Published on
Thursday, October 15, 2020
byCommon Dreams
'Craven Ratings Stunt:' NBC Rebuked for Booking Trump Town Hall Opposite
Biden's on Rival ABC
Calls for #NBCblackout on Thursday night after network accused of "caving to
the Trumpian impulses the network helped hone."
byJulia Conley, staff writer
The marquee outside NBC Studios in New York City. (Photo: Erik
McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Entertainers and journalists who have worked with NBC in the past and
present were among those who expressed outrage on Thursday over the
network's decision to air a town hall event with President Donald Trump,
with many critics calling for a viewer "blackout" at the network.
After Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign called for the
second presidential debate to be held virtually following Trump's Covid-19
diagnosis earlier this month, the president said the event would be a "waste
of time" and the debate was canceled, leading ABC to plan a 90-minute town
hall event featuring the former vice president, beginning at 8:00 pm
Eastern.
"You are enabling the president's bad behavior while undercutting the
Presidential Debate Commission and doing a disservice to the American
public. We believe this kind of indifference to the norms and rules of our
democracy are what have brought our country to this perilous state."
-100+ current and former NBC employees
NBC Universal News Group chairman Cesar Conde announced Wednesday that the
network would air its own town hall with Trump beginning at the same time, a
decision that's being decried by NBC staffers and media critics as one that
plays into the ratings-focused president's hands.
As the Daily Beast reported, critics and employees at the network-the
longtime home of Trump's reality shows, "The Apprentice" and "Celebrity
Apprentice"-say the president will likely bring high ratings to the network
as Americans tune in to watch the spectacle of Trump answering questions and
spreading misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.
"This decision is not just journalistically incorrect, but morally
incorrect," said television writer Nell Scovell.
Columbia Journalism Review editor Kyle Pope compared the situation to the
first presidential debate during which Trump shouted over Biden and Fox News
moderator Chris Wallace.
NBC News executives are apparently unconcerned about voters' ability to hear
from both candidates as Election Day approaches, Pope tweeted, calling the
programming decision "a craving ratings stunt, caving to the Trumpian
impulses the network helped hone."
The president promoted his town hall at a rally in Greenville, North
Carolina by accusing the network of previously hosting a town hall for Biden
that was "a joke," referring to NBC's parent network as "Con-cast," and
claiming he's being "set up" by NBCUniversal.
"Excellent programming decision by NBC," tweeted CNN communications official
Matt Dornic.
In a letter to Conde, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, and NBCUniversal chairman
Jeff Shell, more than 100 entertainment professionals including current NBC
stars Mandy Moore, Justin Hartley, and Chrissy Metz wrote that the question
of whether to air Trump's town hall in competition with Biden's event "is
not a partisan issue" but is rather "about the political health of our
democracy."
"President Trump refused to participate in the virtual debate scheduled for
Thursday night by the Presidential Debate Commission," the letter reads. "By
agreeing to air his town hall as counter-programming opposite Vice President
Biden's town hall on ABC, you are enabling the president's bad behavior
while undercutting the Presidential Debate Commission and doing a disservice
to the American public. We believe this kind of indifference to the norms
and rules of our democracy are what have brought our country to this
perilous state."
Shakina Nayfack, a transgender actress who stars in the NBC show
"Connecting," spoke out shortly after the network announced the town hall on
Wednesday, slamming executives for "a platform to someone who wants to
abolish my rights."
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who has starred in several popular NBC shows,
was among those on social media who called for an #NBCBlackout, while former
"Today" co-host Katie Couric called the network's decision "bad for
democracy."
Former "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien, who was pushed out of his role
after only nine months, jokingly compared NBC's decision to air Trump's town
hall to his own experience with the network.
"I can't remember the last time I was this shocked by an NBC programming
decision," O'Brien tweeted.
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