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Donkees

(31,332 posts)
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 06:44 AM Jan 2018

Bernie Sanders' Medicare For All Online Town Hall Draws 1 Million Live Viewers

01/24/2018 01:14 am ET

The Vermont senator delighted in circumventing the television networks.


Excerpt:

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ televised town hall on Tuesday night to promote single-payer health care, or “Medicare for all,” drew a live audience of about 1 million people ― all of whom viewed the event exclusively online.

For Sanders, whose single-payer health care legislation elicited the support of over one-third of the Senate Democratic Caucus, the 90-minute broadcast at the U.S. Capitol visitors center was an opportunity to promote a top policy priority while thumbing his nose at the “corporate media.”

“This is the first Medicare for all town meeting held in our nation’s capital. This is the first nationally televised town meeting on Medicare for all,” Sanders said in his introductory remarks. “And very importantly, this is the first nationally televised Senate town meeting that is taking place outside of corporate media.”

“The reason we’re doing this program tonight is you don’t see this stuff,” he said in his concluding remarks. “It ain’t gonna be on CBS. It ain’t gonna be on NBC.”

“What astounds me is we already have a pretty good majority of the American people who already believe in universal health care, believe that it is the government’s responsibility to make sure that health care is a right,” Sanders added. “And we have reached that stage with media not talking about the issue at all.”


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-medicare-for-all-town-hall_us_5a680274e4b0dc592a0dbcf6

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Bernie Sanders' Medicare For All Online Town Hall Draws 1 Million Live Viewers (Original Post) Donkees Jan 2018 OP
Twitter Link: Donkees Jan 2018 #1
Sanders' Medicare for All Town Hall Draws 1.6 Million Viewers Donkees Jan 2018 #2
The significance of this is, of course Bernie's message; but, also that you can get 'eyeballs'...... LongTomH Jan 2018 #3

Donkees

(31,332 posts)
2. Sanders' Medicare for All Town Hall Draws 1.6 Million Viewers
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 05:54 PM
Jan 2018

A national town hall on Medicare for all hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and digital media outlets The Young Turks, NowThis and ATTN: drew nearly 1.1 million live viewers Tuesday night, rivaling the viewership of cable news in primetime. By midday Wednesday, more than 1.6 million views had accumulated on the town hall video across platforms.

For the first time, leading digital outlets came together to do what cable channels and network news will not – engage in an in-depth conversation about health care and why the United States is the only major county not to guarantee health care to all.

"Far too often corporate television limits the nature of what we see and the discussions we have. This event will not be interrupted by commercials from drug or insurance companies or Wall Street," Sanders said at the town hall.

On Sanders' Facebook page alone, the town hall live stream had nearly 500,000 views by the time the event concluded at 8:30 p.m. ET. By midday Wednesday, another 200,000 people had watched the video.

The Young Turks' broadcasts on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had a combined viewership of nearly 200,000. On Wednesday morning that number had risen to 251,000. NowThis' broadcast had more than 170,000 views on Facebook and YouTube Tuesday night, and ATTN:'s stream added another 80,000 viewers.

Other progressive outlets including Act.tv and CREDO Mobile also streamed the event and brought another 91,000 and 15,000 viewers, respectively, on Tuesday night.

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/

LongTomH

(8,636 posts)
3. The significance of this is, of course Bernie's message; but, also that you can get 'eyeballs'......
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 11:07 AM
Jan 2018

.......by carrying your message online, bypassing the corporate, cable channels. That could have great significance for future progressive campaigns.

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