September 30, 200422 yr Bush staring down Kerry over health-care policy on a debate stage or Pedro brushing back Jeter in Yankee Stadium - you really have to pity the poor pols when TV viewers face that choice. But they will, in every debate after tonight's, when playoff baseball will add to the panoply of modern distractions already drawing viewers away from the quadrennial debate showdowns. One TV station has already made the call - Fox will be broadcasting baseball during the lone vice presidential debate Oct. 5 and the final presidential face-off on Oct. 13. The final debate could well go head-to-head with game two of a Red Sox-Yankees American League Championship Series in the Bronx. Fox said the choice was made because of contractual obligations signed long before the presidential debates were set. ``It's just that the baseball schedule is set, it is what it is - there's nothing we can do about it,'' said Kim Dwelley, Fox25 Boston's program operations manager. ``Obviously those nights we're hoping we get Red Sox so we get a bigger audience.'' Fox will air the debates after the local news, likely from 12 to 1:30 a.m., Dwelley said. Fox's dilemma is nothing new, though. In 2000, NBC bid for exclusive rights to broadcast one of the presidential debates but then aired a divisional playoff game instead. That year, Fox broadcast the show ``Dark Angel'' instead of the debate. Fox drew 14 million viewers and NBC brought in 11 million, while 46.6 million tuned in for the debate on other networks. http://news.bostonherald.com/election/view...articleid=46690
September 30, 200422 yr Fox is not the news broadcaster ABC, CBS & NBC are. I'm sure the debates will be on FoxNews, so watch it there. Kudos to Fox.
September 30, 200422 yr The Fox Network (aka your local FOX station) will have baseball as per MLB contract. NBC had a similar problem back in 2000. The Fox News Channel will carry Fox's coverage. Tonight's debate in Miami will be moderated by PBS and telecast using FOX cameras, equipment, and directors to the rest of the press pool.
October 1, 200422 yr Is there really difference on what channel you choose to watch for the Debate? You get the same thing thing on every channel. Only difference is the camera angles.
October 1, 200422 yr Is there really difference on what channel you choose to watch for the Debate? You get the same thing thing on every channel. Only difference is the camera angles. 577241[/snapback] correct
October 1, 200422 yr there's a good reason why Fox isn't showing the debate: It's owned by Rupert Murdoch, who's a big time republican and Bush supporter, and he knows that Kerry will do a whole lot better
October 1, 200422 yr Fox has in the past not shown presidential addresses or other huge news stories that ABC, NBC and CBS would show live.
October 1, 200422 yr Fox has in the past not shown presidential addresses or other huge news stories that ABC, NBC and CBS would show live. 577277[/snapback] NBC had the same problem in 2000 where affiliates had to choose between baseball or debate coverage. They would choose, the other would go on PAX, and the majority chose baseball. Why would the FOX network need to air this when FOX News would have the same thing and would be more widely watched?
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