Networks warming up to conventions
by Gannett News Service on Aug. 21, 2008, under Elections, Nation/WorldFor TV people, a busy summer is about to become busier. Political conventions loom.
“The Olympics have pressed the conventions together,” said David Bohrman, head of CNN’s Washington bureau.
Previous years had a one-week gap between them. This time, by comparison:
• On Sunday, NBC wraps up Olympics coverage.
• The next day, the Democratic National Convention begins. Three days later, the convention’s final night moves to a stadium.
• The following Monday, events start all over with the Republican National Convention.
All of this would be easy if news people decided the conventions don’t matter. They leaned that way for a while.
“Conventions . . . used to really mean something,” said Katie Couric, the CBS anchor. “And they still do, but in many ways there aren’t a lot of surprises.”
That bottomed out with overpackaged events.
“In 1996, I walked out of the Republican convention,” broadcaster Ted Koppel said. It was “nothing much more than a picture show and there wasn’t any news.”
Now? Koppel, formerly of ABC, will do analysis for BBC America. He no longer sees a no-news convention.
“This has been one of the most remarkable political years we’ve ever seen,” he said.
In addition to the usual cable networks, the black-oriented TV One cable network will cover the Democratic convention and follow with a late-night talk show.
That will be “irreverent. . . . We will have substance and we will have some humor,” said Michael Eric Dyson, a Georgetown University professor who will be on the show.
The network people said the conventions are extra-important this year. Still, they will give the conventions just a tad more air time.
In July, NBC insisted it would skip Tuesdays at both conventions. That night would be left to MSNBC. Later, it relented. ABC, CBS and NBC will each join convention coverage at 7 p.m. (Tucson time) on Mondays through Thursdays.
For over-the-air networks, that leaves PBS with bragging rights. It starts convention coverage at 5 p.m. daily.
“Americans who want to see complete, live, gavel-to-gavel prime-time coverage . . . have exactly one choice in broadcast television,” said Paula Kerger, PBS’ CEO.
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CONVENTION TV COVERAGE
• When: Democrats, Monday-Aug. 28 in Denver; Republicans, Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, Minn.
• Cable and satellite: All-day coverage on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and C-SPAN; TV One will be at the Democrats’ convention.
• Broadcast: PBS starts with “NewsHour” at 7 and stays. Others have their morning shows and newscasts, then may not resume coverage until 7 most nights.
