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