"Going to the candidates' debate" sang Paul Simon in "Mrs. Robinson." "Any way you look at it, you lose." The same can't be said of cable networks and their coverage of the presidential candidates' debates. CNN said last week its coverage of the first Democratic debate Oct. 13 drew 15.3 million viewers and a record 4.8 million in the key 25-54 news demo. In fact, it was the sixth-highest-rated non-sports cable telecast of all time, the network said. Perhaps now the Democratic National Committee will rethink its decision to hold only six debates over the next year. There is clearly an appetite and audience, with folks even wooed away from baseball playoff games to watch the hardballs fired by Anderson Cooper.
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