Networks Limit Convention Time

[papau]

Monday is platform and policy (plan for the future), Tuesday is the introduction to Senator Kerry's lifetime of strength and service. Wednesday is a Stronger and More Secure America with thanks to first responders, and on Thursday, a bevy of Vietnam crewmen and Senator Kerry's progeny will introduce the introducer; Max Cleland will introduce the nominee himself. ABC is upping its coverage to more than 12 hours a day for each convention via agreement with cable companies, including Time Warner, to carry its 24-hour feed for digital subscribers. ABC, NBC and CBS all plan to skip one night of live prime-time coverage, giving one hour on each of 3 nights for 3 hours total prime time coverage as websites, Internet broadband video coverage and cable TV feeds such as MSNBC pick up coverage.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-coverage13jul13.story

Networks Limit Convention Time

ABC, NBC and CBS will air three prime-time hours of each four-day event, but will offer expanded coverage on the Internet and cable.

By Nick Anderson Times Staff Writer July 13, 2004

WASHINGTON — ABC, NBC and CBS all plan to skip one night of live prime-time coverage during each national party convention, offering one of the skimpiest broadcast schedules for the quadrennial political events since the early days of television.

The network plans, announced Monday by ABC and CBS and last week by NBC, call for the Democratic and Republican national conventions to get minimal prime-time broadcast coverage — essentially, a total of three hours apiece for their four-day events.

As a result, President Bush, presumed Democratic challenger Sen. John F. Kerry and their respective running mates would each receive about an hour for network coverage of their nomination acceptance speeches. Four years ago, the networks gave Bush and Democrat Al Gore 90 minutes to two hours of coverage on the final nights of their nominating conventions.

Cut from this year's coverage plans are scheduled prime-time speeches by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) in Boston on July 27 and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in New York on Aug. 30.<snip>

[papau]

1. Themes for Dem convention below

Advisers to John Kerry said yesterday he wants the speeches at Boston's upcoming Democratic National Convention to champion an overarching message of military might, fiscal conservatism, and better health care and public schools -- themes that a top Kerry aide summed up as, ''stronger at home, respected in the world."

[Rufus T. Firefly]

2. Ha ha ha!

McCain's speech won't be televised! I'll trade Ted for him, since the Right will just villify his speech anyway.