TUESDAY’S second presidential debate was a bigger draw than the first match-up between John McCain and Barack Obama – but it still didn’t approach the ratings for last week’s debate between vice-presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
More than 63 million people tuned in for the Town Hall-style debate, according to preliminary estimates.
That was about 20 percent better than the first one.
The Palin-Biden showdown was seen by about 70 million viewers.
If the early ratings stay the same (they are expected to drop slightly when Nielsen releases more accurate figures), Tuesday’s telecast will rank as the No. 9 most-watched presidential debate of all time, on a par with the Ford-Carter showdowns of 1976.
The difference this time is attributable to two factors: a deepening economic crisis and the fact that this debate took place on a Tuesday night.
The first Obama-McCain debate was held on a Friday night, when the TV audiences are traditionally low.