CNBC Won't Give Peter Schiff's Senate Competitors Equal Air Time

[Feenix566]

CNBC Won't Give Peter Schiff's Senate Competitors Equal Air Time
Lawrence Delevingne
Oct. 5, 2009, 5:37 PM

If you watch CNBC, you see Peter Schiff a lot.

That makes sense -- the Euro Pacific Capital boss is an informed and interesting commenator, which is how the financial network fills its long day of programming.

Problem is, Schiff is now running for Senate in Connecticut, and the common appearances on CNBC could have the unintended conequence of boosting his candidacy.

Senator Chris Dodd, the incumbant, also gets his share of CNBC appearances, but Rob Simmons, Linda McMahon, State Senator Sam Caligiuri and former ambassador Tom Foley are all running -- and haven't been offered airtime.

We asked CNBC to exlain.

"Peter Schiff is credited as being one of the leading predictive voices of the financial crisis and advises on over $2 billion in assets," Jennifer Dauble, director of public relations at NBC, tells us. "Similarly, Senator Dodd is the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee so he too offers insight that our viewers find valuable and he too is often on our air, but no we have not offered time to all Connecticut Senate candidates."

Why not the others? Dauble gave us a hint: "All of our contributors and guests must be experts in the field of business and/or finance and have the ability to offer market insight and/or analysis."

http://www.businessinsider.com/cnbc-...idates-2009-10

In other words, the other Republican candidates don't have any market insight or analysis to offer.

[SelfTaught]

Haha, his competitors are feeling salty. And it's not just CNBC. Fox Business as well.

[itshappening]

CNBC is a biz channel not a general news channel .

I would agree with equal time on news networks but on a specialist network like CNBC is ridiculous.

[ItsTime]

It would help if his opponents knew anything about economics

[Feenix566]

CNBC is a biz channel not a general news channel .

I would agree with equal time on news networks but on a specialist network like CNBC is ridiculous.

You mean like how all the news networks gave equal time to Obama and McCain?


Geez.... I recall watching the election coverage, and it was just Obama, Obama, Obama. Then they would show a 5-second clip about McCain and it was like they were saying, "Oh yeah, and there's another guy running too."

[Kevin_Kennedy]

You mean like how all the news networks gave equal time to Obama and McCain?


Geez.... I recall watching the election coverage, and it was just Obama, Obama, Obama. Then they would show a 5-second clip about McCain and it was like they were saying, "Oh yeah, and there's another guy running too."

Maybe they figured they gave too much time to McCain during the Republican primary, considering his opponent barely got mentioned at all. McCain should count his lucky stars they saw fit to mention him as Obama's opponent considering the treatment they gave Ron Paul.

[Nathan Hale]

Just consider the following:

What would the content of this thread look like if it was our guy on the outside?

[FSP-Rebel]

Just consider the following:

What would the content of this thread look like if it was our guy on the outside?

True, But let's bask in our glory while we can.

[Nathan Hale]

True, But let's bask in our glory while we can.

I just like to bring that up in threads when they get a bit too high on the hog. Retaining that perspective of being on the outside will keep us from making the same campaign mistakes our opponents did when they saw us on the outside.

[Bruno]

It would help if his opponents knew anything about economics

this!

Just consider the following:

What would the content of this thread look like if it was our guy on the outside?

Our guy WAS on the outside. Remember how that turned out?

[ClayTrainor]

They should invite the other candidates on with Peter Schiff, and have an in depth economics debate.

Sounds fair to me

[G-Wohl]

Just consider the following:

What would the content of this thread look like if it was our guy on the outside?

If "our guy" were on the outside, CNBC wouldn't exist as a network, because it would be failing miserably in its goal to report business, financial, and economic news.

Why - for all that is rational and logical - would you wish to pose such a ridiculous scenario?

[123tim]

You mean like how all the news networks gave equal time to Obama and McCain?


Geez.... I recall watching the election coverage, and it was just Obama, Obama, Obama. Then they would show a 5-second clip about McCain and it was like they were saying, "Oh yeah, and there's another guy running too."

McCain? What about Ron Paul?

[G-Wohl]

McCain? What about Ron Paul?

Well obviously that wouldn't make sense, since Ron Paul did not run for president in the general election.

Though it is true; Ron Paul's air-to-popularity ratio was significantly lower than every other major candidate in both parties, except for Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich.

[123tim]

Well obviously that wouldn't make sense, since Ron Paul did not run for president in the general election.

Though it is true; Ron Paul's air-to-popularity ratio was significantly lower than every other major candidate in both parties, except for Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich.

I should have written that better.
I guess that I was thinking outside of the context of what Feenix was thinking about. Sorry about that Feenix. I do agree with what you said.

The offense by the media was so blatant toward Ron Paul (in my mind) that I'll never forget it. I'll never forget how every article and news story seemed to include "Longshot" in front of his name. I think that this should have been a punishable crime. Keeping him out of the one Fox debate was a crime as well.

This being said, Peter is being aired because he knows what he's talking about and because people want to hear it. This isn't the same as keeping the reporting about candidates proportional between all candidates.

[Nathan Hale]

If "our guy" were on the outside, CNBC wouldn't exist as a network, because it would be failing miserably in its goal to report business, financial, and economic news.

Why - for all that is rational and logical - would you wish to pose such a ridiculous scenario?

I was speaking globally. In more races than not, it's our candidate fighting for equal coverage. In this race, we have a candidate who gets coverage for a reason other than the election, and I pose that point because it's important that we not forget what its like to be on the outside. To forget that perspective sets us up to make the same strategic mistakes as other politicians do when we are the ones getting marginalized.