Triangle Television Limited
October 1, 2012
Media Release:
Triangle Television to screen live presidential debate
As the US Presidential Elections approach, the focus is sharpening not just on US internal issues but on the individual
media performances of Obama and Romney and their ability to “sell” their key principles to middle America and the world.
A key to setting the stage for the election are the one-on-one television debates that have become a tradition, starting
from the first debate that aired in 1960 between Nixon and Kennedy. The last debate between Obama and McCain drew
audiences of around 50 million.
The topics discussed in the debates are generally the most controversial issues of the campaign and the main target is
undecided voters; those who usually aren't partial to either political ideology or a specific party.
Arguably, therefore, these debates are considered so important that elections have been decided simply by the
performance of the candidates, especially when the gap is close.
The first debate in this year’s presidential campaign will take place this Thursday at 1:30 pm (NZ time) and because of
its international importance, Triangle Television will this screen this event live from 1:30 pm Thursday, and will
rebroadcast it at 8:30pm that evening.
“We are delighted to be screening these debates as they happen.” says Triangle CEO Jim Blackman “It’s a part of our
ongoing commitment to public broadcasting despite an environment that doesn’t seem to value this type of television. We
believe no matter where you live, the impact of events like this have not just local, but international impact and are
so important that they should be seen in full rather than edited or excerpted form.”
Triangle Television is available Auckland-wide on UHF channel 4.
Ends.