1. Broadcast and cable news channels will be airing their own Election Day specials Tuesday night, possibly spilling into Wednesday and beyond on cable depending on the outcome of the election. In 2020, Fox News had the highest-rated hour of the night in A18-49, with a 3.45 demo rating at 10 pm Eastern time. FOX News also broke a 3.0 in the 9 and 11 pm hours as well as at midnight. CNN was the only other network to break a 3, doing so at 8pm, 9 pm, and 10 pm; they peaked at a 3.29 at 9 pm. No other network was able to break a 2.0 demo rating, including MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. Which network do you think will win Election Night coverage in the Adults 18-49 demo?
2. While both major party presidential candidates have utilized TV to campaign, there’s been little overlap in the shows they’ve been on. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris recently guested on NBC’s Saturday Night Live; a show her opponent most recently hosted in 2015 but has stayed far away from since. She’s also made stops on ABC’s The View and CBS’s 60 Minutes, as well as an interview on all three major cable news channels and a town hall on Univision. Republican candidate Donald Trump has done several sit-down and phone interviews and town halls on FOX News and Newsmax, as well as a Univision town hall. Which candidate do you think made the most effective use of television?
3. Despite a presidential race in which neither major party candidate has high favorable rating among Independents, NewsNation is still struggling to find an audience. The Nexstar-owned network, which markets itself as a middle-of-the-road cable news channel for moderate voters, lags far behind not just ratings leader FOX News, but also lower-rated competition like CNN and MSNBC. Do you think NewsNation needs to rebrand after the election, or do they need to stay patient?