You're simply NOT going to believe what NBC is doing on Election Night!

[Lex]

Did you know that on Election Night NBC is whoring it up really good for its viewers? It boggles the mind.

----------

NEW YORK -- NBC is turning Rockefeller Center into a giant television studio on Election Night, covering the landmark skating rink with a jigsaw puzzle map of the United States and turning the side of the General Electric building into an electronic bar graph.

NBC has built an outdoor anchor booth overlooking Rockefeller Plaza for anchorman Tom Brokaw and analyst Tim Russert. Separate booths there will house anchor teams from MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.

A stadium-sized TV screen will be visible behind the anchors. The skating surface < at Rockefeller Plaza > will be transformed into a huge map, with puzzle pieces of each state colored red or blue for President Bush or John Kerry put in place when results are clear.

Red and blue lights will be superimposed on the GE building, for a graphic signifying how many electoral votes Bush or Kerry have earned.

NBC has also built a "Democracy Plaza" display at Rockefeller Center that has a replica of the Oval Office and will show a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Bank of America helped pay for that display, but wasn't involved in building the Election Night studio, an NBC spokeswoman said.


http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--tv-nbc-election1020oct20,0,3655251.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

I ask you: WTF?

[Toucano]

1. "Goodbye, dignity!" shouted NBC. "Hello spectacle!" n/t

[Occulus]

2. Election theater at its best.....

...and you know how Amurika loves good reality teevee!

[high density]

3. I guess they'll try to suppress turnout on the west coast all they can

The outdoor shows for MSNBC have been pretty cool, but this thing sounds really gimmicky. I'll be watching CBS.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. It's going to be a long night

*sigh*

I've been seeing all day about "Democracy Plaza". I suppose all we can do at this point is hope the media shows true democracy. The fifth whatever and all that.

[freetobegay]

15. Long night?

I think it's going to bre a long month.

[Norquist Nemesis]

18. LOL! You're right about that!

I'd better stock the fridge!

[Dickie Flatt]

5. It's an election, not a friggin' video game! [n/t]

[Lex]

10. That's what I was thinking. Is this Ringling Brothers or New Year's Eve?

Can't we have some dignity from the media?

Ugh.

[endnote]

53. They treat is as the SuperBowl...

[Lorien]

6. As if the world doesn't already think we're absurd

bread and circuses, my friends!

[LynnTheDem]

7. Maybe they can show pics of each dead soldier

A tribute to the so-far 1103 US dead. Forget the 30,000+ dead Iraqi civilians, of course, they're just "collateral damage" and we don't give a shit about them.

Oh silly me...our dead soldiers don't matter either.

[Nordic]

8. America! Brought to you by the world's largest corporations!

Now please go shopping and fill up your tank.

[progressivebydesign]

9. Where is Bush's Cousin working that night.. that's ALL we need to know! nt

[rwheeler31]

11. This is disgusting.

They have decided the vote.

[CindyDale]

21. Argh

It's too bad, but this word "democracy" sets my teeth on edge now when I hear it. What has come to mean to me is an excuse to loot and kill.

Cindy

[VolcanoJen]

12. STFU!!!!!!

Brokaw: "Thanks for that analysis, Tim. And now, General Electric is going to call Ohio! Will it be red, or blue...? Let's watch!"

You have got to be freaking kidding me.

[carpetbagger]

13. "Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times"

I guess to be impartial they'll have to cover that frieze up.

[Bongo Prophet]

24. Balanced by:

Faith and Dogma lend credibility to thy crimes...

[DulceDecorum]

14. They will not be able to match

Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes
from Indecision 2000 nor their "weather map."

I thought Wanda's remark about rocks and coyotes
(are the only ones who voted for Bush)
was hilarious
up until the day Bush was sworn in.

Then I abruptly stopped laughing.
http://mirrors.meepzorp.com/geocities.com/george-bush-antichrist/

[thanks jon]

16. Tell Russert to stay home

I finally decided he is a fool, when he said JFK had to use the domestic issues to win. JFK has to go strait at the Republican Dream Machine. Go JFK

:evilgrin:

[Hatalles]

17. Will they also have a giant Bush statue...

... we can topple after Kerry is confirmed the winner?

[Lex]

20. Oh hell YEAH.

Definitely.

[RummyTheDummy]

39. Funniest post I've seen this fall

Hands down, folks. Bravo! I just got this image of a bunch of surly DUers in a mob storming the set while Tweety and Andrea Mitchell run for cover as we're tearing down a statue of chimpy. Damn that's so funny.

[umtalal]

57. LOOOOOLLLLL

[crickets]

58. I was really steamed

until I read your post and burst out laughing. I'm still steamed, but you've taken the edge off a bit. Thanks for the belly laugh, and welcome to DU, Hatalles! :toast:

[lgardengate]

19. But will it be "all singing,all talking,all dancing"? Will MGM be...

Producing the show? Will they bring back L.B. Mayer or C.B.Demill?

Who will be playing Kerry and Bush?

this is not an election as much as it is an extravaganza,apparently.

[leftofthedial]

22. Sounds like the Super Bowl electionapalooza

I just hope Andrea Mitchell isn't planning any wardrobe malfunctions

[NAO]

23. Where are they going to hang the "Mission Accomplished" Banner...

when "Operation American Freedom" is declared a success, the evil dictator has been deposed, and democracy has been restored to America?

[chicagojoe]

25. It's all become just a big clown and monkey show

[Lex]

26. Democra-palooza 2004.

The media owns us and we are just bit players in their grand production.

[PurityOfEssence]

27. Where's that Jack Welch with a fistfull of Benjies when ya need him?!

Aw c'mon, doncha love tradition?

[Old and In the Way]

28. The Superbowlization of our elections............

The "event" becomes more important than the issues and ideas that are represented by the political candidates. Truely sad that corporate media will turn this into a circus to make higher ratings and $. A good example of the media becoming the story...instead of reporting it.

[Gore1FL]

29. If it educates people, or gets them to watch

I don;t have a problem with this.

If it turns out tobe nothing more than watch us because we have neato sets, then I agree with the general assertions already made.

[Lex]

31. LOL! The media hasn't been about 'educating' the people for some time.

Maybe mis-educating. Mis-informing. That's more like it.

[Gore1FL]

33. Well granted...

but still if it gets people to listen, watch, vote, or otherwise take interest, I see it as a good thing.

If it ends up as nothing more than an eyesore spectacle, then I will have to agree with the general consensus here.

[juajen]

44. I agree. I, too, don't have a problem with this

Actually they have been broadcasting from the sets all day. Looks a lot more interesting than the usual drivel while we wait. They actually interviewed Al Sharpton sitting on the edge of the replica of the desk in the oval office today. It was funny.

[question everything]

30. The egg on their face will be that much larger when they move FL

to blue, to red, and blue again and finally just give up and put it in gray - as undecided - until the supreme court will come to the rescue, again.

[montana500]

38. wow. the WWF has come to our national elections.

Will there be the "Bushmeister" in the left corner, and in the right corner the "Kerry-nator"?

[JasonNeedlemeyer]

32. Gee, how long before the whole thing will be decided by a swimsuit ..

competition? Though I wouldn't mind seeing Edwards in speedos. :)

[bling bling]

34. I can see it now. Picture a spotlight on a closed curtain, the

announcers voice booms (to jazzy live band music) "And now, ladies and gentlement, here's your new host of the United States of AMERica.........Johhhhhhnnnnnnn Kerrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyy"

Oh well. I'll be so damn happy when Kerry wins I won't even care how undignified/tacky the media is about the whole thing.

[demzilla]

35. Olberman said that on Nov. 3

the place will be known as the "Recount Cathedral"

[Awsi Dooger]

36. Dorothy Hamill can glide out and straddle every red state

She's a darn repuke, breaking my long-lost teenage heart

[flygal]

37. Maybe Britney Spears will lip sync for our pleasure while waiting..

I used to watch the Today Show (God forgive me) it's sad people accept this as their news source now.

[Piperay]

40. COOL

that should get some interest going just for the spectacle alone! B-)

[tedoll78]

43. Yup.

I'm one of the contrarians on this topic. Let NBC do it.

I'm having a small get-together on Election Night, and we'll have pretty much the same atmosphere: blue Christmas lights strung outside of my home, blue candles lit throughout the house (one for each of the top 10 swing states), an Electoral Map on display in the living room, etc. I have no real room to criticize.. when Kerry wins, I suspect that we're going to love looking at that ice rink!

[Lex]

52. That sounds very fun

and we may have a party at my house as well, but it just doesn't strike me as so tacky & over-hyped & uber-commercialized when we throw a cool bash in our own homes.

I hope we do end up enjoying seeing the "blue" skating rink at Rockefeller Center!

[Joefess]

41. Tacky!

That's real tacky and embarrassing, especially since there is a chance of a repeat of that 2000 mess.

One thing is for sure, Tim Russert will be there will his pathetic little white board.

[radfringe]

42. will there be a half-time show?

Spiffy commercials? 'cuz if there ain't gonna be none, I'm jist gonna watch last year's superbowl show of Janet Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction'.... :evilgrin:

[liberal N proud]

45. Hope it rains on Manhattan that NIGHT

I hope it is a nice day all day in New York, then about 8:00 PM the rain sets in and just pours all evening.
Not only can we have a landslide but a wash out for NBC as well.

[Dem2theMax]

46. No. Pray for SNOW. As in 'inches per hour' type of snow.

It would totally ruin the entire thing. :evilgrin:

I'm taking a pledge to NOT watch NBC on Nov. 2, 3, 4, however long it drags out, PERIOD. :)

I ain't watching a circus. I'm waiting to hear that the man who is going to start putting this country back together has WON. :bounce:

[Clinton Crusader]

47. As time zones change, the Rockettes will entertain....

nah, only kidding.
:kick:

[MidwestMomma]

48. Well, it this election night is like the nail biter of the last

At least I know where to go for some comic relief....

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

49. Will there be a nipple baring at halftime though?

[WoodrowFan]

51. yes, alas

it will be Andrea Mitchell and Man, er, Ann Coulter. O'Liely will rip off the "clothing malfunction". Oh wait, that's Faux. never mind

[democracy eh]

50. The greatest thing about TV

is you can turn it off
this is a billion, BILLION dollar election campaign
the whole thing is a spectactle
CNN is doing something similar in Times Square
be grateful that the powers that be have not decided that an american idol format where you can text message in your vote isn't better TV.

[Kadie]

54. Are they making Russert give up his white board?

He worked awfully hard last election erasing and re-writing on that poor thing.

[rndmprsn]

55. it's all about the money

[Z_I_Peevey]

56. Dear NBC:

Please pop for an extra fifty bucks and get Russert a suit that fits.