Presidential Debate Moderators

The list of moderators for the presidential debates came out.  Everyone's talking about a women being a presidential moderator for first time in 20 years.

The moderators this year are two perennial favorites and two newbies.  Jim Lehrer gets the first debate, Candy Crowley gets the second, and Bob Schieffer gets the third.  Martha Raddatz gets the VP debate.

So who all have moderated the official presidential and vice-presidential debates?



Presidential:

Tom Brokaw: 1 (2008)
Candy Crowley: 1 (2012)
Pauline Frederick: 1 (1976)
Charlie Gibson: 1 (2004)
Quincy Howe: 1 (1960)
Jim Lehrer: 11 (1988, 1992x2, 1996x2, 2000x3, 2004, 2008, 2012)
Frank McGee: 1 (1960)
Bill Moyers: 1 (1980)
Edwin Newman: 2 (1976, 1984)
Bob Schieffer: 3 (2004, 2008, 2012)
Bill Shadel: 1 (1960)
Bernard Shaw: 1 (1988)
Carole Simpson: 1 (1992)
Howard Smith: 2 (1960, 1980)
Barbara Walters: 2 (1976, 1984)

VP:
Hal Burno: 1 (1992)
James Hoge: 1 (1976)
Gwen Ifill: 2 (2004, 2008)
Jim Lehrer: 1 (1996)
Martha Raddatz: 1 (2012)
Bernard Shaw: 1 (2000)
Sander Vanocur: 1 (1984)
Judy Woodruff: 1 (1988)

Which network* have had the most moderators?  *not all are networks

Presidential:
ABC: 7 (1960x2, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1992, 2004)
CBS: 4 (1960, 2004, 2008, 2012) 
CNN: 2 (1988, 2012)
NBC: 4 (1960, 1976, 1984, 2008)
NPR: 1 (1976)
PBS: 12 (1980, 1988, 1992x2, 1996x2, 2000x3, 2004, 2008, 2012)

VP:
ABC: 3 (1984, 1992, 2012)
Chicago Sun Times: 1 (1976)
CNN: 1 (2000)
PBS: 4 (1988, 1996, 2004, 2008)

PBS leads the pack with their people moderating (and going to moderate) 12 presidential and 4 vice-presidential debates.

Jim Lehrer of PBS has moderated (and will moderate) 11 presidential debates.

Gwen Ifill of PBS has moderated two vice-presidential debates.











Honorable Mentions.  From 1960-1922, the debates not only featured a moderator, but also a panel of questioners.

From the Commission on Presidential Debates:

1960: Debate 1: Sandra Vanocur, NBC News; Charles Warren, Mutual News; Stuart Novins, CBS
Debate 2: Paul Niven, CBS; Edward Morgan, ABC; Alvin Spivak, UPI; Harold Levy, Newsday
Debate 3: Frank McGee, NBC; Charles Van Fremd, CBS; Douglass Carter, Reporter magazine; Roscoe Drummond, New York Herald Tribune
Debate 4: Frank Singiser, Mutual News; John Edwards, ABC News; Walter Cronkite, CBS News; John Chancellor, NBC News

1976: Debate 1: Frank Reynolds, ABC; James Gannon, Wall Street Journal; Elizabeth Drew, New Yorker Magazine
Debate 2: Max Frankel, New York Times; Henry Trewitt, Baltimore Sun; Richard Valeriani, NBC News
Debate 3: Joseph Kraft, syndicated columnist; Robery Maynard, Washington Post; Jack Nelson, Los Angeles Times
VP Debate: Hal Burno, Newsweek; Marilyn Berger, NBC News; Walter Mears, Associated Press

1980: Debate 1: Carol Loomis, Fortune Magazine; Daniel Greenberg, syndicated columnist; Charles Corddry, Baltimore Sun; Lee May, Los Angeles Times; Jane Bryant Quinn, Newsweek; Soma Golden, New York Times
Debate 2: Marvin Stone, U.S. News & World Report; Harry Ellis, Christian Science Monitor; William Hilliard, Portland Oregonian; Barbara Walters, ABC News

1984: Debate 1: James Wieghart, New York Daily News; Diane Sawyer, ABC News; Fred Barnes, New Republic
Debate 2: Georgie Anne Geyer, Universal Press Syndicate; Marvin Kalb, NBC News; Morton Kondracke, New Republic
VP Debate: Josh Mashek, U.S. News & World Report; Jack White, Time; Norma Quarles, NBC News; Robert Boyd, Knight-Ridder Newspapers

1988: Debate 1: John Mashek, Atlanta Constitution; Peter Jennings, ABC; Anne Groer, Orlando Sentinel
Debate 2: Andrew Mitchell, NBC; Ann Compton, ABC; Margaret Warner, Newsweek
VP Debate: Tom Brokaw, NBC; Jon Margolis, Chicago Tribune; Brit Hume, ABC

1992: Debate 1: Sander Vanocur, independent journalist; Ann Compton, ABC; John Mashek, Boston Globe
Debate 3: Gene Gibbons, Reuters; Helen Thomas, UPI; Susan Rock, CNN