election coverage

Fox News Channel’s primetime coverage of election night 2020 topped all television networks and set a record for the most-watched election night coverage in cable news history, according to early data from Nielsen. FNC’s primetime coverage averaged 13.7 million in total viewers and nearly 5 million in the 25-54 demographic, making it the highest-rated election night coverage in all of television in total viewers and the adults 25-54 demo, beating ABC, NBC, CBS and all cable news networks.

MSNBC’s election night coverage featured a bevy of the cable newser’s all-stars, including Rachel Maddow, Brian Williams, Joy Reid and Nicolle Wallace. But, as was clear to anyone watching Tuesday night, the breakout of the evening was political correspondent Steve Kornacki, master of the interactive touchscreen map that has become a staple of TV news political coverage.

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes … and that John King will wow you on Election Night (and in some years, apparently beyond!) with his working of CNN’s “Magic Wall” tote board.

As the returns came in, the networks scrambled to cover twists that were both shocking and unsurprising.

With reporters and supporters gathered at the White House at 2:20 a.m. ET, the president said it was “a major fraud on our nation” that he hadn’t been declared the winner. “As far as I’m concerned, we already have won this,” he said. The words were barely out of his mouth before television anchors rushed to refute him.

At the end of a turbulent campaign, the global news organization has a big role to play, with 4,000 reporters collecting vote counts from county clerks in 50 states. Above, an Associated Press staff member reading copy from the election tabulator in November 1936.

Political junkies aren’t the only ones who will have more TV programming than they can possibly watch on Election Night. Two of the better-known business-news outlets, CNBC and Fox Business Networkv. plan to keep coverage going well after the market closes Tuesday, the better to explain to viewers the financial ramifications for the 2020 presidential election.

Plus, what networks will do if the presidential race isn’t called on Tuesday night.

The sites are key conduits for communication and information. Here’s how they plan to handle the challenges facing them before, on and after Tuesday.

Veteran attorney Ben Ginsberg (above), who represented George W. Bush when the 2000 presidential race was decided in the Supreme Court, has joined CNN for this purpose. CBS News hired David Becker, founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. ABC and NBC have made similar arrangements, although some of those experts will have more offscreen roles.

Media planners are preaching caution in the face of a surge in early voting, high anxiety levels overall and a president who raises the specter of another disputed election. “We need to prepare ourselves for a different kind of election night,” said Feist, CNN’s Washington bureau chief, “and the word I keep using is ‘patience.’”

NBCLX, the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations streaming news service aimed at Gen Z, will be offering election night coverage on its over-the-top, linear, digital, mobile and cable platforms. Coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET with storytellers embedded in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington.

Real-time 3D graphics and virtual set innovation are among the features designed for an immersive viewer election night experience across platforms. Fox News Digital will complement network coverage with interactive live and historical race data.

As it does in every election, AP will collect and verify U.S. election returns in every county, parish, city and town across the country, covering races down to the legislative level in every state. This year AP will declare winners in 7,000 contests, doing the work so that the public knows as soon as possible who wins not only the White House, but control of Congress and every state legislature. Thousands of broadcasters, newspapers, digital outlets, and others will rely on AP’s results.

There’s good evidence that some people find predictive models like FiveThirtyEight’s confusing, and an argument that they might keep people from voting. But 2016’s scars shouldn’t mean that voters have to be kept in the dark.

In preparing for election night, some top U.S. television news executives see a cautionary tale in a notorious November evening two decades ago. After major networks projected Vice President Al Gore the winner in Florida, they pivoted in the wee hours to calling his Republican rival George W. Bush the next president. The margin was so slim, Gore conceded, then took it back an hour later. The election wouldn’t be decided for more than a month. The only loss that night was the networks’ credibility.

TV stations are finding that new election software from Magis Media can be the differentiator for their station on election night. Ease of use, real-time mapping and a visually pleasing display all lead to better storytelling, they say.

The debates may give advertisers of all stripes something they have not had in some time — a massive TV audience tuning in to an event that is not related to sports. NBC, CBS and ABC have all sold out their commercial inventory around the first debate on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter — as has Fox News Channel.

Executives from Fox News and Graham Media say they’ll rely heavily on IP contribution, cloud editing systems and other remote production tools in their coverage of the 2020 election, and they’re also ready to settle in for the long haul if final results aren’t confirmed for days, if not weeks, after Nov. 3.

Newsrooms are preparing for an unprecedented November, with Americans voting in a pandemic, legal fights brewing and a conspiracy-addled president sowing distrust. As one veteran of the Bush–Gore battle says, “2000 will look awfully quaint.”

News leaders from CNN, ABC News, E.W. Scripps, Gray Television and Yahoo Finance will explore the programming options enabled by the 2020 election at TVNewsCheck’s virtual event on Sept. 23. Register here.

What’s worse than being unprepared for The Big Story? Thinking you are prepared — and finding out you were terribly wrong. Maybe a quick quiz is the best way to assess your newsroom readiness. How many of these elements are staples of your well-worn “election playbook”?

Complain all you want about the state of TV news, but man do they know how to do election coverage. Whether you want voting results, fancy big boards with maps, smart commentary, hot takes, hindsight criticism or insightful predictions, TV news has figured out how to make election coverage entertaining television.

The toolkit provides broadcasters with resources to identify misinformation online, suggestions about fact-checking statements made by political candidates, tips for helping get out the vote and ideas for social media engagement with citizens. It also offers scripts for PSAs about voting in primary and general elections, as well as information about sponsoring debates and candidate forums.

News organizations need more people covering more territory as well as a heightened awareness of how better to avoid mistakes and protect themselves against deep fakes, according to a panel at TVNewsCheck’s NewsTECHForum. L-r: Brian Scanlon, AP; Barb Maushard, Hearst; Cameryn Beck, Scripps; and Jamie Burgess, Microsoft News Labs. (Photo: Wendy Moger-Bross)