In a surprising turn of events on Wednesday morning, President Biden announced that he would skip the preplanned presidential debates this fall in favor of participating in debates sponsored by individual news outlets. This decision sent network executives into a scramble as they typically take months to plan such debates. However, CNN and ABC News were able to secure prime-time face-offs between Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump within three hours, promising enormous ratings and prestige.
CNN’s chairman, Mark Thompson, and the head of ABC News, Debra OConnell, quickly began organizing the debates after receiving confirmation that both candidates had agreed to participate. Thompson had to rewrite his presentation for advertisers on the spot, while OConnell had to work with executives at Disney to find a free night on the schedule for ABC. The CNN debate is set for June 27 and will be moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, while the ABC debate will take place on September 10 with moderators yet to be selected.
The Biden campaign quickly made it clear that their candidate would not participate in a debate on Fox News in October, even though Mr. Trump said he would appear. Competitors at NBC and CBS were left wondering what could have been and some journalists at those networks expressed frustration that their bosses had not secured the debates. Representatives for CNN and ABC declined to elaborate on their conversations with the candidates, and some executives appeared just as surprised as anyone by Biden’s announcement.
There had been speculation within the TV news industry that individual news organizations might end up serving as debate sponsors, as Mr. Biden had repeatedly declined to pledge his participation in the debates arranged by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Biden-Trump debates were welcomed news for journalists at CNN and ABC, who have experienced challenges in recent times. CNN has struggled to compete against more partisan competitors, while ABC News’s previous president stepped down after morale problems and softening ratings.
Former CNN president Jeff Zucker praised the network for securing the first debate of the general election, predicting that it would be the most-watched event in the history of CNN. The exact details of both debates are still being worked out, and it remains to be seen how the events will unfold. The rapid planning and sudden change in debate format illustrate the unpredictable nature of politics and television programming, highlighting the agility and quick thinking required of network executives and journalists in the fast-paced media landscape.
