Quote:
Originally posted by Rudey
I have a question. Maybe DeltAlum knows the answer.
Do you have to pay to have a convention covered on tv? Do they pay you? How does it work?
Also how many networks was the DNC covered on as opposed to the RNC? RNC coverage seems light but maybe it's because of my region.
-Rudey
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Two good questions.
No, the parties don't have to pay to have the convention covered. It has always been a huge expense that the networks have handled.
(ETA, nor do the networks pay the parties. It has always been considered a "news" event)
The "three" major networks have threatened for the past several conventions to drop "gavel to gavel" coverage, because as the conventions have become little more than highly produced "program length commercials" the news value has diminished. Consider that this year, both candidates were known well before the conventions started. In the early days of convention coverage, that was generally the "big" story. In some ways, by making the conventions so "slick," both parties have killed the goose that laid the golden egg.
In terms of coverage, NBC, ABC and CBS all decided to allow one hour per night for convention coverage. Remarkably enough, each party managed to schedule a very high profile event in those hours.
I think that the cable news channels have allowed themselves more flexibility than the broadcast networks -- but they have much less to lose, viewer wise. The conventions have been huge money and ratings losers for years. I'm not totally sure, but I believe that only C-SPAN committed to true "gavel to gavel" coverage this year.
(Again ETA, that until the last set of conventions hundreds of local stations have sent reporters. That dropped off dramatically last time, and the same thing happened for this year. As a result, the affilliate news services have scaled way back.)
As a side note, I've worked conventions and my most vivid memory has nothing to do with speeches, etc. -- but the "din" (the background noise is incredible -- even when major speeches are being given) and the masses of moving color looking down at the floor. It's almost sensory overload. Kind of like a bad acid trip might have been -- in more ways than one.
