Candidates, networks spar over rival debate proposals

NEW YORK (AP) - Instead of agreeing to three 90-minute, nationally televised debates in October, as proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates, Texas Gov. George W. Bush has said he would participate in one of those debates and two others suggested by NBC and CNN.

One would match the two contenders in a prime-time version of NBC's Sunday morning talk show, "Meet the Press," moderated by Tim Russert. The other would be an edition of Larry King's talk show on CNN.

The Gore campaign has said it will not agree to Bush's plan unless Bush also commits to all three commission debates with their potentially wide viewership.

Executives at ABC and CBS said yesterday they would not broadcast debates organized by rival networks CNN and NBC, as proposed by Bush.

"We will not carry another network's programming," said Paul Friedman, executive vice president of ABC News. "We're not in the business of carrying the efforts of another network, where we have no control over the format or the questions asked."

CBS, which has proposed a debate for its Sunday morning show, "Face the Nation," also would not carry a "Meet the Press" or Larry King debate, spokeswoman Sandy Genelius said.

"It's their talk show, why would we put it on our air?" she said. "It would boil down to incredible promotion for a competitor's broadcast."

ABC has also invited Gore and Bush for a debate.

Friedman said the squabble was "all part of the game" and Bush apparently was proposing debate formats that he was most comfortable with. "Our job is to try not to get involved in being used by the Al Gore and George Bush campaigns," he said. "I think now that CNN and NBC are in danger of that."

Bill Wheatley, vice president of NBC News, said he didn't feel the network was being used. He noted that both the Bush and Gore campaigns had urged NBC to air a prime-time edition of ``Meet the Press'' and that other networks have tried to book the candidates, too. "They themselves were vying for debates," he said. "I can only assume that they were comfortable with that sort of thing.''

CNN aired 12 debates during the primary season and will telecast any Bush-Gore debate that is made available to the network, spokeswoman Sue Binford said.

The presidential debate commission proposed the three debates to be held on college campuses in Boston, Winston-Salem, N.C., and St. Louis. Gore has agreed to participate in those debates; Bush incorporated the St. Louis debate into his proposal.

Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader said he had asked the networks to include him. He said the commission's debates are basically corporate-sponsored events that give free advertising to the two major-party candidates while locking out others.

"We have to break this debate logjam," Nader said.

AP PHOTO

Commission of Presidential Debates technical operations director Jeff Kulliver shows plans to reporters and producers for the first of the three 90-minute, nationally televised debates, which is scheduled to be at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, during a walk-through yesterday. Texas Gov. George W. Bush has said he won't appear at the Boston debate.