Now that the Democratic party has decided to present the final night of their convention from Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver before as many as 80,000 enthusiastic voters -- a venue that will underscore Senator Barack Obama's skill as a speaker -- the networks are deciding how they want to cover the event. Will the big three give the Democrats the entire night? One hour, two hours? Will ABC and CBS be compelled to cover the night, when NBC and Fox have the option of using their cable outlets and keep entertainment on the broadcast side?
And if the Dems get mucho primetime coverage for Obama, will the nets have to do the same for the Republicans? The GOP have no plans to leave the confines of the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The networks are working out what they're going to do, and a lot of their decision will be based on money. If I was in the Obama camp, I would be advising the candidate to make that last night of the convention a major media event, like the Super Bowl.
He shouldn't just give a speech -- which will be a big deal because it's the anniversary of the date Martin Luther King Jr. did the "I Have A Dream" speech. And it's his acceptance speech. He should turn the night into a huge celebration. Bring out Oprah. Invite the Kennedys. Get Springsteen to perform. Have Barbra Streisand sing the national anthem (something she's never done at a big event). I think every big name that supports Obama should show up. Snoopy and the MetLife blimp should be overhead.
You better believe the networks would cover that.
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2008 @ 9:54AM
MTigerV said...
Hate to rain on the parade but snoopy and his blimp (indeed, many blimps) will be busy elsewhere. Assuming that speech is on thursday night, it will conflict with College football's opening night. Though they aren't blockbuster matches, they certainly will draw away some of the viewers obama is trying to reach in Texas (Baylor v. Wake Forest) the southeast (NC State v. South Carolina; Vanderbilt at Miami of Ohio) and the west coast (PAC-10 opener Stanford v. Oregon St.)
Reply
7-09-2008 @ 10:33AM
shelley said...
On what planet do you live on when college football in August would get more viewers than Obama and company accepting the nomination in front of 75,000 fans???
I agree with Allison, this will be a spectacular event.
7-09-2008 @ 11:50AM
MTigerV said...
The South, where college football is more popular than pro-football or anything else. More people turned up to watch LSU football (92,400+ in attendance) than voted from West Baton Rouge parish (the largest population in the state) in the Governor race that same day last year. Yes it is embarrassing that more people care about football than politics around here, but it is the sad truth.
And lets be honest, your average college football fan in the south isn't voting for obama no matter what he says in this speech (I am, but I know i'm in the minority)
I don't think it would be a big ratings-getter anyway. Both candidates were decided on almost a month ago, so nothing unexpected will come out of the conventions. I would not be surprised if some of the big 4 networks push it to one of their cable news channels in place of some reality show.
7-09-2008 @ 10:39AM
Jason said...
Just another corporate puppet who is changing his stances not that he has the nod, he'll get the whole night.
Reply
7-09-2008 @ 10:40AM
Jason said...
not = now
7-09-2008 @ 10:53AM
0megapart!cle said...
How is he changing the venue for the speech a "stance"?
The only true changes that Obama has made that are really anything to worry about are the campaign finance one (which is troubling, but he didn't really have a choice, as he would have gotten almost as much flack if he accepted public financing, and gave away a huge advantage against the Republicans), and the FISA one, which is more troubling, but there is a chance that he could push criminal liability when he is president, which would have much the effect of the current civil suits. There is also a chance the bill could be derailed yet, although that is looking less and less likely.
7-09-2008 @ 5:04PM
Sally White said...
It's going to be quite an event. I'm certainly going to watch and hey, its not a bad idea to bring out more big name supporters and do it BIG! It would certainly grab a lot of attention. Go Obama!!! Check out WHYOBAMA08.org!
Reply
7-29-2008 @ 12:50PM
Jacque Denise Yap said...
well i will vote for Obama,This early, i really can't tell which i would side with, but i am leaning towards obama. Furthermore, the GOP base is not even warming up to mccain (of course, i could be wrong) and even though it's still early in the game, this just proves to show how we see our candidates to-date. i know i will get burned for this, but i think mccain is a warmonger. i get the impression that he doesn't care to what happens to our troops in the middle east and the other parts of the world. Can’t we just all get along? i think it is time for a purification; i think it is time for a change; i think it is time for obama time. Now that the candidates are set for the US Presidential Election, Barack Obama and John McCain are beginning to set the tone for their campaign.and recently i watch their speeches about their plan in the war Iraq i prefer the plan of Obama then McCain i think Obama has a better plan than McCain i saw the video in http://pollclash.com maybe you might try to see it.
Reply