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.”
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