White House chides Fox for not airing Obama (video)

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs knocked the Fox broadcast network for electing to air the season premiere of “So You Think You Can Dance” tonight rather than the president’s primetime address on health care.

“I do hope the viewers of Fox will find a way to watch the speechtonight,” Gibbs said while appearing on Fox News (video clip below). “I know that the network, instead of dealing with the realityof millions of people on health insurance reform, have decided to showa reality show called something like, ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’I do hope that people will check into the reality ofwhat’s going on in America rather than the distraction of a reality TVshow.”

The broadcast network doesn’t have a dedicated news division and occasionally opts out of carrying presidential addresses, Republican and Democrat, when high-priority programs are scheduled. Fox News will cover the speech.

The choice was an easy one for the network — Fox is launching its fall lineup with the first-ever post-summer edition of “Dance” along with the premiere of “Glee” — the network’s only new drama series of the fall. There was virtually no chance the network would disrupt the debut of its new Wednesday schedule, especially given how viewership has declined for Barack Obama’s primetime addresses.   

Here’s Gibbs on Fox News: