Fox has decided not to air Barack Obama’s address to the nation tomorrow night, because it fears the president’s speech will run past 9:00 p.m. and cut into the “American Idol” results show. Yeah! Only “American Idol” is allowed to run long and cut off the next show!
So what’s on at 8:00 instead of Obama?
The network will instead carry its regularly scheduled episode “Lie to Me,” according to its Web site. The show is among the network’s most popular and draws an average of 13 million viewers a week. That compares to the relatively paltry 4.2 million who watched the president’s last prime-time press conference on Fox. In all, close to 40 million watched that event on one of the eight networks that carried it. [CNN]
It feels weird to write this, but… I support Fox’s decision? I mean, this nation does still run on capitalism, and it is sweeps week, so… yeah. It’s a good business decision. It’s also kind of a dick move. But then, most business decisions are.
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I’m surprised a network can actually tell the president to go get stuffed?
Not that a give a shit about FOX (pick up Terminator season 3 already, fuckers!), but I kind of like this move. This’ll be the 837th time Obama will be on TV, so it’s getting kinda boring.
Oh wait, I’m not allowed to say that, am I?
FOX not wanting anything to do with a democratic President? I call bullshit.
So will this raise Lie to Me’s ratings because people will want to watch something other than Obama or will it lower them because Lie to Me’s fans are fanatical about politics?
Whether you support Obama or not, he is kind of over-exposing himself. Not quite to the point that I did at the elementary school last year, but almost.
Both Fox and CBS did the same thing to Bush back in 2005. NBC once also forced Bush to move up the time for his press conference. Not news.
Shit, the White House should be happy about this.
If Fox did air the press conference, they’d probably superimpose a video of Sean Hannity making the wanking motion in the lower left corner.
I really hate the pharse “Runs on capitalism”
I just picture some health insurance company using it to justify denying someone’s cancer medication or some other company using it to explain why someone in India is now doing your job that you went to school for.
Viva la Revolucion!!
Do people still watch tv at regular schedule times? I havent watched anything on tv at it’s regular time since the DVR was invented.
I just love the irony that Fox has a show called “Lie To Me”…or have they just changed the name of “The O’Reilly Factor”?
I’m sure Obama won’t give a shit as anyone who wants to see his address will watch it on one of the other networks, or on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, PBS, or Fox News. So the fact that FOX is alone in this stance just shows how much of a dick move it is.
Oh yeah and we all need to see who’s eliminated tomorrow, right? RIGHT?
Hey, look at you passing up the easy Lie to Me/President addressing the nation joke that I’ve read in 20 other places already. Got Originality? (<-intentional irony)
If we’re luckly, by then the Swine flue will be out of control and he’ll be announcing a one-time only remedy to the Swine flu that can only work if it’s administered while you watch.
Bummer. I hear that he’s going to talk about hope & change in this speech, with a sidebat about how rich people want to eat the babies of the poor. When will I ever have the opportunity to hear that again?! This reminds me of the time I missed that episode of Three’s Company where there was a misunderstanding that got blown out of proportion and hilarity ensued.
@Sex Cannon
Fox did not broadcast a couple Bush press conferences. And if you really want to watch it turn on Fox News… they are still broadcasting it.
Not like I watch American Idol, but I can’t wait to see AI destroy Obama