Facing fewer hours of TV coverage by the major networks, the Democratic Party has opened their weeklong convention to talk radio and cable TV in an unprecedented fashion. Officials said that some 450 radio hosts and shows will be broadcasting from the press booth, and cable TV has been given much greater access to the convention floor, delegates and officials. The favorite cable station is CNN, which for the first time ever at a party confab has been given space right on the convention floor from which to broadcast. That has caused a stink among other TV networks stuck in the usual skyboxes around the Fleet Center. It's also resulted in complaints from the delegations, notably from Arkansas, who are positioned behind the CNN operation and have their sightline blocked by the TV lights. Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe said he reached out to the major networks but was turned down on his request for gavel-to-gavel coverage.

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