Campaign means big drama, TV ratings

[gateley]

There's no question which TV programs will attract the biggest audience Tuesday. Fox's "American Idol" and "House" will both pull in more than 22 million viewers.

But another television show that night will score big ratings and be discussed and dissected more the next day.

The 2008 presidential campaign has evolved into what New York Times media columnist David Carr recently called "one of the most compelling runs of event television in recent years." Unprecedented numbers are tuning in to the campaign, which hits a high point Tuesday.

"We've all seen how well reality shows do on TV, and this is proving to be the biggest reality show of all," said Chuck Todd, political director for NBC and cable's MSNBC.

Added Jim Lehrer, who anchors PBS' "NewsHour": "It is a drama as much as it is a political contest. And, let's be honest, that makes for good television."

As one measure of the high interest in Election 2008, the five most-watched presidential debates in cable TV history have all come in recent weeks, topped by the whopping 8.3 million viewers who watched CNN's Democratic debate from Los Angeles on Thursday.

ABC drew 9.4 million viewers for a Democratic debate and 7.5 million for the Republican one on the Saturday night before the New Hampshire primary. (The most-watched show on Saturday normally is Fox's "Cops," with 6.5 million viewers.)

Roberts added that the public knows "how important and unique this election is. They're saying, 'Something different is going to happen this year.' "

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more.... http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004161119_camptv03.html

This is FANTASTIC! People are interested and involved!