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What Channel Is The Second DNC Debate On?

by Cate Carrejo

The next Democratic smackdown is coming up on Saturday, and if you're planning on tuning in (which you totally should) you'll to need to know what channel the DNC debate airs on. CBS will be hosting the second Democratic debate (check here to find your local station), with John Dickerson, host of CBS' Face The Nation, acting as the moderator.

This debate will certainly be interesting, partially because only three of the five participants in the last event are still even in the race. Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb both announced their withdrawal from candidacy shortly after the Oct. 13 debate, leaving only Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley as major contenders for the Democratic primary. With the Iowa Caucus still more than three months away, the thin crowd should make for a fierce debate.

There are some lesser known candidates still in the running, like Dr. Willie Wilson, a former sharecropper and Chicago mayoral candidate. But he and the other minor contenders have yet to be featured in national polls, so it isn't likely that any of them will be invited to participate in the debate, meaning it's unlikely that you'll see anyone besides Clinton, Sanders and O'Malley on stage.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Luckily, it looks like the network will make the debate available online to those who don't pay for television. The last Republican debate, which was hosted by CNBC, was restricted to cable customers, whereas CNN, which hosted the last DNC debate, gave access to anyone wishing to stream the event online. Although CBS has a paid streaming service, CBS All Access, the network will have the debate streaming live from its website.

Moderator John Dickerson, son of journalistic pioneer and former CBS reporter Nancy Dickerson, will be an interesting leader for the debate. His show, Face The Nation, is one of the longest running news programs on television, focusing on political issues and public policy. He regularly interviews politicians and public figures (like new Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan), so he should have no trouble navigating the debaters throughout the night.

There's no announced theme for the debate yet, but fiscal issues took a bit of a backseat in the October debate. The last GOP debate was themed "Your Money, Your Vote" and the Democrats could respond to the economic plans and policies proposed by the Republicans. Make sure to tune in to CBS on Nov. 14 to see what the Democrats have to say.