The first and likely only vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz will be held on Oct. 1 at the CBS Broadcast Center, a historic studio in New York City.
New York City hasn’t hosted a presidential or vice presidential general election debate since 1960, when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon met for their fourth debate.
Where is the debate being held?
The debate is taking place at Studio 45 at the CBS Broadcast Center, located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. After the debate, campaign surrogates and the press will go to the spin room in Studio 42, another studio in the 800,000-square-foot Broadcast Center. Members of the media will be watching the debate and filing their stories from a press pen set up in the cafeteria.
Until this summer, Studio 45 was where “Inside Edition” was filmed. “Captain Kangaroo” was also taped in Studio 45 from 1964-1981.
Michele Crowe/CBS News
Who will be at the CBS Broadcast Center for the debate and what are the rules?
On Tuesday, the two vice-presidential candidates, Vance and Walz will be in the room for the debate, as well as moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan.
The VP faceoff is the last scheduled debate of the 2024 presidential campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have had one debate. Harris has accepted an invitation from CNN for another debate, but Trump rejected the idea, saying it’s “too late” for another. The former president debated President Biden on June 27, and Mr. Biden dropped out of his reelection race a few weeks later.
There will be 90 minutes of debate time, starting at 9 p.m. ET, with two breaks of four minutes each. There will be no live audience.
For each question, the candidate who was asked the question will have two minutes to answer, and the other candidate will be allowed two minutes to respond. Following that, each candidate will have one minute for additional rebuttals. And the moderators may at their discretion give candidates an additional minute each to continue a topic.
CBS News reserves the rights to mute the mics for the candidates, but otherwise, the mics will be hot.
How to watch the vice presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center
The vice presidential debate will be broadcast on the CBS television network. It begins at 9 p.m. ET. Coverage of the matchup on CBS stations will start at 8 p.m. ET on CBS — find your local CBS station here.
Coverage of the debate began at 4 p.m. ET on CBS 24/7. CBS News will have a post-debate show for reaction and analysis on the CBS Television Network, CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+ at approximately 10:30 p.m. ET.
What is the history of the CBS Broadcast Center?
In 1952, CBS acquired Sheffield Farms, which had been the world’s largest milk distribution center. The building was used to bottle and distribute milk to retail locations by train — the train tracks are still located in the subbasement of the building. In the 1890s, the building housed a brewery.
CBS News moved into the facility in 1964, and Walter Cronkite broadcast the 1964 election results from Studio 41, which is now home to the “Drew Barrymore Show.” Before relocating to the CBS Broadcast Center, CBS was located in the Grand Central Terminal building.
The giant studios and sound stages have been home to several soap operas, including “As the World Turns” in Studio 41 and “Guiding Light” in Studio 42. “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” currently films at Studio 42.
In the early 1980s, CBS added 176,400 square feet to the 500,000-square-foot building as part of a $100 million update.
CBS Broadcast Center is now the home for CBS News 24/7, CBS Sports and Sports Network WCBS-TV and several other corporate and third-party productions. It’s also the distribution center for the CBS Television Network.
Where is CBS News programming filmed?
CBS News shows are shot at a variety of locations. “CBS Evening News” is currently recorded in Washington, D.C., while “CBS Mornings” is filmed in Times Square.
Several CBS News 24/7 shows are filmed at the Broadcast Center, including “The Daily Report with John Dickerson” at Studio 57. WCBS-TV films at Studio 46.
CBS News is hosting the only planned vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and CBS News 24/7. Download the free CBS News app for live coverage, post-debate analysis, comprehensive fact checks and more.
Kathryn Watson
contributed to this report.
