RNC Ratings Records

John McCain's speech at the Republican National Convention scored 38.9 million viewers, apparently topping the auds for Barack Obama's  address. (There is some dispute over the inclusion of PBS in McCain's totals and not in Obama's).

The RNC also topped the Democrats in average viewing of the convention, with 34.5 million to the Democrats' 30.2 million. It's not an entirely fair comparison, as the Dem's averages include four nights of the week at the GOP numbers include three. They exclude Monday, traditionally the lowest rated night of conventions.

The numbers speak to the extraordinary interest in this election, in Sarah Palin and perhaps in another factor: The Dems met in a week in which many are still on summer vacation. After Labor Day, it is back to work.