Studied the effects of the February 20, 1980, debate involving seven Republican candidates. Results strongly suggest that watching a televised debate early in the presidential primary season can increase respondents' interest in, and knowledge about, the campaign. (PD)

All of the television camera shots in the three Ford/Carter presidential debates were studied according to type, frequency, and duration to determine whether the images presented by the camera could have influenced the audience's perception of the candidates. According to the debate rules, each candidate was allowed three minutes to answer a…

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) provided funding for local public television stations to broadcast political debates prior to the 1998 election; CPB commissioned research to determine how the programs aided viewers in the election process. Viewers of the public television station local debate night program found the program to be of…