ABC: Not Another Barack Channel

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s half-hour campaign commercial is scheduled to run Wednesday night on all of the major television networks – except ABC.

The senator from Illinois this month arranged to buy Wednesday's 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. slot on CBS, NBC and Spanish-language network Univision. Fox Broadcasting joined the field after Major League Baseball agreed to delay the start time of Wednesday's World Series game.

Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC, however, initially balked at selling its 8 p.m. Wednesday slot, saying it didn’t want to bump its regularly scheduled series, “Pushing Daisies,” even though the whimsical show has been struggling in the ratings.

ABC executives said the earlier decision not to accept the Obama infomercial was due to the problem of filling the second half hour of the 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. time period – and not for political reasons. (Scheduling conflicts did not stop NBC from quickly clearing its hour to make room for the commercial. NBC preempted its hour-long series “Knight Rider” and expanded the game show “Deal or No Deal” from 60 to 90 minutes to fill the extra time.)

CBS pushed “The New Adventures of Old Christine” to 8:30 p.m. and dumped an episode of its new series “Gary Unmarried.” Fox persuaded Major League Baseball to delay by about 15 minutes the start time of Wednesday’s game so the network could air the Obama ad at 8 p.m. in the Eastern and Central time zones. In California, the campaign commercial will follow the game.

Then, about 10 days ago, ABC changed its mind. It told the campaign the Wednesday 8 p.m. slot would be available after all. “We ultimately offered them the time slot that they had requested,” a network spokesman said today.

ABC had planned to charge slightly more than $1 million for the half hour, a higher rate than what Fox, CBS and NBC charged the Democrat for their time.

But it was too late.

“We had already committed our resources by the time they offered us the time,” said an Obama campaign spokesman.

That explanation struck some as odd, however, given the Obama money-raising machine generated $150 million in donations in September alone. “The Obama campaign has the resources,” said Peter Sealey, adjunct marketing professor at the Peter Drucker Graduate Management School at the Claremont Graduate University.

Sealey said that if the Obama campaign had bought the time on ABC it would have accomplished the rare feat of what’s called a “roadblock.” Channel flippers would have a hard time avoiding the ad because it was seemingly everywhere.

“It’s amazing that they got everyone – but not ABC, one of the top-rated television networks,” Sealey said. “Maybe the campaign decided that they didn’t need the extra ratings points.”

-- Meg James

Comments

[phil]

the barry obama propaganda machine at work. this is scary, is barry going to tell us how to think next?

[war-tym]

ABC can go suck a lemon!!!! it is no secret that it's pundit (george s.) is a stauch hilary supporter and has nothing but petty and ifantile (cute) opinions re mr. obama. let them eat cake.

[lou]

As a an avid pushing daisies fan and enthusiastic obama supporter i am delighted to hear this! it's a win/win situation for TV viewers.

[erudite12008]

Perhaps this action was payback for the stupid personal questions George S. asked during the democratic campaign. Remember ABC did not get a major debate moderator.
Perhaps if ABC had used their time questioning Barack Obama about his positions on issues of national importance like the economy or the fight against terrorism instead of repeatedly asking about an out of context statement made by someone he knew or a misrepresented quote from a gotcha question, then Barack Obama and his team may have allowed ABC to negotiate after their initial rejection.
Maybe the executives can check the ratings and it they are up for the half hour then the executives will look good, but if the ratings are down then as usual nothing will happen because nothing ever happens to executives that make stupid decisions.

[ghn]

Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC, however, initially balked at selling its 8 p.m. Wednesday slot, saying it didn’t want to bump its regularly scheduled series, “Pushing Daisies
I guess they thing the election and the country is not important!

Well no more disney anything ever!!

[Harvey Shepperd]

Its so great to have voted early and by mail.

[Joe]

No. Mccain and Palin are scary, more so than Bush.

[marvin73]

Good for Obama. ABC have been douchebags to Obama anyway. The fact that ABC wanted more than the other networks when the show it replaces is a semi-flop reveals their antipathy toward Obama. Same thing happened when George Stuffin'envelopes grilled him over and over to renounce and repudiate Rev. Wright. This is also why I no longer watch ABC, and I won't let my kids watch the Disney channel any more.

[Ric]

The media keeps telling us what to think. Just proves they're all sell-outs, even ABC, but they're being punished by the machine. I hope it backfires.

[heather]

It's not telling us what to think, it's giving us the credit of being capable of thinking. Apparently Obama has confidence that the American people are capable of absorbing something other then soundbites, rhetoric and fear-mongering.

Telling us what to think would probably be something more like trying to stoke subconscious racism with baseless attacks about someone's name. Or maybe making scary phone calls that tell us a presidential canidate is friends with a guy who "killed judges", which isn't true (on either account).

McCain lost any honor he had in this campaign.

Go Obama!

I already voted suckas.

[tom]

ABC, not Obama, came back to beg. You don't ask for more when you're begging.

Everything has an opportunity cost, and the fact the Obama campaign is so mature about managing their budget despite the human impulse to act like it's a bottomless pit reflects a lot about their wise judgment on economic concerns.

They don't take $1 of the campaign for granted— even when they were ahead in the primaries, and had the best fundraising yet, they went from 2 jets to one— while Hillary was behind in both funding and the polls, and remained with 2. They make cuts before it's necessary, so they stay ahead. And they stick to a budget. Whenever the McCain campaign was down in fundraising, they actually made absurd budget decisions— like buying a 2nd "luxury jet." The Obama camp didn't, and probably could have afforded it without hurting. That says a lot.

[Abe]

I'd rather go to a funeral than watch this lil Marxist tell America how sweet it'll be with his regime. ABC......screwed up as you are..........good job! "Daisys........and the piemaker" is better for America...than this inexperienced first term, do nothing, freshman senator fraud.
Back to Kenya with ya! Give THEM a speech! lol

[phil]

yeah, duuuhh.... is barry gonna tell us how to think next? cuz, duuhh i don't want barry telling ME how to think. duuuhh, no way jose. cuz i can think by myself. yeah.

...duuuuhhh, turn to foxnews. Papa Bear!! Yea! Yea! Papa Bear!!

[Mad at the world right now!]

This infomercial is being forced on us because the media is so dimwitted, and the neo-con pundits so assinine as to keep pushing the stupidity of the "unanswered questions" about Obama and the "we don't know him" baloney that the right wingers feed each other all day long.

After 30 minutes all of the "questions" that have been answered a jillion times should be answered again, so McCain and Palin can go out in front of the world and say "I have a lot of unanswered questions."

How is it possible that we Republicans have allowed ourselves to be represented by these two idiot twins? We had good, qualified, intelligent people running. We got stuck with McCain the weak moron and Palin the hick instead of Romney the genius.

Obama has beaten us fairly. We are now the party that will go down in history as celebrating stupidity, and blue collar life as the American dream. My party has ridiculed intelligence, laughed at education, and insulted my intelligence by expecting me to believe that Barack Obama hates America and loves, and is a terrorist and a Marxist. Give me a break! I refuse to believe Republicans voters have become that stupid.

I will not watch this infomercial, and I will not vote for Obama. I will be writing in Mitt Romney, the man who would have been president, if Republicans hadn't been conned by the idiocracy of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and all the other jerks that have been convincing us the Democrats are at fault for everything. George Bush is not a conservative, and neither is anyone else who supports John McCain.

Mitt Romney in 2008, and 2012!!

[ken]

Propaganda? Thats what we have been hearing for past 8 years. Hey i don't like all these infomercials on TV when i get home from work but we are talking about the biggest election in the history of the United States and if he wants to buy the airtime it is his right, Don't like it? Listen to AM radio for that half hour, I'm sure you'll get your right wing fix.... Disney... I won't even start with those Pimps... i.e. Britney, Christina Aguilera. I'm Glad He isn't giving Disney more money. Disney tried to squeeze em for more, He said Nah, never mind we don't need your channel. Thats the kinda politician i want. LOL

[SuznAZ]

I look forward to Senator Obama's speech. He is always well worth listening to...informative, articulate and inspiring.

[SuznAZ]

Oh and "Phil", for propaganda you'll have to go back to your Mccain-Palin/Drudge/Fox.

[Maggie]

I don't get it. All polls show BHO ahead by double digits. Why the overkill? What could he possibly say that he hasn't said before? How many more banalities could we possibly endure?Thanks for the heads up, I'll be taking a much needed nap at the time.

[Dmitriy]

If LA Times is to release their Obama at Khalidi's dinner tape to Fox (or ABC) it would get better ratings than Obama's propaganda.

[barbara]

no, only Republicans do that.

[Mike]

Good for ABC. I'm so tired of the Liberal Media kissing Obama's behind, and this half-hour special is just more of the same. Guess What America, Life won't become better if Obama or McCain wins. Obama and McCain will be led by the interests of Washington, just like every other President in history. Jimmy Carter tried to go against the grain, and we all know what happened there. At least McCain doesn't hide his motives. Obama suckers all the Dems into believing that he will change things, but he won't. It's not him, it's the Washington system. Whomever wins will get overwhelmed by the steaming pile of problems in front of him and will start using the back door to solve problems. America, Quit being such suckers. Both are total clowns.

[Pam]

Well, Obama's infomercial only confirmed my vote for Mccain. Remember the 3rd generation FORD workman that couldn't do anything else, his family would soon be homeless........Was I supposed to feel sorry for this guy? He didn't want to evolve, learn, get ahead..... But , just recently a man known as Joe the plumber, who is attending school to become a master plumber and buy a business to keep himself and others employed, he is ridiculed by both Obama and Biden at their rallies. Joe should be praised for his ambition.....yet Mr. 'I got no job security' Ford man is highlighted as the poor suffering American in need of government help. Remember the more you let the government do for you the less freedom you keep for yourself! Wake up America.....what was this country built on? The 'go-getter' or the' poor-me' person.....Think!

[Middleclass]

I want a President that doesn't have to keep explaining why he knows so many people who are radical. What is it that all these revolutionaries and criminals see in Barack Obama? Why do they all associate together? There are so many of them it's scary, Ayers, Wright, Rezko, Kahlidi, Flagle. Then there's income redistribution. Socialism or whatever they want to call it, I don't want the country to go from recession into a depression, which is exactly what history says will happen when taxes are increased. I'm sorry but McCain is safe and I know what I'm getting with him. Plus, what if the tape tey're talking about comes out after the election and it turns out Obama is praising the Kalidi guy, then what? What would that say about his candor, his associations, his judgement, his philosophy, his willingness to say anything to get elected? Here's a quote from the LA Times article. "In interviews with The Times, Khalidi declined to discuss specifics of private talks over the years with Obama. He did not begrudge his friend for being out of touch, or for focusing more these days on his support for Israel -- a stance that Khalidi calls a requirement to win a national election in the U.S., just as wooing Chicago's large Arab American community was important for winning local elections." http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamamideast10apr1

[jackburton]

Republicans EVIL! Democrats GOOD! Obama CHANGE! Palin SCARY! McCain OLD!

Now where's my wife so I can drag her hair around the cave...