ABC; AP Photo/Chris MillerABC is giving this get all it's got.
Liking how "record viewership" rolls off the tongue, the network is turning World News anchor Charles Gibson's upcoming trio of interviews with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin into the basis for a special prime-time edition of 20/20 and will be doling out snippets to various other ABC News shows to best capitalize on America's newfound fascination with the 44-year-old Alaska governor.
Palin, whose acceptance address at the Republican National Convention last week was watched on TV by more than 37.2 million people, is likely to remain the focus of most water-cooler debating until we, at long last, go to the polls in November.
And don't the networks know it.
In addition to 20/20 on Friday, highlights of Gibson's three scheduled interviews with Palin—set to take place in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Wasilla, the Alaskan town where she served as mayor from 1996 to 2002—will air starting Thursday on World News, followed by spots on Good Morning America and Nightline.
20/20's Palinapalooza will also feature a biographical segment hosted by Kate Snow and a roundtable discussion about the presidential race moderated by George Stephanopoulos.
Meanwhile, Fox News Channel found a way to channel its excitement with the documentary Governor Palin: An American Woman, which premiered Saturday and was watched by 2.7 million, enough to make it the highest-rated doc the network has ever shown in prime time.
CNN also has a Palin special in the works for this weekend, and we're guessing that MSNBC's going to talk about her a lot, as well.