Baltimore again leads nation in TV debate viewing
On Wednesday night, Baltimore again had the largest percentage of viewers in the nation watching the presidential debate.
The final TV showdown between Barack Obama and John McCain was seen in 49.3 percent of all households in the Baltimore TV market.
The nation's capital was the runner-up in viewer interest with 48.4 percent of homes it the Washington market watching. St. Louis and Richmond (Va.) tied for third with 48.1 ratings.
Overall, TV viewing for the debate was down from the candidates' last encounter, but up from their first. The national rating for Wednesday's debate was 38.3, meaning 38.3 percent of all homes in the nation were watching. (final people tally: 56.5 million viewers).
Last week's debate earned a 42.0 rating, while 34.7 percent of all homes were tuned to the first.
Previously, Baltimore also led the nation in viewing for the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin and finished third in each of the other two presidential debates.
The drop in the national ratings was largely attributed to the debate playing opposite a league championship series baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. Philadelphia and Los Angeles are large TV markets, and viewing for the debate was down in both.
