Tornado Alley (PROG)

[F6]

Debate's a hit with TV viewers

43.6 million tuned in to watch Edwards, Cheney have it out

10:39 PM CDT on Wednesday, October 6, 2004

By ED BARK / The Dallas Morning News

The veep candidates proved to be VIPs with viewers.

Despite going against a baseball playoff game, Tuesday's debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards drew a major league crowd of 43.6 million viewers. That easily surpassed the 29 million for 2000's lone vice presidential faceoff between Mr. Cheney and Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Cheney-Edwards also had more viewers than four of the five presidential debates in 1996 and 2000. Only 2000's first encounter between George W. Bush and Al Gore had a higher TV turnout, with 46.6 million viewers.

Nielsen Media Research ratings for Tuesday night's debate represent the combined audience on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC.

NBC led the way in the broadcast network competition with 11.5 million viewers, followed by ABC (10.3 million) and CBS (9.2 million). In the cable universe, Fox News Channel's debate audience (7.8 million) nearly matched the 8.5 million viewers tuned to the Fox broadcast network's New York Yankees-Minnesota Twins playoff game. CNN had 3.3 million viewers, and MSNBC, 1.5 million.

PBS, which isn't represented in Nielsen's measurements, said in a separate news release that it drew 3.3 million viewers for its coverage of the vice presidential debate.

The vice presidential record-holder is 1984's George Bush-Geraldine Ferraro faceoff, which had 56.7 million viewers.

Robust ratings for Cheney-Edwards mirror the heightened interest in this year's campaign. Last week's debate between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry had 62.5 million viewers, handily outdrawing the first Bush-Gore matchup in 2000.

E-mail [e-mail]

--------------------

POLLS ON VP CANDIDATES

A look at what voters thought of the debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards, and how the candidates are viewed generally:

-----

ABC NEWS

Who won the debate?

Cheney, 43%

Edwards, 35%

Tie, 19%

The poll of 509 registered voters who watched the vice presidential debate was taken Tuesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

-----

DEMOCRACY CORPS

Who won the debate?

Cheney, 40%

Edwards, 37%

Neither, 15%

The poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken Tuesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

-----

FOX NEWS-OPINION DYNAMICS

Whom would you feel more comfortable with if he had to step in and serve as president?

Cheney, 44%

Edwards, 43%

The poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken Sunday to Monday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

--------------------

© 2004 Belo Interactive Inc.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washington/stories/100704dnpolratings.28fc.html