The leaders debate is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm and end at 7:30pm, but with 72 minutes of speaking time in the debate, it would seem quite impossible for it to be over by 7:30.
Add in the time required for journalists to ask questions, the time for the MC to run through the rules and moderate the debate, and I can’t see this finishing before 7:50. In fact, I’d suggest that it will finish around 7:55, with the coverage from the networks finishing at 8pm.
I note that the ABC (whom I shall not be watching) have scheduled half an hour of analysis after the debate from 7:30-8:00, with ABC News on at the earlier time of 6pm. I’d suggest that they’ll only have a short amount of analysis and will be out at 8pm.
I’ll be watching Seven’s coverage, although I’m considering bringing in a second TV so that I can monitor Seven’s “polygraph” “polliegraph” (thanks to Cheyne for picking up this error) and Nine’s “worm” while I conduct some live blogging during the debate tonight.
I note that Seven have used a “scientific method” to select a representative cross-section of the community for the studio audience. I wonder if this scientific method is similar to that which was used by the Climategate scientists to skew and alter the data in favour of their dodgy global warming theories? Only time will tell.
Samuel