www.broadcastingcable.com - NBC and Fox will once again do the "unacceptable" (at least according to FCC topper Bill Kennard) and preempt Tuesday's live presidential debate. Last week Kennard
condemned both NBC and Fox for shirking what he said was their public interest obligation to carry the first live debate, saying he "never" wanted to see it happen again. He didn't let NBC off the
hook when, in his words, it "passed the buck" to affiliates, roughly half of whom decided to carry the game live instead of the debate. But NBC confirmed yesterday that it will give affiliates the
same option tonight, stressing that the federal debate commission knew well before scheduling the debates of NBC's conflict with baseball. MSNBC will carry the debate live. Only two NBC owned
stations are preempting live coverage of the debate for coverage of game six of the Yankees-Mariners ALCS contest-WNBC-TV New York and WVIT-TV Hartford. Once again Pax TV will carry the game in 24
markets, including the nine markets where NBC O&O's are preempting baseball for the debate. Fox doesn't have a baseball conflict, but will air its regular prime time schedule with a late night
tape-delay of the debate. Fox News Channel will carry the debate live, however.
