Philadelphia mayoral candidates prep for "drive-time" debate
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photos: City Council Philadelphia, Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images
Mayoral candidates Cherelle Parker and David Oh are debating each other tomorrow on KYW Newsradio for the first — and only time — before the general election.
Why it matters: Philadelphians should consider themselves lucky to hear from the candidates at all given the city's heavily Democratic lean, experts tell Axios.
Catch up fast: Oh, the Republican candidate, had proposed a series of televised debates in different council districts to give voters several chances to learn more about where he and Parker stood on the issues.
- Parker, an overwhelming favorite to win the general election, wouldn't commit to debating Oh after winning the Democratic primary.
- Months later, she was a no-show at a Latino Town Hall over concerns about the event's poor planning and legitimacy.
The latest: KYW Newsradio announced last month that the two candidates had agreed to a live debate during its "Philadelphia Morning News" program.
- The radio station, which hosted a Democratic forum during the primary, is again deploying top journalists to moderate and ask questions, including anchor Ian Bush, city hall bureau chief Pat Loeb and reporter Racquel Williams.
Details: KYW Newsradio hosts the debate tomorrow from 8-9am, its peak morning-drive listening hour.
- The radio station boasts that about 1 million listeners tune into its programming each week.
What they're saying: The radio station "very purposely" chose a time for the debate that'll reach the most listeners and maximize "civic impact," KYW's news director Kevin McCorry tells Axios.
- It'll broadcast the debate without "commercial interruptions," plus post video of it online and rebroadcast the debate tomorrow, 8-9pm, McCorry says.
- "We want Philadelphians to be as informed as possible about the issues that matter to them most," he says. "Philadelphians consistently show us through our ratings when they want to get their news."
The big picture: Political pundits and television industry experts tell Axios that they expect the debate could still attract significant listenership despite not being televised in prime time.
- KYW Newsradio may have more than 173,000 listeners tune in for the debate during the morning hour, Cheryl Klear, senior vice president of the local ad agency Harmelin Media, tells Axios.
Of note: The Nielsen data Klear cites only represents how many listeners tune in for at least five consecutive minutes of a segment, she says.
Yes, but: "These are people who digest news," political analyst Larry Ceisler tells Axios. "The people who will be listening, they're voters."
Context: Longtime local journalist Larry Kane, who has anchored at all three Philly stations, moderated more than 40 debates over his career, including one of the most-watched showdowns in 1971 between Democrat Frank Rizzo and Republican Thacher Longstreth.
- He tells Axios that the radio station will "treat this [debate] like it's a presidential election."
- "There's no place to hide," says Kane, who contributes to KYW Newsradio.
The other side: Oh tells Axios he would've preferred at least one televised debate in prime time but had to accept what his opponent agreed to.
- "It's not gonna reach enough people," Oh says. "People really want to engage not only by listening but by looking. They want to see body language. It is what we have."