MSNBC has exclusive rights to cover the “first in the nation” presidential primary debates, April 26 and May 3. NBC anchor Brian Williams will moderate the Democrats’ debate at South Carolina State University on April 26; MSNBC talker Chris Matthews will moderat the Republican candidates’ debate from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA, on May 3. Both events will be streamed live on msnbc.com.
Following in the footsteps of “American Idol,” MSNBC is offering an “interactive” opportunity for viewers to rate the candidates and post reactions on message boards. Viewers will be invited to vote for favorite candidates before and after the debate.
Both debates will have crowded stages: confirmed so far are Democrats Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson, and Republicans Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo and Tommy Thompson.
The question is, even with the attraction of fan voting, can the cable news network attract even 1 percent of Fox’s ratings for “Idol,” which lately has scored an audience of 31 million?
