Key Points
- Nexstar will host a live California gubernatorial debate on April 22 from its San Francisco station KRON-TV.
- The debate will air statewide across Nexstar stations and be moderated by anchors from Sacramento and Los Angeles.
- Five candidates have qualified for invitations, with most confirming participation in the event.
Nexstar Media Group says its local TV station in San Francisco will produce a debate involving California gubernatorial candidates this spring, moderated by its news anchors from Sacramento and Los Angeles.
The event, titled “Debate Night in California: The Race for Governor,” will be broadcast live across Nexstar-owned television stations in California on Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.
The debate will originate from the studios of Nexstar-owned CW Network affiliate KRON-TV (Channel 4) and will air live on that station and several others owned by the company, including:
- KGET (Channel 17, NBC) in Bakersfield
- KGPE (Channel 47, CBS) in Fresno
- KSEE (Channel 24, NBC) in Fresno
- KSWB (Channel 69, Fox) in San Diego
- KTLA (Channel 5) in Los Angeles
- KTXL (Channel 40, Fox) in Sacramento
- KUSI (Channel 51) in San Diego
The debate will be hosted and co-moderated by Nikki Laurenzo, the host of “Inside California Politics,” Nexstar’s California political affairs program that is produced from its Sacramento-based TV station KTXL. Frank Buckley, the morning news anchor at KTLA in Los Angeles, will also serve as co-moderator.
Nexstar said candidates must meet certain eligibility requirements to participate, including earning at least 5 percent support in the company’s March statewide poll and satisfying additional participation criteria established by the broadcaster.
Based on those thresholds, five candidates have qualified for invitations to appear in the debate: U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D), former Fox News host Steve Hilton (R), Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R), investor and environmental advocate Tom Steyer (D), and U.S. Representative Katie Porter (D).
According to Nexstar, all invited candidates except Porter have accepted invitations to participate as of the announcement.
Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said the debate reflects the company’s commitment to providing voters with direct access to candidates and policy discussions ahead of the election.
“Nexstar is extremely pleased to be able to offer this forum for California voters to hear from the candidates seeking to be Governor of the state,” Alford said in a statement. “These types of events give voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about important issues affecting them and they are a clear demonstration of our commitment to serve local communities across the state.”
In addition to the linear broadcast, Nexstar said the debate will also be streamed live across the company’s digital platforms.
Segments and highlights from the debate are expected to appear nationally on Nexstar’s political news platform The Hill and its cable news network NewsNation. A Spanish-language translation of the debate will also be made available to expand accessibility for Spanish-speaking audiences across California.
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Editor’s note: The author of this story worked for KTXL from 2008 to 2010; the station was not owned by Nexstar at that time.
