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ABC Begins Its Blitz Of Exclusive Interviews With America's Hottest Pol: Sarah Palin

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 11, 2008

At last she gives the interview. We get to see the biggest celebrity politician in the country talk to Charles Gibson tonight.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's first one-on-one will be dribbled out over several ABC news programs beginning with "World News" at 6:30 tonight. More of it will air on "Nightlne" tonight, followed on Friday by "Good Morning America," "World News" again, a special "20/20" and a second "Nightline."

ABC, which has no 24-hour cable news counterpart, probably would have liked to stretch this into a weekly "Sarah Palin" show. Interest in the Alaskan governor is that high.

The special "20/20" at 10 p.m. Friday will include the bulk of the interview that was conducted in Fairbanks and Wasilla (the town where she was mayor).

ABC's Kate Snow will report on the personal and professional background of Palin leading up to her nomination, and George Stephanopoulos will moderate a live round-table discussion on the state of the presidential race.

But that's not all, America's new favorite moose burger-eating hockey mom also will be heard on ABC News Radio. In addition, excerpts from the interview will be seen online at ABC News Now, a 24-hour online news channel, and ABCNEWS.com, as well as on local ABC affiliates starting today.

In the two weeks since Sen. John McCain named her as a running mate, Palin has gone from relative obscurity to magazine-cover queen. Just about every media outlet in the country wants to talk to her.

But McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said they were keeping her from the media until they felt "the news media was going to treat her with some respect and deference."

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Davis told Chris Wallace that "it would be foolhardy to put her out in that environment."

Maybe. But as the old Harry Truman saying goes, "If you can't stand the heat ..."

There has been a lot of speculation about why the McCain camp gave Gibson this exclusive. Gibson also scored an interview with McCain last week. Apparently, NBC and CNN are on the outs with McCain because of what his campaign considers unfair coverage of Palin.

Gibson has always appeared to be fair, thorough and forthright. ABC News President David Weston told TV Guide that Gibson got the nod because he's a professional respected by all politicians.

He also may have pleased GOP faithful when he posed some tough questions to Sen. Barack Obama during one of the Democratic primary debates, bringing up questions about wearing patriotic lapel pins and controversial comments by Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

DAYTIME DAZE: Readers are still calling in trying to find: "Rachael Ray." Apparently they missed the column informing the world that in Tampa, the 40-year-old ball of energy is now on at 2 p.m. weekdays on WFLA, Channel 8.

She has been displaced at 3 p.m. weekdays by "The Doctors," which debuted on WFLA Monday.

Find out more about "The Doctors" at TBOExtra.com.

Here's another daytime alert: Beginning next week, "Martha Stewart" sets up shop on WTVT, Channel 13, at 11 a.m. weekdays.

Also the new half-hour syndicated version of "Deal or No Deal" with Howie Mandel is running at 7 and 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on WTTA, Channel 38.

'TODAY' UPDATE: When Matt Lauer visits Tampa on Sept. 23, plans are to originate from the University of Tampa campus. His visit is part of a four-state road trip to look at the hot battlegrounds in the presidential race.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

Burn Notice, 10 p.m., USA

Tim Matheson guest stars on this action thriller about a former government spy who is stuck in Miami.

Hole in the Wall, 8 p.m., Fox

In this copycat of a Japanese game show, contestants must contort their bodies into shapes cut into a wall that is barreling toward them.

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