Obama buys time on the networks, pushing World Series back

Major League Baseball agreed Wednesday to push back the start time of Game 6 of the World Series by about 15 minutes so that Fox Broadcasting Co. could sell Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama half an hour of prime time on Oct. 29. 

The campaign also has bought the same time period -- 8 p.m. on Oct. 29 --  on CBS and NBC so that he can run a 30-minute program on all of the networks. Each network is selling the time for between $950,000 to $1 million. Buying time on all of the major broadcast networks would allow Obama to reach more than 20 million people on the Wednesday before the election. A spokesman for Fox said the network will make available a similar 30-minute block of time for the Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain, if he chooses. Time for McCain would be either later that night (if there is no Game 6) or the following evening.

Major League Baseball did not have an immediate comment.

-- Meg James

Comments

[Ed]

Before any of you arch-conservative yahoos get your underwear all in a bunch over this, we need to remember that the World Series will be between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. Obama will owe an apology to all 58 viewers interested in watching game 6 of that series.

[Franklly....]

Obama has changed programming for the world series???? With a 30 minute AD?

We are in new, unchartered territory. A candidate is dominating the airwaves on 3 stations.

Isn't that what dictators do?

[Raymond]

How un-American can this idiot Barack Obama be? He actually wants to delay the great American Pastime, baseball for his campaign. How dare he be allowed to do this to the American public so he can just lie about himself and his policies? He believes he can give my hard earned money to the poor via his tax plan. He is a Socialist or better yet Marxist! America stop being sheep being led to slaughter Obama is no Savior he will be the downfall of our country. He has an adjenda to bad it's not the American adjenda.

He is as un-American as Hugo Chavez, or Fidel and Raul Castro at least the Castro brothers love baseball. How can an American Presidential Hopeful think this is right to delay the World Series so we can listen to his hot air? All Americans should be outraged by this and stand up against this anti-American stunt he is pulling. Vote for anyone but Obama on November 4th he is as Anti American as they come!

FOX, CBS and ABC don't do it!

[Ross C.]

Ask Obama to relent and let the kids get to bed thirty minutes early somebody. He's a class guy. He'll do it.

[Leigh in Pa]

Wonderful. It reminds me of Castro or Saddam Hussein taking over TV air time.

I wont watch Obama for 3 minutes I certainly wont watch him for 30.

This is just Creepy...I will make sure my chidren are doing something fun while they wait for the GAME.

I find this entire TV indoctrine disturbing.

[Jared]

Who can take 5 minutes of Mc Cain... let alone 30 minutes? They would have to pay ME to watch him.

[Joe]

Fox will give to McCain for free what Obama has to buy?

[Mike]

Obama is taking a big risk; what if there is no game 5. Looks very probably the way the Rays are playing!

[Rory Miller]

Wow-- I see a ratings spike for Cable that night!

[Chris]

Let's be completely honest here. You people are getting upset due to the fact that Obama is getting airtime and the World Series is being pushed back? Give me a break. Ask yourself what is truly more important right now. A baseball game or the most important election of our lifetimes. Barack Obama is the only glimpse of hope that this country has seen in a very, very long time. Conservatives will take any chance that they can to complain about him and attempt to make him look bad. This is primarily due to the fact that they have such a hard time finding his faults. Keep complaining and worrying about baseball while our country falls apart. Do the smart thing and pay attention to him. Afterall, unless the Republicans once again fix another election, Obama will be our President in three months.

[Zuzu]

No mention of the fact that AT THE REQUEST OF THE RNC, the NFL pushed back its opening game by 90 minutes so the network could broadcast John McCain giving a speech a the Republican convention.

[JD]

We must remember that McCain ha dthe benefit of an NFL game time change for his RNC speech:

At NBC's request, the NFL agreed earlier this year to move tonight's season opener from 8:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. because of the potential convention overlap, said Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the league.

[JimBob]

Interesting that the comments against Obama doing this reference Hugo Chavez, Castro's, Marxism and Socialism.

Last time I checked, buying advertising time to promote your product/agenda was red-blooded capitalism. This is just like Perot did when he ran for President as an Independent.

Surely Mr. McCain would agree capitalism is a good thing... It's fine with me if McCain buys time himself - Doing something innovative is what this country is all about.

[john78]

Please learn your history. Buying ad time on the big three stations used to be a common practice. It has not been done recently because candidates would rather spend campaign money only in battleground states than to address the entire nation. Ross Perot is the last presidential candidate to do this, but it is in no way unprecedented.

[Rico Suave n Miracle Mile]

Why you right-wingers getting all upset for???? Because ur hero John McCain cant afford to buy airtime to address the current crisis we as Americans are facing? Really, all of you GOPers have NO foot to stand on!

And "Franklly" youre a joke! Look up the definition of a dictator BEFORE you make ridiculous comments! Obama is not forcing FOX or MLB to push back the World Series. If you had common sense you would obviously know this. FOX doesnt want any ratings decrease what so ever so it makes sense they would ask MLB to push back the starting time as to not broadcast the game in competition with Obama's broadcast.

Obama simply wants to talk to the nation and voice his views and policies on how he will take this country on a much different, inspiring direction. Hes not forcing anyone to do anything! FOX could have said no to him... that simple!

Seriously, you guys need to get over it! This election is much more important than a Game 6 between the Rays and Phils. At least to real, concerned Americans it is.

[Thomas]

Ask Obama to relent? Obama is unamerican? How ridiculous.

FOX agreed to this, as did MLB. They didn't have to. They weren't coerced.

Plus, the networks are getting PAID. Isn't that what America is about? Letting corporations make decisions based on where the money is going?

[HRS (Pueblo, CO)]

Go Obama!

Those comparing this to dictatorships are not well informed. This type of 'ad buy' was VERY common until about 20-25 years ago.

How about this, if you don't want to watch it, try getting off your lazy rear-end and getting 30 minutes of exercise instead?

[vegasgirl]

Some of the posts here are immensly hypocritical and hilarious. Let me guess: You had NO problem with the NFL decision for the McCain acceptance speech, right?
But because Obama is buying time, somehow that's --*gasp* -- anti-American? Something Castro does?
And I'm willing to bet most of you now complaining about had NO problem whatsoever with the Bush administration and its power-over-principal, ruthlessly political ways, right?
Typical, right-wing hypocrites.
Well, go ahead and whine all you want -- and I hope you'll be whining for the next eight years!

[Amos Van Horn]

Let's clear things up here - Obama is delaying nothing - Major League Baseball has agreed to move that start of the game for FOX, who is broadcasting MLB, and who wants to also sell that slot to Obama for a giant chunk of cash, as do the rest of the networks.

FOX is the one who asked MLB to delay the game - not the Obama camp - they have already secured spots on the other networks. FOX wants to run the Obama thing live, and asked MLB if it can push back game 6, plain and simple.

[Tom]

I had planned on voting for him, but have gotten tired of looking at him....especially after learning of his past friend's. He frightens me. It's going to be a 'who cares' world series. About as thrilling as the Astros and White Sox 3 years ago.
Go Rays. Go McCain.

[Tom]

I had planned on voting for him, but have gotten tired of looking at him....especially after learning of his past friend's. He frightens me. It's going to be a 'who cares' world series. About as thrilling as the Astros and White Sox 3 years ago.
Go Rays. Go McCain.

[the independent pennsylvanian]

booooo!!!! the republicans are nervous and hopeless. i'm ashamed to say that i was once registered republican. country first, not baseball, idiots! i'm afraid that if john mccain gets elected, we'll have the first president to give an inaugural address in a diaper!!! GO OBAMA/BIDEN 2008-2016!!!!!!

[Ol White Yankee]

Franklly: Do you have any idea what you're talking about? The old american pastime is Politics, the most important thing in our country! Oh, poor RNC for not being able to afford such a high profile purchase, and instead relying on ROBOCALLS, a helluva lot more annoying than my game being pushed 15 minutes... And you know what? I'll definitely be watching his 30 minute program, because it will actually have substance, talk about the issues, and above all, inform us as to why he is a better choice than McCain.

Enough is enough, Bush and his boys have had their time to make billions off of us, it's time to repair this nation and get back to the proud people we used to be.

Go Democracy!

[Eric]

One word: Propaganda. Definitely wont watch him talk as he is the biggest liar i have ever listened to. He has the biggest plans ever for this country all he needs is thirty-five trillion dollars to do it. When did we ever stop being proud Americans, in regards to another comment I read? Go Rays!

[DT Strain]

Fox News and talk radio has got a certain small segment of the country whipped into this frenzy - all based on a relentless flood of never-ending bald faced lies about Obama. Would someone please educate these people? Examples: Obama did NOT start his career in Ayers living room & had no significant relationship with him, did NOT have a significant relationship with Rezko or Davis, HAS rebuked Wrights comments many times, his church is a large MAINSTREAM church, he is NOT a Muslim or Arab, NOT Muslim, did NOT attend a Madrasa school, DOES have a valid birth certificate from Hawaii on PUBLIC record, will LOWER taxes on nearly 9/10ths of the middle class AND VAST majority of small businesses, returning the tax rate for large corporations to what it was under REAGAN is NOT "socialism", will ELIMINATE capital gains taxes on small and startup businesses, Acorn is NOT throwing the election, measured studies show 3 major networks are NOT biased toward Obama, his campaign is funded grassroots by 3 million Americans giving <$100 each - NOT foreigners, did not vote to force banks to "make loans to poor (or black) people", is not advised by 3 Fannie Mae execs, DOES wear the flag pin and IS patriotic, is NOT racist (is half white), etc etc etc. ALL of these lies are as stupid as the "Fake moon landing" conspiracy theories but ignorant people are buying them because they refuse to look into it themselves. Really sad, but fortunately the majority of the country actually knows better this time.