Biden's Speech Was so Political That the Major TV Networks Refused to Carry It

Biden's Speech Was so Political That the Major TV Networks Refused to Carry It
BY RICK MORAN SEP 03, 2022 9:10 AM ET

The three major broadcast TV networks — ABC, NBC, and CBS — refused to carry Joe Biden’s prime-time speech to the nation on the threat to democracy by “MAGA Republicans” because it was deemed too “political.”

Instead, NBC broadcast a rerun of Law and Order, CBS skipped the speech to show a rerun of Young Sheldon, and ABC aired the game show Press Your Luck.

Since the advent of live national television broadcasts in the early 1950s, presidents have requested and demanded time for live TV broadcasts during national emergencies or on matters of great urgency. And while the networks have usually complied, there have been exceptions, including in 1988 when the networks rejected Ronald Reagan’s address on funding for the Nicaraguan Contras because there was “nothing new” in it.

One might have said the same thing about Biden’s Thursday night address on the “danger to democracy” posed by MAGA Republicans. Instead, according to the Washington Post, the three networks passed on giving up an hour of profitable prime time so that Joe Biden can repeat Democratic talking points about Trump and Republicans.

People involved in negotiations over Thursday’s address said the networks deemed Biden’s remarks as “political” in nature and therefore decided not to televise it. These people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions, cited the speech’s criticism of Trump — Biden’s possible political opponent in 2024 — and its timing two months before the midterm elections.

White House officials had earlier tried to counter the impression of partisanship, with one telling NBC News that it was “not a speech about a particular politician or even about a particular political party.”

Liar. Biden mentioned Trump by name and indicated several times that the threat was coming from MAGA Republicans.

The networks apparently don’t agree with our hair-on-fire president’s description of what’s happening in America. Or they probably also recognized that Biden was not offering any new information about the “MAGA threat,” nor was he saying anything he and the Democrats haven’t been saying about Trump and his 74 million supporters for months.

Some commentators criticized the networks for declining to air the speech. “The networks refusing to cover Biden’s speech (presumably because it was going to be critical of Trump and/or not newsworthy enough) is precisely the problem” confronting democracy, tweeted Dartmouth University political scientist Brendan Nyhan, in one of a number of tweets calling attention to the networks’ decision.

But George Washington University professor Frank Sesno, a former CNN anchor, said in an interview that the speech “was framed in very partisan, political terms, and though that may reflect reality, in strictly editorial terms it makes this a close call as to whether networks should interrupt regular programming and provide the White House 30 minutes of airtime.”

While the live audience for Biden’s speech may have been smaller without the broadcast networks airing it, the echo chamber on cable and the internet made sure the message was disseminated far and wide. Perhaps that’s why the major networks refused to take a hit financially simply to hear the same, tired political charges against Trump and the Republicans that Democrats have made for months.


Rick Moran ~

Rick Moran has been writing for PJ Media for 13 years. His work has appeared in dozens of media outlets including the Washington Times and ABC News. He was an editor at American Thinker for 14 years. His own blog is Right Wing Nut House. For media inquiries, please contact communications@pjmedia.com.

Temple wrote:

The network stations are government-owned,

///

You're an idiot.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "aims", not owns.

Temple wrote:

[size=10]The FCC  is government--
It rules over free airwaves..
A network can be owned by whomever but-
The FCC  rules overall..
The government/FCC owns the free airwaves
They rule..over them..

The government owns NOTHING.

Federal-government-acquired corporation

The federal-government-acquired corporations are a separate set of corporations that were originally chartered and created by an entity other than the U.S. federal government, but that were, at some point, nationalised by the federal government. Most of these are corporations temporarily in possession of the government as a result of a seizure of property of a debtor to the government, such as a delinquent taxpayer; usually, these are awaiting liquidation at auction, and most are too small to note. However, there are also corporations that the federal government has nationalised to ensure the continued provision of an essential service or services (such as the federal government's nationalisation of the Alaska Northern Railroad in 1914 and Tanana Valley Railroad in 1917, now both part of the Alaska Railroad, which remained federally-owned until being sold to the state of Alaska in 1985, and, on a larger scale, the nationalisation of all U.S. railroads from 1917 to 1920 under the United States Railroad Administration), as well as nationalization of the northeastern freight railroads under Conrail (1976).

List of partially or wholly federally owned enterprises

Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)
Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps)
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
Farm Credit Banks
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Financing Bank (FFB)
Federal Home Loan Banks
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)
Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR)
The Financing Corporation
Gallaudet University
Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae)
Legal Services Corporation
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
National Cooperative Bank
National Corporation for Housing Partnerships (NCHP); Washington, D.C.
National Credit Union Administration Central Liquidity Facility (CLF)
National Endowment for Democracy
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
National Park Foundation
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation; Washington, D.C.
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Securities Investor Protection Corporation
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
YRC Worldwide

Temple wrote:

The Wise And Powerful wrote:

The government owns NOTHING.

Wrong, the government owns a lot,
a huge a lot..
__ Hover Dam-- Manhaton Island--Brooklin Bridge,
Ellis Island, Military bases, the White House, the national forests, and millions of other owns..
And it owns ' the airwaves ' ..

Hoover Dam/Owner
United States Bureau of Reclamation

Manhattan
NYC Property Owners With The Biggest Footprints
RANK FIRM/ENTITY TOTAL SQUARE FEET
1 NYC (local government) 362.1M
2 Vornado Realty Trust 29.7M
3 SL Green Realty 28.7M
4 Tishman Speyer 20.5M

Brooklyn Bridge/Owner
New York City Department of Transportation

Ellis Island
The United States gains ownership of Ellis Island by condemnation procedures carried out by New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins. The Governor purchased the island on behalf of the state of New York from the John A. Berry family, and conveyed it to the Federal government at a cost of $10,000. Mar 17, 2022

Military Bases
Military bases within the United States are considered federal property and are subject to federal law. Civilians (such as family members of military officers) living on military bases are generally subject to the civil and criminal laws of the states where the bases are located

The White House/Owner
National Park Service

National Forests
About 58 percent of the nation's forestland is privately owned, mostly by families and other individuals. The public owns the rest. About three-quarters of the public forestland is owned by the federal government, mostly in national forests, with the rest controlled by states, counties and local governments

The Airwaves
By law, U.S. airwaves belong to the public; the federal government grants rights to companies to use certain frequencies. These rights are rarely revoked. The FCC also has arranged payment for TV broadcasters to leave frequencies needed for mobile uses

"millions of other owns"
Couldn't find that list, Temple. Please provide the link for that claim