Commercial outlets will be blanketing the airwaves, wires and fiber connections with election coverage Tuesday, but the noncommercial side will be well represented on the ballot-centric day as well.
C-SPAN, the cable operator-funded public affairs network that covers the political waterfront 24/7/365, will begin its election night coverage at 8 p.m. with results from presidential, Senate, House and governor races. With polls closed in key swing states North Carolina, Florida and Ohio by 8 p.m., the 8-9 p.m. hour could determine whether the night is a nail-biter or tallying up the final margin of victory in the presidential race.
C-SPAN will cover the victory and concession speeches, as usual giving callers a chance to join the handicapping and analysis. It will also collect reaction from social media.
C-SPAN Radio and C-SPAN.org will also cover the results, with speeches available on the free C-SPAN Radio app as well as on demand at www.cspan.org.
PBS is adding an "s" to PBS NewsHour, with election coverage scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and continue to at least 2 a.m.
Coverage will be anchored by Judy Woodruff and Hari Sreenivasan. PBS NewsHour anchor Gwen Ifill is off this week "addressing health issues," according to PBS spokesperson Nick Massella. "We look forward to her return as soon as possible."
In studio analysts will include New York Times columnist David Brooks; syndicated columnist Mark Shields; Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter; Emory University’s director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference Andra Gillespie; Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign chief strategist Stuart Stevens; and Obama campaign pollster Cornell Belcher.
On the ground, correspondent Lisa Desjardins will report on down ballot races, joined by Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report.
Correspondent William Brangham and digital politics editor Daniel Bush will report on ballot initiatives.
Also on the election team are presidential historian Michael Beschloss and PBS NewsHour Weekend special correspondent Jeff Greenfield from WNET New York.
NewsHour's coverage will also stream on Facebook, YouTube and Ustream.
