It’s election night: NBC is turning the Rockefeller Center ice rink into a giant electoral map. CBS has unpacked a wall’s worth of interactive touch screens. CNN is set to conduct live interviews with 3-D holograms of campaign spokespeople.
When it comes to election night coverage, the big networks go all-out. ABC News, found here on WSYR-TV, Channel 9, starting at 7 p. m. is no exception. Its features:
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Anchor-people in Time Square in New York, with the ABC building and several others used as facades for graphics and broadcast screens.
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Correspondents with all four candidates, as well as at the White House and Capitol building to get reactions on the results.
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And even more correspondents monitoring reactions from overseas and college campuses to Wall Street and blogs.
ABC Washington reporter and SU alumnus Steve Portnoy says his network’s coverage is a marathon — from “Good Morning America” to “Nightline.”
“If you wanted to, you could probably sit in front of your ABC affiliate for 14 hours and watch nothing but news.” (Steve Portnoy, ABC Radio, Washington, D.C., correspondent)
National network coverage is also available at 7 p.m. on Syracuse television stations WSTM, Channel 3, and WTVH, Channel 5.
For local election results, Central New Yorkers also can look to sources like News10Now. General Manager Rob Lombard says the station will be mixing national video feeds with local coverage from around the state all day.
“So, we think people know we are a place where they can come and get a good solid combination of, ‘OK, who’s going to be our next president and who’s going to be our next congressman and who’s going to be my next state senator?’ — all the way down to town justice races.” (Rob Lombard, general manager, News10Now)
As well, the station’s Web site features up-to-the-minute results starting as soon as the polls close.
The Post-Standard is also tapping the Web to reach CNY political junkies, and also features quickly updated results that night. The newspaper’s Web editor, Steve Carlic, says the paper’s Election Day coverage will feature blog updates on voter turnout and problems during the day and quick results at night. He says the most important posts are the video ones they produce for the election.
“First of all, the video that will start during the day will be how to use the voting machines. And then, how to do a write-in candidate, what’s that proposition up there, where your ballot is. You know, it’s video on how to vote.” (Steve Carlic, Web team leader, The Post-Standard)
Not near a computer or TV? The radio dial in your car provides a couple of options:
- There’s WSYR Radio, which provides local coverage starting a 7 p.m., hosted by Joe Galuski, Jim Reith, and George Kilpatrick.
- Z89’s “Orange State” will offer results and analysis starting at 8:30 p.m. In the interests of transparency, I should tell you that’s my show.
- And WAER will have top-of-the-hour updates live from different party events.
- SU’s Citrus TV will be broadcasting on campus and on the Web from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4th.
For Democracywise, Zachary Kineke
(Zachary Kineke is a senior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and political science.)
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