In the first nationally-televised speech of his presidency, he said he had come down in favour of funding because of the potential for new cures for chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - from which many millions of Americans suffer.
All it took was a late-night, nationally televised bite of a doughnut for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to set off an uncomfortable three-day conversation about his weight.
Mr. Lawman hasn't been invited to any nationally televised debate but hopes to attend the Lesser-Known Candidates' Forum, which is to take place this month in Manchester.
For the first time in the NHL's 95-year history, every playoff game will be televised nationally, with most of the games appearing on networks that are available in at least 80% of homes with cable TV.
This season's use of replacement referees climaxed in a furor over a botched call that allowed the Seattle Seahawks to walk away with a 14-12 victory against the Green Bay Packers in a nationally televised game Monday night.
The caucuses are at least four months away -- an eternity given the unpredictable nature of the 2012 cycle so far -- and Perry still has to show that he can maintain his newfound popularity through a gauntlet of nationally televised debates and attacks from his GOP rivals.