Two quickly scheduled presidential debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump this week are good news for CNN and ABC News
NEW YORK — This week's hastily planned presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is a coup for CNN and ABC News, but it's virtually guaranteed to be one of the least-watched general election contests ever. has been done.
The two campaigns bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized the event for 36 years with the goal of reaching as many people as possible.
ABC, which has appointed David Muir and Lindsey Davis as moderators for the debate scheduled for September 10, has announced that it will be able to simulcast it on any U.S. television network or streaming service of its choice. CNN had not announced by early Friday morning whether it would do the same for its June 27 debate with questioners Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
A debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump's running mate is scheduled to air on CBS this summer.
The two 2020 debates between Biden and Trump were each carried on at least 16 networks, according to Nielsen. The first time he was watched by 73.1 million viewers and the second time he was watched by 63 million people.
The debates that precede a party's nomination process (Mr. Trump is absent this year) are typically organized and broadcast by individual media organizations. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the expert group Annenberg organized a decade ago, said the committee's organizing tradition during the general election campaign is different. said. Increase viewership.
“This is a national debate,” Jamison said.
For CNN's leaders, there's a huge temptation to keep it all to themselves. It will likely be the most-watched event ever for a network that is struggling in the ratings. CNN CEO Mark Thompson emphasized the association of the debate with the brand Wednesday when he announced an agreement to host the debate during a sales presentation to advertisers in New York.
“When people want to say something important, they say it on CNN,” Thompson said.
CNN announced Wednesday that the debate will be broadcast live on its international and Spanish-speaking networks, and will also be streamed on CNN Max and CNN.com.
Cord-cutting of cable and satellite services has reduced the number of people who can watch CNN's main television network. As of May 2020, CNN was available in 71% of American homes with a TV. This month, it's just under 54%, Nielsen said.
ABC moved quickly to avoid continuing the debate on CNN alone, which would have exposed it to harsh criticism for being contrary to public spirit.
Mr Jamieson said viewership would likely decline if the event was not shared due to the political polarization that is also pervasive in the media. Will FOX News viewers, after years of listening to their favorite politicians and media figures criticize CNN, turn to CNN for debate or skip it altogether?
It's still unclear how many other networks would relay the debate, even if given the chance. Only PBS says it will. Other networks have not yet made any commitments.
Some of those executives may have to swallow hard to get other network personalities on the air, and some regular viewers may take a liking to them and switch allegiance. There will also be a risk. However, the pressure to proceed with the discussion for public service reasons will be very strong.
Despite concerns about how many people will watch, Jamison said it's ironic in that there's a lot to like about the proposed ground rules for the event. For now, the plan is to hold the event without spectators at a television studio.
This is something that the Annenberg Group proposed a decade ago, saying that audiences that respond to candidates' statements are often distracting, and that those audiences are usually filled with supporters of both sides. was making a point.
If both sides agree to a rule that requires one candidate's microphone to be turned off while the other candidate is answering questions, it would be possible for politicians to interrupt the other party's conversation, which has been happening frequently lately. She said it would go a long way in solving the problem of
“If someone had told me there would be good news this year in terms of political debate, I would have told them they were delusional,” she says.
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David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.
