CNN prepares for first presidential debate of 2024

The first of two agreed-upon presidential debates between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will take place on Thursday, June 27 at 9:00 pm ET. The debate will be broadcast on CNN and will be hosted by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Jake Tapper is head Dana Bash is Inside politics They're both CNN anchors. Trade Union StatusThe first debate will take place at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, a battleground state that is expected to be one of the most hotly contested in this year's election. There will be no live audience at the debate.

The second presidential debate is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th on ABC News at a location yet to be announced. It will be moderated by two people. ABC World News Tonight Anchors David Muir and Lindsay Davis.

There are some changes from previous televised presidential debates. First, these two debates will not be hosted by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), as both candidates have declined to participate in CPD-sponsored debates, which have hosted every presidential debate since the commission was founded in 1987.

In another first, June 27 marks the earliest possible date for a presidential debate, much earlier than the Republican and Democratic political conventions that formally nominate the national candidates. Past presidential debates have taken place in late September or October, just weeks before Election Day. Additionally, the first debate will take place just weeks before the sentencing of Donald Trump, who was found guilty last month on all 34 charges in his hush money trial.

CNN also announced plans to run ads during the debates, even though CPD did not allow ads during the debates. CNN will not allow any ads from political campaigns or PACs during the debates, but will allow political messaging before and after the debates.

according to SemaphoresCNN has two advertising tiers. The top-tier ad buy gives advertisers access to a branded on-air countdown clock, billboards, viewership promotions, advertising on streamer Max, sponsorship on CNN Politics, and three ads (before, during, and after the debate) for a minimum deal of $1.5 million. There is also a lower-priced package available for $1 million, which includes three TV ads but offers fewer branding opportunities.

Marketers are interested in selling ads during the debate. variety After Trump and Hillary Clinton debated in 2016, CBS reportedly sold 30-second ads at a premium rate of $200,000 to $225,000. In past years, the company has also aired ads before and after debates, highlighting political events with creative messaging. For example, on the night of the first debate in 2016, Audi aired an ad showing two valets fighting over an Audi RS 7. “Beautiful things are worth fighting for. Choose your next driver wisely,” the ad read.

In addition to CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, and CNN Max, the debate will be simulcast by U.S. networks with news divisions, and will be available for free streaming (no cable password required) on CNN.com. It will be available on CNN's rival cable news networks, Fox News and MSNBC. Networks can run and sell advertising separately, but CNN will prohibit rival networks from broadcasting on-air political commentary during the debate. According to Nielsen, CNN averaged 518,000 primetime viewers in May, behind Fox News (2 million) and MSNBC (1.16 million).

In previous presidential debates, more than 16 networks have aired the debates, including broadcast networks, business news cable networks, Spanish-language networks, PBS and cable news networks. As in 2020, Nielsen will also include viewership among out-of-home viewers.

In the 2024 election cycle, the Republican Party held five presidential debates, but leading candidate Donald Trump did not participate in any of them, as he was eligible but chose not to. The first Republican debate aired on August 23, 2023 on Fox News and averaged 12.8 million viewers. Subsequent debates saw declining viewership. The fifth and final debate, held on January 10, 2024, averaged 2.2 million viewers on CNN.

The presidential debate is expected to draw significant viewership across multiple networks and online, but it is questionable whether any viewership records will be set. The most-watched presidential debate to date was the first one (Trump vs. Clinton) in 2016, which averaged 84 million viewers across 13 networks on September 26. This was followed by the only presidential debate between Reagan and Carter in 1980, which averaged 80.6 million viewers on October 28.

The first Biden-Trump debate of 2020 (September 29) averaged 73.4 million viewers across 16 networks, making it the third most-watched. The second and final Biden-Trump debate on October 22, 2020 averaged 63 million viewers across 15 networks. As with television news programming, debate viewership is an older demographic and not a popular target for many advertisers. Nielsen reported that 55% of the total viewers of the first Biden-Trump debate of 2020 were 55 years or older.

For now, the debates are limited to Biden and Trump. To get to the podium, a third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must appear on the ballot in enough states to receive a total of 270 electoral votes, the number needed to win the election. To participate, a candidate must also receive at least 15% support in four national polls selected by CNN. Last month, Kennedy filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that the two candidates illegally conspired to exclude him from the debate stage. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s approval rating is currently below 15%.

There will also be debates between the two vice presidential candidates. CBS News has offered to air debates between the incumbent, Kamala Harris, and Trump's running mate, and she accepted. The scheduled dates are July 23 and August 13.