Question re: "Important" Press Conferences & The West Coast

[Heddi]

I've only lived on the W.Coast for 2.5 years now, and am used to being on the East Coast where everything is live on EST time.

But it troubles me that so many press conferences, state of the union addresses, presidental messages, etc, are held during the MOST unopportune time for West Coasters.

It's 10am here on the West Coast. I don't know WHAT time the press conference was held because it was too early for me to watch it.

Alternately, most West Coasters were probably at work when this press conference occured.

Just like the SOTU addresses---held at 8 or 9pm EST---which is fine for East Coasters, and Middle Americans who are generally home at that time of night---but 5-6pm on the West Coast is when most people are still at work, or fighting traffic to get home.

Is this done intentionally? Since the West Coast is so danged liberal (state of fruits and nuts and all that hee-haw), we're sort of 'denied' the right to see full press conferences or SOTU addresses LIVE?

And again, I've only lived here for 2.5 years, so I'm sure veteran W.Coasters are used to not seeing things when 75% of the rest of the country sees them, but does anyone else see this as a problem? A large portion of the country only gets their Press Conference news in short, clipped, annotated versions on the evening news....

[pmbryant]

1. I don't think this has anything to do with politics

Hi Heddi!

I lived in California for 6 years and Hawaii for another 2, so I'm a former West Coaster (and beyond).

The 3-hour difference has to be accounted for somehow. Starting things at 9PM in the East/6PM in the West is just the best compromise: 10PM would be too late in the East and 5PM would be too early in the West.

If you think the Pacific time zone has it bad, be glad you don't live in Hawaii, where you have another 2 or 3 hours difference (depending on the time of year) just from the West Coast. :-)

W's horrible press-conferences times are purposeful, of course, so that no one sees them, anywhere in the country. I'm in the Central time zone now and I had no opportunity to see this press conference since I'm working during the day.

:hi:

EDIT: I should add that I don't see this as a big problem, since I don't think very many people watch these things anyway. ;-)

--Peter