The TV cameras loved Kennedy’s good looks ... was charged with setting the format for the three presidential debates from 1976 to 1984, but often found itself buffeted by candidates’ demands.

Presidential debates are a product of the television era. In 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy met in the first general election presidential debate, which was viewed by about 70 million people.

The second and final presidential debate between President Ronald Reagan and former Vice President Walter Mondale took place on Sunday, October 21, 1984, at the Music Hall, Municipal Auditors in ...

As a result, Kennedy "looked and sounded good on television ... was reelected in a landslide in 1984, and a key moment in the second presidential debate is often seen as encapsulating this ...