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Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator
207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator
202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com
NADER'S INCLUSION IN THE DEBATES WILL BOOST TV RATINGS
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- If the Commission on the
Presidential Debates decides -- or is compelled by court order -- to
invite Green Party candidate Ralph Nader to participate in the debates
this fall, one result will be higher ratings for the TV networks
carrying the debates, as more viewers tune in to watch a dramatic,
issue-oriented confrontation.
In 1996, the early October debate between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole drew
a third fewer viewers than the 1992 debate that included Mr. Clinton,
George Bush, and H. Ross Perot, according to Nielsen Media Research
figures.
According to a 1996 Associated Press report ("Presidential debate
viewership down by one-third, ratings show," October 8, 1996),
"The numbers show the 90-minute faceoff between President Clinton
and Bob Dole captured a total rating of 29.3 on ABC, CBS, NBC and
CNN. That translates into 28.4 million households."
"That figure can be most easily compared to 1992's second
Bush-Clinton-Perot debate, since CBS did not air the first debate that
year. The three-way debate drew total ratings of 46.3 for ABC, CBS, NBC
and CNN, translating to a total of 43.1 million households."
The lackluster contest between Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al
Gore will probably motivate even fewer Americans to tune in to this
year's debates. The TV networks, recognizing the lack of
excitement in the 2000 national race between the major party candidates,
decided to limit coverage of the Republican and Democratic Party
conventions to one or two hours each evening.
There's little doubt that a three-way debate, or four-way, with Pat
Buchanan's participation, will produce sparks and attract viewers hungry
for drama and political content. Will the TV networks and their
sponsors support the demand that Mr. Nader and Mr. Buchanan be invited?
Mr. Nader has joined Mr. Buchanan's lawsuit against the Debates
Commission. Many Greens and others plan to meet in Boston on
October 3, the date of the first debate, to protest the engineering of
elections inherent in the Bush-Gore debates' exclusion of national
candidates.
More information...
* Get Nader into the Debates!:
http://www.votenader.org/debates/index.html
* Nader 2000 Campaign: http://www.votenader.org
* Association of State Green Parties:
http://www.greenparties.org
More information:
Green Party platform: http://www.gp.org
Nader 2000 Campaign: http://www.votenader.org
Association of State Green Parties: http://www.greenparties.org
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