Fox News changes plans for GOP forum

[Valin]

Politico:

DYLAN BYERS

7/20/15

 

The Fox News Republican presidential forum on August 6 -- also known as the mid-day consolation event for GOP candidates who fail to make the channel's primetime debate -- is being moved to 5 p.m. and shortened to one hour, the On Media blog has learned.

 

Fox News, the sponsor of the inaugural Republican primary debate in Cleveland, Ohio, has limited inclusion to candidates who finish in the top 10 in an average of national polls. In June, it announced that the remaining candidates would participate in a 90-minute forum at 1 p.m., eight-hours before the main event.

 

The move to 5 p.m. will give the second-tier candidates a far greater audience than they would have had at mid-day -- the channel's 5 p.m. ratings are nearly double the daytime average -- and will allow Fox News to transition directly from the forum into its pre-debate coverage.

 

The decision to shorten the forum to one hour will be less celebrated by candidates who already feel spurned by the network's cap. However, the forum is likely to include about half as many participants as the primetime debate, providing each candidate with roughly equal time.

 

(Snip)