Article snippet: Back in 1973, tens of millions of Americans tuned in to what Variety called ‘‘the hottest daytime soap opera’’ — the Senate Watergate hearings that eventually led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. It was a communal experience, and by some estimates, more than 80% of Americans tuned in to at least part of the Watergate telecasts. They were offered by ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as PBS, which won acclaim and viewers by showing not only the live hearings but also the full-length replays in prime time. Seeing the witnesses lay out the case against the president moved public opinion decidedly in favor of impeachment. But this time may be different. When the House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump begins its public phase on Wednesday, people will be watching on screens large and small. Many, in fact, are likely to be watching the proceedings on more than one screen, with real-time reinforcement of their preexisting views of Trump on social media platforms and other venues that did not exist in Nixon’s time. In the Watergate era, there was no Fox News or nationally prominent conservative talk radio shows, which today are favored by many of Trump’s supporters. Nor was there the equivalent of MSNBC, which caters to left-of-center partisans. ‘‘People now have a far greater variety of options as to how to consume this,’’ said professor Tobe Berkovitz, a former political media consultant who teaches communications at Boston University. ‘‘Everyone might wat... Link to the full article to read more