PRESS RELEASE from National Public Radio

October 22, 2008 Contact:
Anna Christopher, NPR 

NPR NEWS “ELECTION 2008” TO OFFER NINE HOURS
OF LIVE ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE,
ON-AIR AND ONLINE, FROM 8PM TO 5AM (ET)


NPR’S COVERAGE ACCESSIBLE TO DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING
THROUGH FIRST EVER LIVE CAPTIONED RADIO BROADCAST

“Election 2008” Team to Provide Coverage, Analysis
From D.C., Campaign Headquarters, Key Battleground States

October 22, 2008; Washington, D.C. – NPR News “Election 2008” will offer nine hours of live broadcast and webcast coverage of Election Night 2008 on November 4 from 8:00PM to 5:00AM (ET). NPR’s extensive multimedia coverage of the general election – which will include live streaming, blogging, interactive tools and mobile capability – will be anchored from NPR’s worldwide headquarters in Washington, D.C., with reporters positioned with the campaigns and in more than two dozen sites around the country.

All coverage will be broadcast on NPR Member stations nationwide. NPR’s Election Night coverage will also be streamed free and live from www.NPR.org and from the Web sites of many stations; for the first time, headlines and real-time returns will be available on wireless devices through NPR Mobile.

In another first, NPR News’ Election Night coverage will be accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing through the first ever live captioned radio broadcast. This historic broadcast will be coordinated by an initiative of NPR, Harris Corporation and Towson University, and will use cutting-edge HD radio technology, developed by the three organizations, to allow the deaf and hearing impaired to experience NPR’s broadcast via scrolling text on specially-equipped receivers.

The captioned NPR broadcast will be available live from 8:00PM to 11:00PM (ET) on www.NPR.org, and shown at viewing events at NPR’s headquarters in D.C., and at the NPR Member stations WGBH in Boston; KCFR in Denver; and WTMD in Towson, MD. The broadcast is the latest move by the three organizations to make radio more accessible to the millions of sensory impaired individuals around the world. A press release announcing this Election Night offering, and the larger initiative, is available at: http://i-cart.net/

NPR News’ coverage of Election Night 2008 will be its most extensive to date, involving more than 100 journalists stationed in NPR’s D.C. headquarters, and reporting from key battleground states and campaign sites. Throughout the night on-air and online, NPR will cover all major national and regional results, updating its interactive election map at NPR.org as states are called; carry major candidates’ speeches; and provide political analysis and reaction.

Two teams will anchor NPR’s broadcast: All Things Considered hosts Michele Norris and Robert Siegel from 8:00PM to midnight (ET), and Scott Simon, host of Weekend Edition Saturday, and congressional correspondent Debbie Elliot filling the anchors’ chairs from midnight to 5:00AM (ET). Joining the hosts will be members of NPR News’ “Election 2008” team, including correspondents Cheryl Corley, Don Gonyea and Scott Horsley at Obama and McCain campaign headquarters; White House correspondent David Greene in Cleveland; and All Things Considered weekend host Andrea Seabrook in Columbus. NPR will also report from sites in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Providing analysis throughout the night will be NPR’s Washington editor Ron Elving, national political correspondent Mara Liasson and political editor Ken Rudin in D.C., and News & Notes host Farai Chideya from NPR West in Culver City, CA. They will be joined by political analysts Andy Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center; E.J. Dionne, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and columnist for the Washington Post; and Matt Continetti, staff writer for The Weekly Standard. Correspondent Pam Fessler will also report on any voter irregularities at the polls.

NPR.org, which will live webcast NPR’s Election Night coverage, will continue to be the primary online destination for original journalism, blogs, special series and reports about Election 2008:

NPR.org and “Vox Politics” Blog:
www.NPR.org/blogs/politics
The NPR News “Election 2008” team will live blog Election Night, covering the latest exit polling information and official results, at the “Vox Politics” blog. NPR.org will also have election news from around the country; up-to-the-minute information about Senate, House and governor races; and political analysis with the “Political Junkie” and “Watching Washington” columns. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik will analyze media coverage of the night in his “Media Circus” column.

NPR-The NewsHour Interactive Election Map:
www.NPR.org/electionmap
Co-produced by NPR and PBS’s Online NewsHour, the dynamic election map will be updated throughout the night as states are called, and will cover the presidential race, all Senate and gubernatorial races, as well as key House races. Currently, the map is a one-stop election resource, with in-depth election news and features aggregated from resources across public media, including contributions from NPR and PBS Member stations. The map includes historical voting information for each state, links to local stories through Member stations’ Web sites and allows users to predict state-by-state winners.

Secret Money Project:
www.NPR.org/secretmoney
The project, an initiative of NPR News and the Center for Investigative Reporting, tracks the hidden cash in the election, and reports on the new crop of independent groups influencing both the presidential and congressional races. Correspondent Peter Overby, who is leading the reporting for the Secret Money Project, will contribute to Vox Politics on Election Night.

Immediately following the election, NPR News will assess the outcomes and implications of the results throughout its programming. On November 6 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM (ET), NPR will broadcast “Talk of the World,” an international call-in special giving listeners a chance to discuss the election, and the global impact of the results. The broadcast will be carried internationally, and solicit callers from around the world. Under the banner “Memo to the President,” NPR will also launch a multi-part initiative spanning all desks and newsmagazines, outlining the many issues and challenges facing the new occupant of the White House. From a broken military, to a broken economy, to a National Park service in need of a major overhaul, NPR will provide the briefing paper, the options and the obstacles to the next President of the United States.

NPR’s live coverage of Election Night follows nearly 70 hours of live NPR News "Election 2008” special programming to date on-air and online, including live coverage of primaries and caucuses, extensive coverage of both conventions and a dozen call-in specials following key primary contests and all four debates. Additionally, all NPR newsmagazines and talk programs have been providing extensive coverage of the election, exploring the issues, candidates, polling and policies. All election-related coverage can be found at the shows’ individual web pages, and aggregated at: www.NPR.org/election