Debate Attracts a Third of Potential TV Audience

The first presidential debate didn’t exactly pack in viewers, as Sunday’s 90-minute Bill Clinton-Bob Dole showdown was seen in less than one-third of the nation’s 97 million homes.

ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CNN totaled about 48% of homes watching television at the time but not quite 32% of all possible TV households in the United States--translating to an audience of roughly 30.6 million homes.

Viewership was down substantially compared to 1992, when ratings surged in part due to the presence of Ross Perot. Sunday’s numbers appeared to be closer to 1988 levels, when George Bush debated Michael Dukakis.

There were various beneficiaries from the debate coverage, which aired simultaneously on the four major networks and CNN, C-SPAN and MSNBC. The WB Network, for example, achieved a record for the fledgling outlet at 9 p.m. (airing against the debate in the Eastern and Central time zones) with “Unhappily Ever After.” The program scored a 3.9 rating (each point equals 970,000 homes) and attracted 6% of the audience.

Similarly, another upstart network, UPN, did reasonably well by its standards with a two-hour “Star Trek” anniversary special that began at 8 p.m.

Basic cable experienced a small audience bump as well, attracting a 36% share of available homes for the evening, up from 34% the last two Sundays.

NBC boasted the top-rated debate coverage and analysis, according to the network.

Perhaps reflecting how interest in his candidacy has declined, a Perot paid political special Sunday attracted roughly 3.3 million homes and 6% of the available audience on ABC. Perot infomercials drew considerably larger ratings during the ’92 campaign.

The second of the three televised debates featuring the vice presidential candidates takes place tonight, with another encounter between the presidential contenders scheduled for next Wednesday.