Mark Preston: Last News

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN is planning a town-hall event with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tonight that is so complex and ornate viewers may mistake it for something entirely different.“It’s going to be like ‘American Graffiti,” says Mark Preston, CNN’s vice president of political and special event programming, in an interview.So-called “town halls” have grown in popularity among the nation’s TV-news outlets in recent years, part of a bid to inject the voices of average citizens into big news cycles. The advent of the coronavirus pandemic makes the logistics of such things more difficult.

Ted Johnson CNN’s town hall with Joe Biden on Thursday will be a drive-in experience.The network said that the event will take place in the parking lot of PNC Field in Moosic, where a stage has been set up and spots for thirty five cars, spaced out to follow social distancing guidelines.The event is being held in Scranton, PA, Biden’s hometown. About 100 people are expected to be in attendance.“In these extraordinary times, we’re taking these extraordinary measures to try to bring the presidential campaign to the people, which has obviously been very difficult because campaigning is difficult, if not near impossible,” said Mark Preston, CNN’s vice president of political and special events programming and a senior political analyst.