WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has introduced the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms starting in January, including three new SMPTE officers have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026.

The new SMPTE officers include president Richard Welsh, executive vice president Eric Gsell, and SMPTE Education vice president Polly Hickling.

One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will contiue as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards vice president on Jan. 1, 2025.

“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” SMPTE Interim Executive Director Sally-Ann D’Amato said. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”

In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms. These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:

• Asia-Pacific Region Governor: Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
• EMEA—Central & South America Region Governor: Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
• United Kingdom Region Governor: Chris Johns, Sky UK.
• USA—Central Region Governor: William T. Hayes, Consultant
• USA—Eastern Region Governor: Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
• USA—Western Region Governor: Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives

Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:

• Canada Region Governor: Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
• USA—Hollywood Region Governor: Allan Schollnick, Voxx Studios
• USA—Hollywood Region Governor: Brian Gaffney, MTI FILM LLC
• USA—New York Region Governor: Jeff D. Cohen, Meta Martis

The full listing of the SMPTE Board of Governors can be found at  Board of Governors | Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (smpte.org). Election results can be found at 2024 Society Election Results. Further Information about SMPTE can be found at smpte.org.

Former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has filed a federal lawsuit seeking a jury trial and $10 billion in damages against CBS over claims that it edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, in a “deceitful” manner designed to influence the election.

CBS News' actions represented a “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to (a) confuse, deceive, and mislead the public, and (b) attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election” said the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division.

CBS News has dismissed those claims. "Former President Trump’s repeated claims against 60 Minutes are false," a CBS News spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. "The lawsuit Trump has brought today against CBS is completely without merit and we will vigorously defend against it."

The National Association of Broadcasters also lambasted the suit.

“A free press must report, inform and scrutinize without fear of reprisal,” NAB President and CEO Curtes LeGeyt said in a statement. “Frivolous lawsuits aimed at stifling this essential role risk undermining democratic principles and ignore the First Amendment’s protection of how news is reported. NAB stands firmly with our members against any attacks on their First Amendment-protected reporting.”

Earlier, Trump had called for CBS to lose its broadcast licenses over the editing of the interview even though the FCC licenses local stations, not broadcast networks.

“‘60 Minutes’ is a major part of the News Organization of CBS, which has just created the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “CBS should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should all other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS—and maybe even WORSE!”

That prompted this response from CBS:

“Former President Donald Trump is accusing ‘60 Minutes’ of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false.

“‘60 Minutes’ gave an excerpt of our interview to ‘Face the Nation’ that used a longer section of her answer than that on ‘60 Minutes,’ ” CBS said. “Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on ‘60 Minutes’ was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging, 21-minute-long segment.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), in collaboration with members of the Hispanic Media GOTV Coalition, has launched Martes de Acción (Tuesdays of Action), an initiative aimed at encouraging Hispanic voter participation and strengthening civic engagement ahead of the November elections.

Starting on Sept. 3 and continuing every Tuesday through Election Day, NAB’s Hispanic Media GOTV Coalition members will intensify their outreach efforts across various media platforms, including radio, television, digital media, social media, podcasts and live events. Each Tuesday will feature targeted messaging to educate and empower Hispanic voters on critical election-related topics, ranging from voter registration deadlines and early voting to Election Day preparedness and combating misinformation and disinformation.

“The impact of the Hispanic community is felt across all sectors of our society, and as the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S., it's essential they have the resources and information needed to be active participants during the election season,” said Liliana Rañón, NAB vice president of external affairs. “NAB and its partners are committed to supporting broadcasters in delivering accurate, timely and accessible information to their communities.”

Representing more than 18% of the total population, over 36.2 million Hispanics are eligible to vote this election cycle. The Martes de Acción initiative focuses on providing Hispanic voters with the resources they need to participate in the electoral process and stay informed on the issues that impact their communities.

Coalition members will provide bilingual resources to ensure voters are prepared and ready to participate. Participating organizations include Bustos Media, CMG (Cox Media Group), Entravision, Gray Media, Latino Media Network, Lazer Media, Telemundo, TelevisaUnivision and TVQuisqueya.

This effort builds on NAB’s ongoing commitment to fostering civic engagement, as reflected by the recent launch of NAB’s Election Preparedness Initiative. Both initiatives underscore NAB’s dedication to equipping broadcasters with tools to support informed and active voter participation. In line with this commitment, NAB also offers an Election Toolkit, which provides broadcasters with comprehensive resources to engage and educate voters, with a focus on trust-building, safety in the field and best practices from leading broadcasters. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced a sweeping election preparedness initiative designed to provide broadcasters with the critical resources, tools and training needed to navigate the complexities of the 2024 election cycle. 

“This is a critical time for our nation and our democracy. Broadcast journalists serve a pivotal role in educating voters on the candidates, the issues and the electoral process, and NAB is here to support them in these efforts,” said NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “As bad actors increasingly use advanced technologies to create and spread disinformation, the role of local broadcasters as custodians of the truth has never been more important.”

The NAB described its election preparedness initiative as being built around these three core elements:

• Digital Resources: NAB's Election Toolkit highlights voter engagement strategies, trust-building with audiences, field safety and best practices from leading broadcasters. NAB’s Hispanic GOTV Toolkit provides targeted resources aimed at increasing voter participation and engagement within the Hispanic community. These and other tools can be found on the Broadcast Resource Hub.
• Virtual Learning Event: On September 9, NAB, in partnership with the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), will host a free online session, Building and Maintaining Trust in Election Coverage: An NAB Virtual Learning Event, to equip broadcasters with strategies for building trust with their audiences and combatting disinformation during the 2024 election season. Learn more and RSVP here.
• Election Coverage Summit at NAB Show New York: On October 10, NAB will host an in-person summit at NAB Show New York inside the Javits Center just ahead of the pivotal 2024 elections. Key topics will include improving trust in political coverage with a deep dive into RTDNA’s research and best practices to address skepticism about media bias. The summit will also tackle ensuring verified news in the age of AI and social media, discussing how stations are combating misinformation and the rise of deep fakes. Also important is how journalists prepare their audience for the aftermath of the election and stay safe while covering political events. The Election Coverage Summit is an essential forum for those committed to delivering trusted news during this critical time. Register today for NAB Show New York and use promo code ELECTION1 to get a free Exhibits Pass and complimentary access to the Summit. Members of the media covering NAB Show New York can attend the event free of charge. 

In a bid to attract viewers interested in political news from key swing states in the run-up to the presidential election, the local streaming service Zeam has announced the debut of a new hub, Swing State Election News. 

Swing State Election News will provide viewers from all across the country access to key happenings on the campaign trail in Swing States as captured by broadcast news stations based in those locales. In announcing the launch, Zeam said that Swing State Election News fills a void in the current presidential election coverage by bringing a true local lens to news coverage and by providing longer form features of rallies, keynotes, and other moments in the places where the 2024 election is likely to be decided. 

The hub will feature broadcasts from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvanian and Wisconsin. Swing State Election News will also include coverage of critical down ballot races grabbing national attention in those regions. 

“Zeam’s mission is to connect every broadcaster and content creator to every viewer in a way that makes them feel like they have a window into the news and cultural happenings in the places that are important to them,” Jack Perry, CEO of Zeam Media, said. “In launching Swing State Election News we are making good on that promise to our viewers by providing the opportunity to witness the big moments leading up to the election in the same way those living in key battleground states are seeing them.”

Since launching earlier this year, Zeam, with its moniker “Always Local, Always Free,”  currently features streams from over 300 local stations and has partnerships with such top local broadcast groups as Gray TV, CBS, News Press & Gazette, Morgan Murphy, and others.

With access to content from local stations in every key state, Swing State Election News will deliver non-stop coverage of the states and voters poised to have a major impact on the 2024 election. In addition to event coverage, Swing State Election Newswill help viewers track voter sentiment, campaign engagement and real-time election updates in swing states leading up to the 2024 presidential election.

Participating broadcasters in Zeam’s Swing State Election News channel include:

• Arizona:
• Phoenix KTVK/KPHO (CBS)
• Tucson KOLD (CBS)
• Yuma El Centro KYMA (CBS)
• Georgia:
• Atlanta WANF (CBS)
• Savannah WTOC (CBS)
• Augusta WAGT (NBC) + WRDW (CBS)
• Macon WMGT (NBC)
• Columbus WTVM (ABC)
• Albany WALB (NBC)
• Michigan:
• Detroit WWJ (CBS)
• Lansing WILX (NBC)
• Traverse City WWTV (CBS)
• Alpena WBKB (CBS)
• Flint WNEM (CBS)
• Marquette WLUC (NBC) + WZMQ (CBS) + WBUP (ABC) 
• Nevada:
• Las Vegas KVVU (Fox)
• Reno KOLO (ABC) + KTVN (CBS)
• North Carolina:
• Charlotte WBTV (CBS) + WCCB (CW)
• Raleigh WRAL(NBC)
• Greenville DMA WHNS (Fox) + WITN (NBC)
• Wilmington WECT (NBC) + WWAY (ABC)
• Pennsylvania:
• Pittsburgh KDKA (CBS)
• Philadelphia KYW (CBS) + WFMZ (IND)
• Erie WSEE (CBS)
• Wisconsin:
• Green Bay WBAY (ABC)
• Madison WMTV (NBC) + WISC (CBS)
• La Crosse/ Eau Claire WEAU (NBC) + WKBT (CBS)

HACKENSACK, N.J.—As broadcasters and news organizations look for more reliable connectivity for their coverage of this year’s elections, LiveU is reporting that it is working with private wireless network orchestration and management software company, Pente Networks, to LiveU Private Connectivity. 

As previously reported by TV Tech, the solution gave major news broadcasters access to private network connectivity inside the RNC at the Fiserv Forum.

“Providing a private cellular network solution for major broadcasters covering the RNC and DNC adds a robust and reliable connection to the bonding mix, avoiding public network congestion and the instability of WiFi in the convention arenas,” said Dan Pisarski, LiveU CTO. “In addition, private cellular networks give us another layer of service for our customers – network segmentation, prioritization and greater security – while providing additional capacity for expanded remote production technologies and employee communications.”

As part of its LiveU IP-video EcoSystem of solutions, services, and integrations such as with Pente Networks, LiveU has made it simple to secure the network and deploy a robust connection for broadcasters. At the core of LiveU's EcoSystem is its LiveU Reliable Transport (LRT), the leading IP-video transport protocol designed for wireless networks, giving rock steady reliability, the companies said. 

“Having the ad hoc private mobile network solution means we can provide this service almost anywhere, and deploy it quickly, giving our customers new creative options as they share the stories of the day,” added Pisarski.

Pente’s orchestration solution streamlines the provisioning of ad-hoc private mobile networks, seamlessly handling the nuances required to ensure resilient and reliable broadcast quality connectivity from challenging environments like densely populated convention arenas. The LiveU Private Connectivity solution uses innovative radio and switching configurations to deliver total freedom of camera movement and placement within the locations.

For the RNC, LiveU provided on-the-ground technical support, rentals, and connectivity to ensure reliable, high-quality, and uninterrupted coverage. LiveU Private Connectivity proved so popular with major broadcasters that the initial offering was fully booked within a few days of announcing the solution.

“We expect this US Presidential Election to break records for the amount of continuous simultaneous live transmissions,” said Pisarski.

To learn more about LiveU’s 2024 Election Support, visit https://get.liveu.tv/us-elections-24/. 

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Allen Media Group’s (AMG’s) theGrio TV and digital media platform will provide comprehensive coverage of the CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former-President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, beginning at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

AMG will cover the debate on theGrio Television Network and theGrio FAST Channel on Local Now, it said.

TheGrio’s Pre-Show and Post-Show special, “Black America Must Vote: Special Coverage of the CNN Presidential Debate,” aims to inform Black America ahead of the 2024 presidential election, AMG said.

“Through our pre-show and post-show coverage of the presidential debate, theGrio will provide comprehensive analysis to ensure that viewers gain a deeper understanding of the political landscape and the stakes involved for America,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “We hope that viewers will join theGrio for this crucial broadcast that navigates the complexities of the presidential debate and its impact on America.”

Leading up to the debate, theGrio will kick off its live coverage at 8:30 p.m. EDT with a pre-debate show hosted by theGrio’s Washington, D.C., bureau chief and senior White House Correspondent April Ryan and senior correspondent Natasha Alford. 

The Pre-Show will delve into critical issues affecting the Black community and provide viewers context and background of where the presidential candidates stand on the issues affecting Black America. From healthcare and economic equity to criminal justice reform and voting rights, the pre-show will provide analysis and perspectives from experts and community leaders, it said.

Viewers can watch the CNN Presidential Debate at 9 p.m. EDT on CNN or simulcast on theGrio Television Network and theGrio FAST Channel on Local Now.

Immediately following the presidential debate at 10:30 p.m., theGrio will continue its live coverage with a one-hour post-show analysis. 

Columnists for theGrio, Touré and Michael Harriot, will join April Ryan and Natasha S. Alford as guests to provide additional commentary.    

More information about theGrio is available online.   

STAMFORD, Conn.—Spectrum News is reporting that politics and primary elections boosted the audiences of its local cable news channels and digital platforms in June 2022 to more than 2.4 million daily viewing households throughout its 12-state footprint.

In Spectrum News’ Nielsen-rated markets, Spectrum News 1 in Charlotte recorded a 16.4% month-over-month increase in viewership, outpacing the local broadcast networks, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. 

Columbus (12.5%) and Cleveland (12.1%) also recorded month-over-month ratings growth, with higher increases in viewership than local broadcast stations ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, Spectrum News reported. 

The audience data comes at a time when broadcasters and news outlets are expecting record political advertising and various outlets are fighting to get a larger share of the political ad pie.  

 Other viewership highlights for June include:

• On June 28, Spectrum News NY1’s live Primary Election Night coverage from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST recorded significant increases in Nielsen viewership, more than 95% above the previous 30-day average. During the four-hour live coverage, NY1 ranked higher in viewership than ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, as well as CNN and Fox News. 
• In New York State, Spectrum News’ live Republican Gubernatorial Primary debate between Andrew Giuliani, Harry Wilson, Rep. Lee Zeldin, and Rob Astorino on June 20 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST, recorded viewership increases for Spectrum News 1 Upstate New York networks (22%) and Spectrum News NY1 (14%) as compared to the previous 30-day averages.  
• In Los Angeles, Spectrum News 1’s live California Primary Election Night coverage on June 7 from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. PST, drove an increase in viewership of 11%. During the live coverage, Spectrum News 1 recorded higher viewership than local broadcast stations ABC, CBS, CW and FOX, as well as CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
• In Wisconsin, Spectrum News 1’s full-day viewership on June 15 during inclement weather recorded an increase of 39% above the average, and was more than eight times higher than The Weather Channel. The Spectrum News App in Wisconsin recorded the most traffic to the app since launch, with more than 2,500 users visiting that day. 
• On June 9, Spectrum News’ network-wide live coverage of the U.S. House Select Committee’s January 6th attack hearings from 8 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. EST recorded an average increase in viewership of 19% across all markets, averaging higher viewership than CBS, FOX, NBC and CNN.    
• On June 24, Spectrum News’ network-wide live coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST averaged 77% more viewership across Spectrum News’ 12-state footprint than ABC, Fox, and NBC, as well as CNN and MSNBC. 

Over the last six months, a perfect storm has swept across the news business, radically changing or even obliterating the traditional playbook for election coverage. 

The pandemic has killed off campaign rallies, reduced the conventions to a somber virtual shell of the usual festivities and is threatening to rewrite the script for election-night coverage, as news organizations prepare to handle mail-in ballots and voter suppression problems that may prolong their coverage into what one news executive referred to as “election results month.”  

Not surprisingly, the 20 news executives interviewed for this report are calling the 2020 election “unprecedented,” “like no other,” “unimaginable” and “completely bizarre.”

“Usually in the latter part of the election year, the election is the story, sometimes the only major story,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s Washington, D.C., bureau chief. “But this year that is not the case. The election is competing with COVID and our national reckoning on race and policing.”

The magnitude of these problems—the largest racial-justice protests in half a century, an economic collapse that sent gross domestic product into a 33% tailspin in the second quarter and a pandemic that has killed nearly 160,000 people—is also prompting news executives to make radical changes in their election and political coverage.

Most notably, that has put issues front and center in the election cycle, as opposed to the usual horse race coverage of stump speeches, rallies and campaign strategies.

“The issues we are dealing with in many ways are bigger than the election,” said Martha MacCallum, who is co-anchoring Fox News Channel’s election coverage and anchors "The Story." “People have a strong sense of the gravity of this moment and they are looking to President Trump and former Vice President Biden to provide leadership and answers on those issues.”

Similar sentiments can be found at most other news organizations. “In 2016, there was a big focus on the horse race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and the back-and-forth of that popularity and unpopularity contest,” Justin Dial, senior executive producer at the ABC News Live streaming service, said. “But in 2020, viewers are more interested in the issues. You have to get beyond the horse race and really dig into the issues.”

Significant as it may be, news organizations are not solely focused on the election. “We are devoting the vast majority of our journalism resources to the pandemic, the fragile economy and the racial-justice movement that are top of mind with voters,” Newsy VP of news and programming Christina Hartman said. “In that sense, this will be the first election where the majority of our election coverage is not explicitly about the election.”

HOME ALONE

Covering these once-in-a-lifetime issues has created enormous challenges. About 95% of the staff at NBC News and MSNBC is working from home, the network said. “It’s changed the way we produce and broadcast our news programs and report from the campaign trail,” Rashida Jones, senior VP of NBC News and MSNBC, said.

But many news executives also stress that the work-from-home environment has provided them with a welcome opportunity to rethink the way they tell stories. “If you look back four years ago, I think the mistake our industry made was to focus too much on the personalities and the tweets,” E.W. Scripps VP of news Sean McLaughlin said. “What people missed was that there were a lot of unhappy people.

“This time around, we are doing a better job of listening,” he said. “We are tackling it differently and packaging it differently. And I like that, because it is not about responding to a convention or a press conference or following the candidate on campaign trails where we listen to the same canned speeches. It is better journalism and better for the American election cycle.”

One major example of how news organizations are taking a different tack on election coverage can be found in the coverage of the racial justice issues and in the role that Hispanics are likely to play in the election. “The projection is that about 32 million Latinos will be eligible to vote this time,” Univision VP of politics Lourdes Torres said.

That is making their experiences a center­piece not only for Spanish-language networks, but all news outlets. “We saw a huge increase in turnout among Latinos in 2018 in key states,” Torres said. “In 2020, how they engage with the candidates will be very interesting and important to the election.”

Younger viewers want those vital social issues covered in-depth. “In some sense, this is the election we’ve been working towards at Vice for a long time,” Susie Banikarim, executive VP and global head of news­gathering at Vice News, said. “Vice has been deeply embedded in issues like racial justice for a long time. We have a young audience that doesn’t come to us for the traditional horse-race coverage or pundits shouting at each other. So we really feel like we’re leaning into things that we’ve been covering for a long time.”

LOCAL FIRST

With the pandemic imposing travel restrictions on coverage, having local reporters or ties to TV stations is another key trend. “We now have 10 local versions of CBSN and those have been augmenting what we are already doing in terms of going deeper into local politics,” Christy Tanner, executive VP and general manager of CBS News Digital, said.

Having that extra coverage in swing states “has been a real differentiator” for the streaming service, she said.

“When we built our political team two years ago, we set it up to have reporters all around the country,” Associated Press Washington bureau chief Julie Pace said. “We wanted to make certain that we had people who were living in a lot of these states that were going to decide the election and that our coverage wasn’t just reflecting the inside-the-Beltway chatter. That has been a huge advantage now that you can’t have people flying around.”

Similarly, ABC News and NBC News have launched initiatives focusing on issues and politics in swing states. “Once the campaigning stopped because of the virus, we directed the teams embedded with the candidates to cover issues, starting with the economic issues from the shutdown and then racial disparity,” said Wendy Fisher, VP, newsgathering, ABC News. “Now, the same group of people are focusing on the big issues in certain battleground states.”

Chuck Todd, moderator of "Meet the Press" and NBC News political director, explained in an email that in November 2019, “we launched a year-long project focusing on five bellwether counties [in Wisconsin,
Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Florida] across the country to better understand what’s happening on a hyper-local level … to better understand what we think will define what happens in November.”

UNCONVENTIONAL CONVENTIONS

Viewers also saw major changes in this year’s convention coverage. Unlike 2016, when the razzle dazzle of the conventions was over by July, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions were mostly virtual when they finally happened in Augsut. All of the major news organizations dramatically cut back their presence in the RNC and DNC host cities, respectively.

ABC News anchored the conventions from New York, using two control rooms so social-distancing rules were followed, senior executive producer for special events Marc Burstein said. A reduced presence in the convention cities doesn’t make the event less important, he stressed. 

“You hear the argument that no news is made at the conventions so why bother with them,” he said. “I don’t subscribe to that at all. With the issues the country is facing right now with the coronavirus and the economic decline and the racial unrest, the conventions will provide voters with plans for how each party plans to tackle these problems and what the country is going to look like under a Democratic president or a Republican president.”

Others stress a similar point. CBS News political director Caitlin Conant noted that in recent months, “major issues regarding the pandemic, the economy and widespread protests have overshadowed some political issues.” As a result, CBS political reporters have been spending more time on those issues, producing such content as the “COVID Chronicles” series of reports.

“The conventions are going to be a big moment for the campaigns,” she said. “It will let the candidates basically reintroduce themselves to America and bring the focus back to politics.”

Conant and others also stressed that the revamped conventions offered news organizations an opportunity to rethink how they cover the issues that matter to voters. “It opens up a different thought process of how you approach the convention,” explained Fox News VP of politics and the Washington, D.C., bureau Cherie Grzech. “It means you can bring in players from every state virtually, rather than having everyone in one location, so it gives us a lot more options to get more experts and guests involved in the coverage.” 

DIGITAL ALL-STARS

This year’s election coverage will also highlight the maturity and central importance of streaming and digital media. ABC News, for one, is planned one program for both linear TV and live streaming on the ABC News Live app for the conventions. “It won’t be like it was eight years ago, where only some people are on the network and there is another cast of characters on the digital live stream,” Burstein said. “We haven’t decided what will be streamed and what will be on the TV network, but it will be one show and we’ll have what I call our ‘A’ team on the digital live stream.”

More fundamentally, the renewed emphasis on issues will dovetail with the fact that streaming apps like CBSN, Newsy, Vice, NBC News, and ABC News Live have long focused on fact-based reporting of issues, investigative journalism and long-form documentaries. “This election year is going to be like no other we’ve ever seen, with people desperate for straightforward reporting and unbiased news and information,” noted Dial at ABC News Live. Since January 2020, it has been attracting about 20 million monthly viewers, up 142% according to ABC, with over 4.5 million hours streamed each week.

In addition to their long-standing focus on issues, executives at the major streaming outlets also stressed that their digital origins help in adapting to the pandemic-related restrictions on travel and reporting. “We were already interviewing people over Zoom and we already had very flexible operations that have helped us when we were first faced with the restrictions produced by the pandemic,” said Tanner at CBS News Digital.

ELECTION MONTH?

Such flexibility will be important on election night, which may not follow any traditional script for analyzing the results. “We are working very hard right now to prepare ourselves so we’re up to speed on all the scenarios, both legal and logistical, that could occur in terms of voting rights, voter suppression and the vote counting,” CBS News’s Conant said.

Pointing to a recent podcast by chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett on some of the potential issues that might arise from voting during the pandemic, she added, “We need to be prepared if this is election week or election month.”

Even the look and feel of this election night coverage may be different, as the major networks and news organizations try to figure out how to stage election-night coverage during a pandemic. CNN’s Feist noted that they will be spreading talent over a wider area in additional studios and that their ongoing move towards new technical infrastructures has allowed them to have many people working from home who would normally be sitting in control rooms.

CNN has also significantly upgraded its data analytics for correspondent John King’s “Magic Wall” presentations and will be greatly expanding the amount of data it makes available online. This is notable because news organizations have been working overtime to figure out how to do a better job of handling data and avoiding some of the inaccurate predictions made during the 2016 election campaign.

“How you are describing the polls and what that means for the election is always a fairly complicated process,” noted Micah Cohen, managing editor, FiveThirtyEight. “In 2016, polls showed Clinton up by three or four points nationally, yet the race was being described by many journalists as a runaway for Clinton. That was a mistake, not on the polls but on the people interpreting the polls.”

This time around, Cohen sees the efforts by organizations like ABC News, which owns FiveThirtyEight, to beef up their data offerings and analytics as a welcome development. “I think people are doing better, but some aren’t and some are drawing the wrong conclusion that we can’t trust the polls at all,” Cohen said.

How well news organizations maintain their focus on these and other pressing issues remains to be seen. But most remain optimistic that the once-in-a-lifetime troubles could produce some of the industry’s best journalism in the 21st century.

“Anyone can follow a candidate spewing a stump speech,” said McLaughlin at Scripps. “Really digging in and following the money, and fact-checking and figuring out what is really going on and holding people accountable, is never easy, and these are not the easiest of circumstances to do that … But it’s never been more important. It’s our time to shine.”

REGISTER HERE for the 2020 News Tech Summit: Building the Newsroom of the Future, Sept. 8-11.

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario—Less than a year away from the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, Bannister Lake has announced that it is partnering with Decision Desk HQ to assist with providing U.S. election data and analysis to broadcasters.

As part of this partnership, Bannister Lake has developed a parser for DDHQ election results that ingests results data directly into its Chameleon data aggregation and management system. Broadcast producers using Chameleon can then track results, identify voting trends, make race calls or use DDHQ supplied calls, as well as generate graphic playlists and then use Chameleon’s RESTful API to distribute data and render graphics through broadcast graphic engines.

In addition to providing data for federal elections, DDHQ collects and reports election results for county and local offices, which can be utilized by local broadcasters.

“The product will allow broadcasters in any market, and online services, the ability to produce highly visual election coverage featuring graphics populated with up to the second results,” said Drew McCoy, president of DDHQ.

Bannister Lake will make DDHQ election data available within broadcast graphic engines, web widgets, on-set interactive touch screen displays and as customized social media content.

Fremont, CA – August 13, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Ultimatte, its real time compositing processor, was used by wTVision for augmented reality (AR) production and complete graphics conception during the broadcasts for Panama’s 2019 primaries, parliament and presidential elections on TVN. Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Television Studio HD live production switcher and more were also used to create a reliable workflow that kept the country informed, showing real time results, projections and the final outcome of the elections in an interactive way.

TVN, a television network based in Panama, partnered with wTVision, a leader in real time graphics, AR and playout automation, for the elections because of wTVision’s extensive experience in the field. With multiple offices around the world, wTVision’s Colombia based team was selected for the project and needed to transport its Blackmagic Design workflow from its office in Colombia to the studios in Panama where the elections were broadcast.

“Because we were using TVN’s studio, we had to work with their existing cameras and lighting," said Jorge Kossowski, commercial manager for Colombia at wTVision. “We didn’t have control over them, so we leveraged Ultimatte’s chroma key, which allowed us to correct any shadows and lighting irregularities. We shot the presenter in front of a green screen with different cameras on set, so each camera captured the green screen from a different perspective and with a slightly different look. With Ultimatte, we were able to adjust the foreground and background colorizers to make the image quality consistent across the broadcasts.”

As votes were counted for candidates running for seats in parliament, wTVision illustrated the wins in real time by creating a “white seats” graphic representing various seats in the legislature. As each seat’s winner was determined, the graphic changed to the specific color associated with the winning party.

“We wanted to create something that was fresh and easy for viewers to understand. Sometimes just looking at numbers is overwhelming and confusing, so by illustrating the results with the seats, we were able to show something more interactive. With Ultimatte, we were able to layer the seats on the virtual set without having the visuals blend in and disappear or overlap,” Kossowski explained.

Similarly, for the presidential elections, wTVision created a white map of Panama, and as each town tallied the votes for the candidates, the icon on the map representing the town changed to reflect the specific color associated with the winning candidate’s political party.

“As results came in, we had to make sure that we were ‘painting’ the town with the correct color. Since the set was 50 percent real and 50 percent virtual, we put markers on the floor so the presenter would not compromise any map graphics being displayed. To the side of the map, we had additional graphics with the candidates’ faces and the number of votes they won. It was a huge responsibility to get this right, especially when you’re live and cannot make corrections in post. Ultimatte let the presenter seamlessly stand behind transparent objects and walk around them without issue.”

Also powering the broadcasts was the ATEM Television Studio HD. wTVision used it to monitor different camera angles and switch smoothly between shots without missing a beat. “Elections are very dynamic, so our broadcast workflow had to reflect that as well. The easy to use, yet compact ATEM Television Studio HD proved to be exactly what we needed and more. With the integrated multi view, it was easy for us to see our custom graphics, the green screen, and all other elements in one place,” Kossowski added.

Rounding out wTVision’s workflow were four Decklink Quad 2 capture and playback cards that were used for on air graphics and AR. Two UltraStudio HD Mini capture and playback devices were also used for input and output to delay camera frames in order to sync with the graphics, and two more were used for all graphic overlays. Multiple Micro Converters BiDirectional SDI/HDMI were used to monitor all signals and keep track of videos, while a Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G was used for distributing the program feed for monitoring.

“This has certainly been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on, and definitely one of huge responsibility,” Kossowski concluded. “With elections, you need to provide updates in a timely manner while being accurate as there is no time for error. I needed gear that I could trust knowing it wouldn’t fail me at any point during the broadcasts, and I knew that we would be successful with Blackmagic Design supporting our workflow.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Ultimatte, ATEM Television Studio HD, DeckLink Quad 2, Micro Converter BiDirectional SDI/HDMI, UltraStudio HD Mini, Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About wTVision

wTVision creates integrated broadcasting solutions based on software development, branding and design, live operations and specialized human resources outsourcing. The company became one of the main real time graphics and playout automation providers due to its flexible solutions and comprehensive knowledge across different fields within the industry. From small one time broadcasts to some of the most important competitions on the planet, wTVision takes part in thousands of broadcasts every year and has experience in more than 60 countries. wTVision’s solutions for sports, election coverage, entertainment shows and newscasts are, together with its master control systems, the preferred choice of major TVs and producers all over the world.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com. 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—TVU is performing its own type of civic duty, announcing that it will provide its range of 4G and LTE wireless uplink equipment and support to broadcasters covering the 2016 presidential election. The company is planning to offer on-site technical support during presidential debates and on election-day in November.

TVU Grid

TVU will offer equipment and accessory rentals, local cellular 4G and LTE datacards, and use of its TVU Grid network for live video distribution. Dedicated Wi-Fi/Microwave Mesh bandwidth will be available from strategic locations in and around the hosting venues. Complimentary Facebook Live integration will also be offered by TVU for the debates.

The dates for the presidential debates that TVU will provide assistance for are: Sept. 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.; Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis; and Oct. 19 at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. TVU will also cover the vice presidential debate on Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

TVU had previously offered its support to broadcasters during both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—TVU Networks is getting in on the democratic process, as the live IP video technology provider has announced that it is offering its live video uplink products and distribution services for broadcasters covering the 2016 presidential elections. From now through November TVU will offer on-location support, dedicated bandwidth, its TVU Anywhere app, equipment rentals and live video routing and distribution services.

The range of remote and on-location equipment, service and support for live video gear being provided for election coverage includes: mobile and fixed live video transmitters such as TVU One, TVU MLink and TVU Anywhere; local cellular 4G and LTE data SIMS and dongles for major national carriers; complimentary live video routing, switching and distribution with enabled TVU Grid; and dedicated microwave mesh network in multiple locations.

TVU’s offerings will include support at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, on the campaign trail, and at campaign headquarters on Election Day.