Poll: President Obama's Jobs Speech or NFL Pregame on Syfy?

President Barack Obama's speech won't conflict with the kickoff of the NFL season — but it will skewer pregame coverage.
NBC Universal has instead punted that coverage to its cable outlets — Versus, USA Network, Syfy and G4 — while the president presents his job-creation plan to a joint session of Congress on the NBC broadcast network. NFL Opening Kickoff 2011, featuring performances by Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5, will return to NBC after the speech (while the cable networks go back to their usual shows).

President Obama agrees to reschedule jobs speech to NFL Opening Day

The speech (scheduled for 7/6c) shouldn't conflict with the start of the game (around 8:30/7:30c) between last year's Super Bowl champs, the Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints. He's expected to speak about 45 minutes.Obama initially asked to speak a night earlier, but it conflicted with a debate among GOP presidential hopefuls, and House Speaker John Boehner refused. So the president agreed to a one-day postponement, bumping up against what's become the traditional Thursday prime-time opener for NBC's Sunday Night Football — the highest-rated program on broadcast television in the 2010-11 season's first half.

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Last week, White House spokesman Jay Carney assured "all you football fans" that the president would be finished before kickoff.At least a couple Republican senators said they wouldn't attend the speech on Capitol Hill — and one cited football as the reason. David Vitter of Louisiana wrote on his Facebook page: "Family and friends are coming over for big game. On to recovery — and the Super Bowl!"