Rival television networks are reportedly upset with the Trump campaign after it agreed to allow Fox News’s Sean Hannity special access to the Republican National Convention.
Network representatives from ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN complained about the agreement to provide Hannity with exclusive access to events throughout the weeklong convention during a conference call with Trump officials on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.
“We’ll be broadcasting live from the Rose Garden in the lead-up for Melania Trump’s speech tomorrow night,” Hannity told viewers on his show Monday night. “Wednesday, we’ll be at Fort McHenry, where Vice President Pence will be, and on Thursday, we will be live on the South Lawn, where President Trump will give his speech.”
There is an anchor platform set up on the South Lawn at the White House for Hannity in preparation for Trump’s address on Thursday, CNN reported. No other network has access to the area.
In an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the networks have agreed to a single pool feed of live video and audio from the Republican events, which is what they did during the Democratic National Convention earlier in August. In a normal year, each outlet would operate on its own.
Every year, networks jockey for special access to conventions. In one example, CNN was granted several different camera angles of the 2016 Democratic convention, which was held in the Well Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
