Fox Network Will Plunge Into Presidential Debates

In a policy shift that will cost it thousands of dollars in advertising revenue, the Fox network will be joining ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN and C-SPAN in airing the series of three presidential debates that begin Sunday at 4 p.m.

Since its establishment in 1986, Fox has shied away from news and public-affairs programming, areas that traditionally are difficult to make profitable and appear unattractive to the young viewers Fox covets. The network did not carry the 1988 presidential debates or the national conventions that year or this year.

But the network has been inching its way into the news business, and coverage of the presidential debates is another effort to raise its profile there.

“This is the first step in assessing what our role should be in providing this type of news coverage,” said Van Gordon Sauter, former CBS News president who became president of Fox News last July, in a statement released by the network. “The audience response, as measured by ratings and viewer comments, will help us set our course as we develop the news division.”

Without a central anchorman or a staff of well-known correspondents, Fox’s debate coverage will begin with a voice-over introduction and will not be followed by analysis or commentary. Most of the other networks will offer analysis afterward.

In addition to the network coverage, Sunday’s debate from St. Louis also will be broadcast in Spanish on KMEX-TV Channel 34 and KVEA-TV Channel 52.

On radio, the debate will be broadcast live by KCRW-FM (89.9), KPCC-FM (89.3), KFWB-AM (980), KNX-AM (1070) and KPFK-FM (90.7).

For those who miss the live coverage, CNN will rerun the debate at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Meanwhile, tonight’s debate between U.S. Senate candidates John Seymour and Dianne Feinstein will be carried in four languages by three television stations over the next three days.

In live coverage from 6-7 p.m. tonight, KNBC-TV Channel 4 will broadcast in English, KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Spanish and KSCI-TV Channel 18 in Korean.

KSCI says that this is the first time a U.S. political debate will be broadcast in a language other than English or Spanish.

“One of the reasons we especially chose to do this for the Korean community is that the riots served as a wake-up call from the Korean community to become politically active,” said Martie Quan, KSCI’s community relations manager.

KSCI will rebroadcast the debate at 6 p.m. Monday in Mandarin Chinese.

No local radio stations will carry the debate live but KCRW-FM (89.9) will broadcast it Sunday at 6 p.m.