Alphabet web beats Peacock for Pennsylvania debate

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC has won the battle of the networks for the right to carry the next debate between Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

ABC will televise a 90-minute debate between the two in primetime on Wednesday, April 16, beginning live at 8 p.m. EDT on the East Coast and tape-delayed at 8 p.m. PDT for the West Coast. The debate, to take place at the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia six days before the Pennsylvania primary, will be moderated by "World News" anchor Charles Gibson and "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos.

Recent polls suggest that Clinton is slightly ahead of Obama in the Keystone State.

The decision caps a nearly monthlong battle between ABC and NBC after earlier debates with just Clinton and Obama earned monster ratings for CNN and MSNBC.

There were seven proposals before the campaigns for a debate before the April 22 primary. Both ABC and NBC had lobbied the Clinton and Obama campaigns, who eventually agreed to ABC's proposal to televise the debate on the broadcast network.

NBC, which so far has televised its debates on cable channel MSNBC, would have aired this debate on its broadcast network.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter