I suspect Wayne's rationale is right on this one: Democrats shy away from Fox because they think it's more conservative than the other networks.

I'm sorry James, it's not that Fox is more conservative, it's that its more Republican. I doubt that Obama would have a problem sitting down with a conservative for an interview, but guys like Brit Hume, O'Reilly and Hannity show a far more Republican-bias than conservative-bias. I'm not sure that the thought of being compared to Osama and having his mike cut off is appealing.

For example, there is NO face time of Barack Obama on FOX, because he has avoided them. I know Bill O'Reilly would love to have Barack on his show (he's been asking for months), and many of the other big shots at FOX News.

The numbers say almost as much about the candidates as they do the networks. We must keep that factor in mind.

Also, I think they types of interviews and especially types of reports are important. If the news tilts 80% positive to 20% positive for one candidate and 20% positive to 80% negative for another, even if the second candidate has more "face" time, it could explain poll numbers as to why one candidate is doing better than another.

For that matter, Romney and Giuliani hardly get any time at all at the non-Fox networks.

You can't identify a significant anti-Republican bias in the other networks the way you can identify a significant pro-Republican bias with Fox. This false balance is just more of the same - at some point, you need to be honest with yourself.

Bingo. Note also that appearing on TV is a zero-sum project, in that one can't spend the same hour of the day appearing on Fox and CBS.

Thus, one reason that Repubs appear less on the networks is that so many of them are appearing so much on Fox.

"McCain is a media darling that many in MSM like to get on so he can bash Bush and he has been a hot community since he lost to Bush. Take the MSM darling McCain from the field and the numbers changes dramatically."

We must be talking about a different McCain. The one I'm referring to is Bush's strongest Iraq--war advocate who steadfastly backed Bush's immigration reform plan when other Republicans were jumping ship all around him. You know, the one who warmly embraced Bush while stumping for him during the 2004 election. Is there another McCain?

The FoxNews discrepancy is obvious. We report on Republicans! You decide to vote for them!

I suspect Wayne's rationale is right on this one: Democrats shy away from Fox because they think it's more conservative than the other networks. Hell, they canceled a debate because it was on Fox.

For that matter, Romney and Giuliani hardly get any time at all at the non-Fox networks.

The FoxNews discrepancy is obvious. We report on Republicans! You decide to vote for them!

The only question remaining is whether the chicken preceded the egg...

Democrats don’t like Fox News and generally refuse to appear on it including debates. Hillary avoids most coverage where she doesn’t have absolute control. O’Reilly and Hannity have been begging Hillary to come on their shows and answer questions. She won’t. Other would also like he on their program but then she would have or answer questions and some won’t be given to her in advance like on Letterman.

McCain is a media darling that many in MSM like to get on so he can bash Bush and he has been a hot community since he lost to Bush. Take the MSM darling McCain from the field and the numbers changes dramatically.

"TigerHawk makes some interesting observations about how the networks generally favor Democratic candidates..."

Hmmm... NBC's top two most viewed candidates are Edwards (D) and McCain (R). CBS's are Obama (D) and McCain (R). ABC: McCain (R) and Edwards (D).

That sounds like fairly even-handed coverage for the networks.

On the other hand, Fox's favorite candidate is Giuliani (R), followed by Thompson (R), followed by Romney (R), then Tancredo (R), then Huckabee (R), then McCain (R), then Hunter (R), and finally Kucinich (non-electable D).

Forgive me if I draw a different conclusion than TigerHawk did.