Page 29 - ATODAY
P. 29
PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Thursday 10 March 2016
Town hall meetings now a campaign staple for networks
DAVID BAUDER In this Feb. 18, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with didates pictures of them-
AP Television Writer Anderson Cooper, right, during a commercial break at a CNN town hall at the University of South selves in much younger
NEW YORK (AP) — The Carolina in Columbia, S.C. Town hall meetings with candidates are popping up like mushrooms days and asked what was
19 sanctioned presiden- on the schedules of television networks, anxious for political programming at a time viewers’ ap- going through their minds
tial debates — so far — petites seem voracious. then. “It’s definitely a differ-
haven’t been enough. ent vibe,” Linzer said, and a
Town hall meetings with Associated Press chance for more personal
candidates are popping insights than usually come
up like mushrooms on the through in debates.
schedules of television net- “It’s more freewheeling,
works, anxious for political there’s more time and it’s
programming at a time not as pressurized,” said
viewers’ appetites seem veteran campaign consul-
voracious. tant Mark McKinnon, co-
Three more are scheduled host of the Showtime series
for Wednesday alone: “The Circus.” ‘’Because
Marco Rubio on MSNBC, it’s more informal, it allows
with Donald Trump and them to show their human
John Kasich having sepa- side. They can unwind a
rate forums on Fox News little and contextualize and
Channel. go beyond a 30-second
Formats vary, but the the- answer.
ory behind the town halls “It’s good for the candi-
is to have candidates ad- dates and it’s good for the
dress questions posed by networks,” McKinnon said.
voters. Usually the candi-
dates are onstage without ing less time addressing
their opponents, although sharp questions from jour-
some town halls have can- nalists and responding to
didates on back-to-back. attacks from their oppo-
“Voters are engaged,” nents.
said Dafna Linzer, manag- During a CNN town hall
ing editor of politics at NBC last month, a woman with
News and MSNBC. “The five daughters and step-
town halls, at least for us, daughters in their 20s told
offer voters a good sense Hillary Clinton that the
of the candidates. Not ev- young women were “feel-
ery voter is a New Hamp- ing the Bern.” What could
shire or Iowa voter that the woman do to convince
gets candidates to come them that Clinton, and not
in and sit on their sofa.” Bernie Sanders, was worth
The 2016 campaign has their vote?
been a boon to networks, “It was a very human mo-
as a glance at the wall-to- ment,” said Sam Feist,
wall coverage on CNN, Fox CNN’s senior vice presi-
and MSNBC illustrates. The dent and Washington bu-
11th Republican debate reau chief. “It was some-
was the most-watched thing that could have nev-
program on all of TV last er been asked that way by
week, the Nielsen com- an interviewer and have
pany said. Fox News is on a the same impact.”
seven-week winning streak When the voters ask ques-
as the top-rated cable net- tions, “they usually have a
work, its longest ever. The story to tell,” he said.
networks stoke the excite- Feist grew up in New Eng-
ment by running “count- land, where town hall
down clocks” to the next meetings have a deep his-
primary results. tory. He tends to be more
Each of the five town of a traditionalist by giving
halls shown by CNN has voters the largest role in
reached between 2.2 mil- these events; some com-
lion and 3.2 million view- petitors give more of a
ers; the network’s prime- spotlight to their modera-
time average last year was tors.
812,000. CNN’s next town meeting
While the debates are the involves the Democratic
subject of intense negotia- candidates Sunday from
tions over rules and format, Columbus, Ohio.
town halls are relatively During a Democratic forum
easy to put together. The on MSNBC last fall, Rachel
candidates are less on Maddow showed the can-
edge, since they’re spend-
