Marks First Time a FOX News Anchor Will Moderate a Presidential Debate
In an announcement made by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), FOX News anchor Chris Wallace was named a moderator for the final presidential debate on October 19, 2016 from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. This will mark the first time in the network’s nearly 20-year history that a FOX News anchor has moderated a presidential debate.
In commenting on the announcement Wallace said, “I am honored to be selected by the Commission to moderate one of the debates, and very proud to be the first Fox reporter to get this assignment. It is a big responsibility, and I take it seriously.”
Chris Wallace is currently the host of FOX News Sunday, a one-hour live broadcast airing Sunday mornings across the nation on FOX Broadcasting Company and on FOX News Channel (FNC). During his 13 years as host, Wallace has interviewed numerous political heavyweights and newsmakers, including President Obama, former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden, former U.S. Secretary of States Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, and the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
According to Nielsen Media Research, FOX News Sunday is delivering its highest-rated year in total viewers since 2004 and is up 18% in P2+ and 16% in the key demo since last year. FOX News Channel (FNC) runs encore presentations of FOX News Sunday every Sunday at 2PM/ET and 6PM/ET, averaging more than one million viewers in each of those hours.
Throughout the current election cycle, Wallace has interviewed every presidential candidate from both parties including Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Additionally, Wallace, alongside Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly, moderated three presidential primary debates. The first one, which was presented on August 6, 2015, delivered a record breaking 24 million viewers and still stands as the most-watched non-sports cable telecast of all time. Wallace has received strong praise from both sides of the aisle for his moderating skills this cycle where he most notably was the first Sunday news anchor to not agree to telephone interviews with any of the presidential candidates.
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. A top five cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for more than 14 years and according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll, is the most trusted television news source in the country. Owned by 21st Century Fox, FNC is available in more than 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
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