"Networks Ready for Big Election Night"

[GreenPartyVoter]

NEW YORK (AP) - Before 2000, the focus of television Election Night coverage was pretty simple: Count votes as fast as you can and explain why people voted the way they did.

Two trends in this year's plans show the residual impact of hanging chads and blown calls. Networks are intent on following potential voter irregularities and laying bare their own decision-making processes as results flood in.

ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC will all devote prime time to election results Tuesday night. Smaller networks with specialized audiences, like BET and MTV, have unprecedented coverage because of the intense interest in the presidential race.

Chip Reid will be stationed at the "Making Your Vote Count" desk at NBC News. ABC's Jake Tapper will deliver "Ballot Watch" reports. Mika Brzezinski at CBS, Major Garrett at Fox News Channel and Jeffrey Toobin at CNN all have the same assignments: Comb the country for reports of potential fraud or disenfranchised voters.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20041101/D86337KO0.html

[dansolo]

1. This is the reason for the close polls

I think the driving force for the polls being as close as they are is basically so there will be high ratings on election night. The problem is that if the polls used proper methodology, they pribably would favor Kerry. But if they skew the polls so it looks like it is a dead heat, then the netowrks can milk it throughout election night. I'm not quite willing to thing that they are colluding with the Bush administration in order to steal the election. I think the driving force is greed and ratings. They need a horse race.

[Triana]

2. I'm sure they're all ready to slam Dems and ....

....call it for bu$h. Anywhere Kerry is ahead they'll start screaming 'FRAUD' and 'disenfranchised voters' - whereas where bu$h is ahead, they'll virtually ignore any of same...this is why my TV stays OFF during these things. I CANNOT STOMACH, their spin, whoring, and propoganda.

Eeeeggh!

:puke:

[obnoxiousdrunk]

3. I don't remember

but one of the channels is having Oxy Rush on.

[leftynyc]

4. You can't believe what NBC has done to Rockefeller Plaza

Was hoofing around the city last weekend and they have renamed it Democracy Plaza, red, white and blue everywhere, studios built overlooking a map of US on the ice - the whole thing made me want to retch.

[shelley806]

5. Rockefeller Plaza is permanently changed in name to Democracy Plaza?

[leftynyc]

6. No - I don't think it's permanent.

n/t