have been suggestions that a Democratic FCC would look more to technology to deal with decency issues and less to enforcement actions. “We call on the FCC to focus squarely on its legal obligation to uphold broadcast decency standards, despite the fact that the TV networks seem determined to ignore the written law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people at every turn,” said PTC President Tim Winter.