America’s major television broadcasters are urging the leading two presidential candidates to participate in a series of debates this year.
The encouragement took the form of a letter endorsed by the news businesses of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC, and is a rare sign of unity and solidarity during what is typically a partisan and politically-charged election cycle.
The letter comes at a time when the leading candidates from both parties — President Joe Biden, the incumbent, and former President Donald Trump — have signaled a likelihood to skip out on this year’s presidential debates.
If that comes to pass, it would be the first time since the mid-1970s that the leading candidates from both parties have refused to engage in a televised presidential debate.
Biden’s campaign officials have declined to affirm his participation in this year’s debate, with some expressing concern over the enforcement of rules at the 2020 debates. Trump has not appeared in any debate during the current election cycle, opting instead to hold one-on-one discussions with hand-picked news outlets, most of which air on television on a tape delay.
The debates are a byproduct of an era when political campaigns felt television was the best way to get their perspective in front of viewers — a time when there were no websites, no social media, no direct pipeline to constituents beyond the three broadcast networks.
Now, that no longer holds true. But the networks still have a major incentive for the debates to occur: While they typically air without commercial interruption, the debates — three in total — provide fodder for news coverage in the days leading up to and after the event.
The letter is not final, and the networks are still pursuing endorsements from other news organizations, including radio networks and newspapers, most of which have less of an incentive for the televised debates to occur. The New York Times was the first to report on the letter, followed by confirmations from CNN and NPR, which confirmed the draft separately.
The broadcast networks and cable news channels are hoping this year’s election cycle will provide their operations with an influx in political-focused advertising spend, which can help them rebound after several years of continued softness in the general advertising market.
A political year can help make or break a long-term expense budget for a television outlet, particular those owned by independent broadcasters like Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group and TEGNA, whose stations are affiliated with the four major networks.
