First Fan's Interest Drives TV Appearances

President Barack Obama gets multiple network March Madness visibility Tuesday night as ESPN shares his national semifinal predictions for the men's and women's basketball tournaments, and truTV airs an interview with Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

With the president and prime minister in Dayton, Ohio, CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg will conduct the interview with the two heads of state at halftime of the Mississippi Valley State-Western Kentucky game, which tips off at 6:40 p.m.

Obama's appearance with Andy Katz and Doris Burke on ESPN marks the fourth consecutive year he has filled out brackets for the all-sports network. His interview with Katz will air Wednesday, when his national championship pick is revealed, and his women's picks will air on Friday.

The joint interview with Kellogg marks the only such appearance for the heads of state during Cameron's visit stateside. It is Kellogg's third exclusive opportunity to interview/work with Obama, though. Obama sat in on game coverage of a 2010 Duke-Georgetown game and the president was the focus of a feature segment when he played H-O-R-S-E with Kellogg during the 2010 Final Four.

With college basketball at the forefront of U.S. cultural conscience at this point, the appearances make political sense for Obama.

Still, it's more about his fandom than exposure to any large number of viewers or voters. After all, last year's First Four games averaged 1.2 and 1.35 million fans, respectively. They're certainly an interested and passionate group, but they pale in comparison to the 37.75 million fans who watched the State of the Union Address across 14 broadcast and cable networks in January.