Obama Does Primetime: Political Gold or Has Hollywood Been Sold?

After an almost three-week wait, sources have confirmed that ABC will not air Barack Obama's half hour ad tomorrow October, 29th. The news comes after the Obama campaign purchased thirty minutes on NBC, CBS and Fox for almost $1 million per network. The ad will air less than a week before the election and the day before the start of the November sweep. The purchase of a national primetime ad is a unique choice on the Obama camp's part and also a decision that has stirred some controversy in the television industry and over on McCain's side of town. I have to wonder, in the wake of accusations of being too much of a celebrity and too little of a public servant, will it really help Obama to put his face on primetime television instead of visiting swing states? Furthermore, what is the ethical duty of the T.V. networks? and have they been bought out by a politician? Perhaps Obama needs to get off of primetime and spend more time on a personal level with the voters that could affect his election most.

The Obama camp seems to think the buy is a vital move for the Senator's campaign. The purchase is a smart move on Obama's part, Larry Sabato, a political analyst and director of the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia said, "Obama's theme is not just change but unity, so he's appealing to the whole nation, rather than just a handful of tossup states," Sabato said. "He wants to win the popular vote by a good margin." In attempts to address the whole nation, this year has also been the year of national broadcast TV advertisements on behalf of both parties, with Obama purchasing $5 million dollars worth of ads during the Summer Olympics telecasts, and McCain purchasing about $6 million. But the shift away from homegrown campaigning in swing states, right before the elections may be a gamble for Obama. It seems that after the presidential debates the nation should be familiar with his policies and that Obama would benefit more by concentrating his efforts on the states that need some extra persuasion. Furthermore, it is interesting that Obama has chosen to buy primetime minutes instead of clustering ads around local news, as is the more conventional wisdom. Obama seems confident in this decision, as he has poured about 40 percent of his TV cash into primetime.

With three large networks airing the ad, there has been large speculation about why ABC is left out of the mix. Has the network felt some tinge or moral obligation to offer viewers both sides and therefore declined the million dollars? Is it confident that its primetime show Pushing Daisies will defeat Obama in viewers? An ABC spokeswoman told the TV Column yesterday, "We were in discussion with the Obama campaign and had offered them the half-hour, but at this point that's not happening and Pushing Daisies will air in it's regular time slot." ABC has also begun airing ads telling viewers, "Wednesday night you have a choice--get political with the other networks," or watch a new episode of Pushing Daisies at 8p.m. But let's be honest, Pushing Daisies doesn't stand a chance and there seems to be an undertone of bitterness coming from ABC, who seems to have lost a lucrative opportunity.

But whatever the reasoning behind ABC's dismissal, one thing remains, Obama will have domination of the 8 o'clock hour tomorrow night. The buy will move CBS's comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine to 8:30 p.m. and NBC will probably throw in an 8:30 comedy repeat in lieu of the hour long "Knight Rider" which usually airs from 8 to 9 p.m. My real interest is to see how Obama will use his half hour of primetime. Speculation has arisen from many arenas, including "Saturday Night Live," which has already created a mock ad in which Barrack and Michelle Obama host a thirty minute variety show, complete with Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Many viewers, including myself, may tune in just to see how Obama can fill a half an hour...but then again we all know politicians can talk.

While Obama's $3 million dollar purchases have garnered attention, they have also reignited arguments over Obama's decision to reject public financing of his presidential run. In reality, Obama is at greater liberty to make such large purchases late in the game because of his rejection of public financing-- a move Sen. McCain has criticized. McCain told ABC News "World News" anchor Charlie Gibson in an interview on Thursday, "He wrote down on a piece of paper that he would take public financing for his presidential campaign if I would. He betrayed the trust of the American people there." Though all three networks have said they would offer McCain the same amount of time at the same price, it is unlikely that McCain would have the budget to purchase this time because of the restrictions within his public financing campaign. Knowing this, are CBS, NBC and Fox acting upon a bias by accepting Obama's offer? If they know McCain cannot afford their airtime are they purposely promoting only one candidate? Most likely, this is yet another case in the entertainment industry in which money talks, and talks so loudly that it drowns out other influences.

Ultimately it is obvious that Obama's primetime purchase will offer him more exposure and a chance to speak to the American people without interruption. The question that remains is whether or not this TV appearance will increase the public's trust or whether it will portray him as a glossy actor that has bought his airtime. And in the end, loyal fans of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Knight Rider," will probably be cranky that some politician took their weekly joy away. Everyone knows new TV episodes are more important than new Presidents.