Guest, I don't doubt that the week-long deification of Reagan was "a ratings bust." I think most anything that dominates the airwaves with such redundancy day after day on channel after channel induces lots of us to turn off the TV.

But this is one case where I don't think it was really about ratings. It was about capitalizing on Reagan's long-expected passing to trumpet his "great legacy" and pimp for Dubya as he is painted as the heir to that legacy.

It was Regan who was instrumental in deregulating the public airways, and the "Regan mourning" week was a prime example of where that can lead.