Is Obama attacking Fox News where it hurts?

Barack Obama has made a calculated move. During sweeps week–the most important week for television networks that will affect ad rates for an entire year–Obama will be holding an hour-long press conference. And he’s doing it to hurt Rupert Murdoch where it hurts: his pocketbook.

During the last primetime Presidential press-conference, broadcast nationally on 8 networks simultaneously, Fox’s broadcast garnered a paltry 4 million viewers. Compare that with the 13 million viewers that normally tune in to its popular Lie To Me during primetime–precisely when Obama’s press conference is scheduled for.

It’s a simple choice for Fox. 13 > 4: they should stick to their regular broadcast schedule, and snub the President’s broadcast. That’s exactly what they’ve said they’ll do. But other networks will reap the bounty of those four million viewers at Fox’s expense. Fox won’t put up viewership numbers anywhere close to what they expect because even a new episode of Lie To Me can’t compete with such an important Presidential address. Fox will be like a desert island, the only major broadcast network not broadcasting the President’s speech.

This may not be the last time Obama strikes at a media organization critical of him.

Fox won’t air Obama’s prime-time press conference – CNN Liberal News Network