Save Up for CNN’s Most Fun Day Ever!

News item: CNN’s ratings for its “town hall” meetings with Democratic candidates are in the tank.

CNN’s town hall featuring 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday night registered just 402,000 total viewers, including 82,000 in the coveted 25-54 demographic, according to early Nielsen Media Research.

The Bullock-de Blasio event marked an all-time ratings low for town hall events on the network in 2019. Viewership was down 25 percent overall and 38 percent in the younger demographic compared to CNN’s 2019 average for Sundays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

So what does CNN propose as a sequel? How about a seven-hour town hall with the Democratic candidates on—wait for it!climate change! That’s practically a telethon!

Washington — CNN on Tuesday announced the candidate lineup for its unprecedented prime-time event focused on the climate crisis.

Ten Democratic presidential hopefuls will appear in New York at back-to-back town halls on Wednesday, September 4, taking audience questions about their climate plans as scientists sound the alarm about global warming.

Along with the candidates, the network also announced the CNN journalists and the approximate appearance times for the presidential hopefuls during the seven-hour, live event.

  • Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will be interviewed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer at 5 p.m. ET
  • Businessman Andrew Yang, who will also be interviewed by Blitzer, will come on at 5:40 p.m.
  • California Sen. Kamala Harris will be interviewed by CNN’s Erin Burnett at 6:20 p.m.
  • Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who will also be interviewed by Burnett, will appear at 7 p.m.
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden will be interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper at 8 p.m.
  • Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who will also be interviewed by Cooper, will be on at 8:40 p.m.
  • Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be interviewed by CNN’s Chris Cuomo at 9:20 p.m.
  • South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who will also be interviewed by Cuomo at 10 p.m.
  • Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke will appear with CNN’s Don Lemon at 10:40 p.m.
  • New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker will also be interviewed by Lemon and will come on at 11:20 p.m.

I for one would like to know the per capita viewer carbon footprint of this telethon. David Deeble sends along this spot-on meme:

Doesn’t this just sound like the best day ever? Cue Squidward:

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