[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:00.16]Americans are preparing for the first of three debates [00:04.52]involving the candidates for president. [00:07.88]The first debate takes place on September 26. [00:13.56]It will be held at Hofstra University in the city of Hempstead, New York. [00:19.96]The first debate will include the candidates of the two main parties. [00:24.88]Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the nominee of the Democratic Party. [00:31.56]The Republican candidate is businessman Donald Trump. [00:36.52]The other parties will not be represented at the first debate. [00:42.40]The Libertarian Party, for example, has nominated former New Mexico Governor [00:48.32]Gary Johnson as its presidential candidate. [00:52.72]The Green Party chose Jill Stein, [00:56.40]who also served as its candidate in the 2012 elections. [01:01.72]The moderator of the first debate will be television news anchor Lester Holt. [01:09.28]The debate will be 90 minutes long. [01:13.00]The three topics for debate will be America's direction, [01:17.60]achieving prosperity and securing America. [01:22.60]Each topic will be debated for close to 30 minutes. [01:27.76]Holt will begin each topic with a question, [01:32.56]and each candidate will have two minutes to respond. [01:36.56]Candidates will also have the opportunity to respond to each other. [01:42.84]Many think the first debate could make history [01:47.16]by drawing the largest audience ever to watch an American political event. [01:53.80]American presidential debates and the media have a 56-year history. [02:00.16]In 1960, Republican Vice President Richard Nixon [02:05.36]debated Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy. [02:09.24]The subject of the debate was domestic policy. [02:14.20]The issues they discussed included education, [02:17.84]health care, farming, the economy, labor and the Cold War. [02:24.14]But what the 1960 debates showed was how television was changing politics. [02:30.84]In the first debate, radio listeners said Nixon won. [02:36.84]Those who watched on television said Kennedy was the better debater. [02:42.64]The difference in the audience's perceptions had to do with the candidates' appearances. [02:49.88]Kennedy looked tanned and youthful on television. [02:53.80]Nixon wore a gray suit that blended into the television studio background. [03:00.36]Nixon ¨C who was recovering from an illness -- also looked pale and thin. [03:06.64]A few months later, Kennedy won a narrow victory in the election. [03:13.08]In 1980, President Jimmy Carter debated challenger Ronald Reagan. [03:19.80]Carter led in the political polls before the debate. [03:23.36]But Reagan was a former actor and comfortable in front of a studio camera. [03:29.76]Reagan's relaxed performance during the debate helped secure him an easy victory. [03:36.88]The 1992 debates featured three candidates. [03:41.12]President George H.W. Bush faced challengers Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. [03:48.51]During their conversation, Bush checked his watch. [03:53.20]Some thought Bush's glance at his watch as a sign he was bored with the debate. [04:00.16]Bill Clinton went on to win that election. [04:04.44]I'm Bruce Alpert.