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If you're interested in catching Fox News Channel's GOP Presidential Debate tonight, you better make a point of tuning in or TiVo'ing it. Unlike the two earlier debates hosted by MSNBC, you won't be able to find the debate anyplace else on the TV or radio dial.

Public Eye has learned that Fox News Channel refused C-SPAN's request to simulcast the debate on C-SPAN radio, as well as the opportunity to rebroadcast replays on any of the C-SPAN television channels. In the two MSNBC debates thus far, the cable network agreed to give the debates the added exposure through C-SPAN.

In an e-mail conversation, C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully informed Public Eye of Fox's stance.

As for the MSNBC and Fox Debates, only MS[NBC] has given C-SPAN rights (live on radio and tape delayed on C-SPAN.) Fox has said no to our request...and CNN's request is pending for its debates next month.

(In a follow-up to the CNN issue, Scully added that he expects a simulcast/rebroadcast agreement will be worked out.)

Why does this matter? Think about the fact that MSNBC and Fox News Channel already spend a large amount of prime time painting the other as a villianous partisan meany. Keith Olbermann regularly chastises Bill O'Reilly as the "Worst Person in the World," and O'Reilly returns the favor by calling NBC and MSNBC "unpatriotic" due to -- among other quote-unquote reasons -- NBC News decision to refer to the situation in Iraq as a 'Civil War.'

With all that back and forth, there is likely a constituency of viewers loyal to each channel who refuse to tune into their rival. So where does that leave them when it comes time to find out about the political beliefs of the Romneys and Bidens and Pauls and Gravels? (I tossed those last two in for the die-hards.)

Pre-Memorial Day 2007 is still way early for most Americans to be getting plugged into the political scene. And while making a potentially large political event property of one network or another may help your brand, it also diminishes overall public awareness. Shouldn't we be trying to expose presidential candidates to as many potential voters as possible?

"I'm wise enough not to bash the media. I would hope, however, that they would take a good look at, for example, the rest of the country outside of Baghdad and Anbar province — at least the reports I get are people are beginning to live a normal life. If you're a correspondent in a war zone, it's a little difficult to travel around the country on a free basis. But, look, I'm not going to complain about the media."

--President Bush, speaking to C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully about media coverage of Iraq.