What will it be, an easy-to-predict landslide or a late-night nail-biter?
We’re not talking politics, of course, but TV anchor performance. Tuesday’s midterm elections feature a fresh slate of contenders, with stylistic and editorial differences.
In addition to promising several close races and a possible overall shift in political power, Tuesday’s election marks the first time Brian Williams of NBC, Katie Couric of CBS and Charles Gibson of ABC will compete in primetime monitoring of election returns.
Couric has said she wants more “average folks,” fewer “experts.” Williams wants more political-junkie dope. Gibson should refer to the bracelets ABC News staffers wear, asking, “What would Peter (Jennings) do?”
The 24-hour cable news networks and the commercial broadcasters aim to avoid a repeat of Election Night 2000, when they projected the wrong winner. All have elaborate plans to extend their reporting to websites. Live streaming video, real-time results and live blogging will be the rule.
As the rookie anchors take the starring roles, old hands will serve as supporting actors. Senior backup talent will be called on, both to reach across demographic target audiences and to add perspective to the coverage. While the newcomers have top billing, veterans Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert will appear with Williams on NBC; George Stephanopoulos, former aide to President Clinton and anchor of “This Week,” will pair with Gibson on ABC; and Bob Schieffer will play backup to Couric on CBS.
All the network news divisions have held rehearsals in recent weeks to prepare for the big night. ABC, CBS and NBC will present primetime specials Tuesday: CBS’s hour will be carried live at 8 p.m. on KCNC-Channel 4, NBC’s hour will be live at 8 p.m. on KUSA-Channel 9. ABC’s hour will be cut short locally – the network is running a 90-minute “Dancing With the Stars” special.
“That put us in a tough spot because of the time zone,” KMGH News Director Byron Grandy. KMGH-Channel 7 will pick up ABC’s election coverage at 8:30 p.m., then switch to local coverage.
Banners and scrolls will steer viewers to digital cable channels for extended coverage.
At 10 p.m., Couric goes off the air, Williams moves over to MSNBC and Gibson will continue on “Nightline.”
MSNBC maintains its week-long all-politics binge, with “Hardball” host Chris Matthews serving as anchor and Keith Olbermann, Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson and others chiming in. NBC News and MSNBC team to report any problems voters may experience through an agreement with InfoVoter Technologies. MSNBC.com boasts “a special look at post-Katrina elections in the Gulf Coast.”
CNN will feature Wolf Blitzer, Paula Zahn, Anderson Cooper and Lou Dobbs plus the network’s “News Wall” of monitors to showcase real-time voter information. CNN Exchange, CNN.com’s destination for user-generated content, will collect users’ election-related comments, photos, editorial cartoons, articles and video.
Fox News coverage will be anchored by Brit Hume, with Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace analyzing exit polls and anchor Shepard Smith supplying numerous reports. Viewers can track local races on the “Balance of Power” destination on Fox’s website.
Bloomberg Television will provide live coverage of the elections and key referendums solely from a business perspective.
In terms of ratings, NBC’s Williams is the one to beat. On a typical night, NBC’s “Nightly News” with Williams averages 8.9 million viewers. ABC’s “World News” with Gibson averages 8.4 million viewers. CBS’s “Evening News” with Couric trails with 7.3 million viewers.
The wild card is Gibson’s lead-in: “Dancing With the Stars,” currently the top show in television, regularly garners more than 20 million viewers.
ABC’s Stephanopoulos quipped to The Wall Street Journal, “I personally hope a lot of ‘Dancing’ fans love politics.”
Ratings confirm interest in the last midterm elections was tepid. But this year, with a possible tectonic shift politically and a “Dancing” lead-in, the final tally could be different.
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
