Retro TV Election Night Coverage

[Joseph_Gallant]

A companion to my earlier post on the Classic Radio board:

NBC, oddly enough, did not go with wall-to-wall Presidential election-night coverage on TV until 1960, when it did so starting at 7:30 P.M. EST (and in later years, starting at 7 EST).

In 1948 and 1952, NBC-TV coverage did not start until 9 EST (so Milton Berle could be seen), and in 1956, the coverage didn't start until 8:30 EST.

On the other hand, back then, few results may have been in that soon.

 

[Ultimajock]

...one tradition that was kinda fun was when NBC's Tom Pettit would make reports while at the bar at Serb Hall in Milwaukee. That was at least from 1964 to 1980. I suspect Rachel Maddow would like to revive that little tradition (if in fact she even knows about it) ;D ...

 

[johnnya2k6]

Um...what about CBS (their first Presidential election night was in 1952 (Walter Cronkite would anchor every one until 1980) and their use of the UNIVAC computer)???

ABC had a very skeletal news department back then; 1956 or 1960 may have been their first election.

 

[JeeperOne]

Moreover, what about the DuMont Network? It had a news department

Cheers & 73

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Um...what about CBS (their first Presidential election night was in 1952 (Walter Cronkite would anchor every one until 1980)

Boy do I miss Walter Cronkite. :-\

 

[davalvideo]

Just as a sidebar, the first presidential election coverage that was broadcast entirely in color on all three networks was in 1968. The first inauguration to be shown entirely in color was LBJ's in 1965, but only on NBC. NBC also showed the inaugural parade portion of JFK's inaugural in color back in 1961. Unfortunately, the videtape of that 1961 broadcast was reused almost immediately, according to Reuven Frank.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I was a little tyke then, but I thought the opening of NBC's 1964 Election Night coverage (which I believe I saw) had the animated peacock, and a voice-over saying that "Those portions of this NBC News Special Report originating from our New York Election Central and the Johnson and Goldwater Headquarters are in Living Color", which would mean that the studio segments and the remotes from the Johnson and Goldwater headquarters would have been in color, with other remote segments in black-and-white.

I do know that all three networks originated the studio portions (and some remote segments) of their 1966 midterm election coverage in color; however, I think NBC also did much of their 1964 Election Night in color.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[AKA]

Here's NBC's 1948 election night coverage: http://youtu.be/Vhtk7QiF8h8

 

[johnnya2k6]

As for their election titles:

CBS started using "Campaign" in 1964 for every one except 1972.

Also in '72, NBC began using "Decision" for their elections; the Henry Mancini theme would follow from 1976-92.

ABC called theirs "The (insert year) Vote" from 1978-2002, followed by "Vote 2004" (2004), "Vote '08" (2008), and "Your Voice, Your Vote" (2012, which sounded stupid).

The electoral map came into play in 1976, with Republicans blue and Democrats red...well, at least according to NBC. But starting in 1980 and ABC's coverage, it would be the other way around (yellow for Independent candidate John Anderson) and by 1984, the other networks would follow suit.

ABC's 1980 election I believe was also the first to display their totals on LED, which were very, very new at the time.

 

[ixnay]

As for their election titles:

CBS started using "Campaign" in 1964 for every one except 1972.

Also in '72, NBC began using "Decision" for their elections; the Henry Mancini theme would follow from 1976-92.

ABC called theirs "The (insert year) Vote" from 1978-2002, followed by "Vote 2004" (2004), "Vote '08" (2008), and "Your Voice, Your Vote" (2012, which sounded stupid).

Not as stupid as the Hearst stations' "Commitment [year]" which they've been using for several years. Commitment of what?!?

ixnay

 

[johnnya2k6]

As for their election titles:

CBS started using "Campaign" in 1964 for every one except 1972.

Also in '72, NBC began using "Decision" for their elections; the Henry Mancini theme would follow from 1976-92.

ABC called theirs "The (insert year) Vote" from 1978-2002, followed by "Vote 2004" (2004), "Vote '08" (2008), and "Your Voice, Your Vote" (2012, which sounded stupid).

Not as stupid as the Hearst stations' "Commitment [year]" which they've been using for several years. Commitment of what?!?

ixnay

I think they were meaning to make our commitment to vote.

 

[ixnay]

As for their election titles:

CBS started using "Campaign" in 1964 for every one except 1972.

Also in '72, NBC began using "Decision" for their elections; the Henry Mancini theme would follow from 1976-92.

ABC called theirs "The (insert year) Vote" from 1978-2002, followed by "Vote 2004" (2004), "Vote '08" (2008), and "Your Voice, Your Vote" (2012, which sounded stupid).

Not as stupid as the Hearst stations' "Commitment [year]" which they've been using for several years. Commitment of what?!?

ixnay

I think they were meaning to make our commitment to vote.

Agreed. It still sounds corny to me though. But I admit "Choose Your Windbag" would've been far worse. : ;D

I never liked "The [Year] Vote" too much, either. OTOH ABC in 1976 used "Political Spirit of '76" in the Bicen year, which I liked. That same year, NBC's "Decision '76" logo was a play on the Bennington flag. Do a Wiki.

ixnay

 

[Joe_Capitano]

ABC called theirs "The (insert year) Vote" from 1978-2002,...

In 2000, the onscreen and on-set title was actually "ABC 2000 The Vote." However, the announcer still referred to it as "The 2000 Vote."

 

[cwf1701]

how about when TV stations used Blackboards to put up the numbers as they came in?

 

[johnnya2k6]

Just as a sidebar, the first presidential election coverage that was broadcast entirely in color on all three networks was in 1968. The first inauguration to be shown entirely in color was LBJ's in 1965, but only on NBC.

...With CBS and ABC to follow suit in 1969 and Richard Nixon's inauguration.

 

[Ultimajock]

NBC, oddly enough, did not go with wall-to-wall Presidential election-night coverage on TV until 1960, when it did so starting at 7:30 P.M. EST (and in later years, starting at 7 EST).

...and, of course, NBC didn't call that 1960 election for Jack Kennedy until (IIRC) 7:23 AM Eastern Time the following morning. That meant that, at 7:00 AM, Dave Garroway, Frank Blair and Jack Lescoulie of Today sat in with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley at the election night anchor desk...

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

NBC didn't call that 1960 election for Jack Kennedy until (IIRC) 7:23 AM Eastern Time the following morning. That meant that, at 7:00 AM, Dave Garroway, Frank Blair and Jack Lescoulie of Today sat in with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley at the election night anchor desk...

As I remember, these many decades later, that was when NBC declared JFK had won California and that state's electoral votes which put him over the top.

 

[johnnya2k6]

The earliest call ever was in 1980, when at 8:15 pm Eastern Time, the networks projected that Ronald Reagan will have won enough states to put him over the top against incumbent Jimmy Carter...while polls were still open in half of the country!!!!!

 

[cwf1701]

The earliest call ever was in 1980, when at 8:15 pm Eastern Time, the networks projected that Ronald Reagan will have won enough states to put him over the top against incumbent Jimmy Carter...while polls were still open in half of the country!!!!!

And 4 years later, CBS made the call for Reagan over Mondale at 8:00PM, Followed by NBC and ABC within minutes.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ccxrFGd9T9U

KNBC Local Election Coverage 1972. Yes this includes Tom Brokaw as Local Los Angeles Anchor of the Channel 4 News. Tom Snyder and Jess Marlow are included in this newscast