New Face the Nation moderator John Dickerson will be the “principal moderator” of two 2-hour debates on CBS for the 2016 campaign cycle: a democratic debate on Nov. 14 and a GOP debate on February 13, reports Adweek TV reporter Jason Lynch, who is at the Television Critic’s Association Summer Press Tour in Los Angeles.
Dickerson appeared alongside CBS News president David Rhodes who made the announcement at the press tour. Coming off Fox News’s blockbuster ratings for the first debate last week, Rhodes predicted “an election where we think we’re going to see an historic level of viewer interest.”
“This was already going to be an exciting election before it became the summer of Trump,” Dickerson said, adding the Fox debate had “great, good, tough questions.”
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Rhodes, who cut his teeth at Fox News, promised changes in how CBS News covers the political conventions next summer. “You’re going to see less anchoring from air conditioned skyboxes,” and more getting closer to the people involved. He added that CBS doesn’t plan to cut back the number of hours in prime time. In 2012, the broadcast networks devoted an hour each night for three of the four nights. Next year the conventions will be held July 18–21 for republicans and July 25–28 for democrats.
Rhodes also gave a state of the state of CBS News. “We’ve seen significant growth in both our legacy broadcasts and digital extensions,” he said, pointing to 10-year highs for CBS Evening News and 20-year highs for CBS This Morning.
Rhodes says the CTM growth is “extraordinary” but adds, “that’s not enough. We know that support is something we have to earn every morning. We’re going to do everything we can to extend the growth that broadcast is having.” Rhodes said the one exception is dropping the hard news approach. “The audience that is coming to us is looking for higher ground. If you abandon that, you lose them.”