TV's Election Lessons

TV's ELECTION LESSONS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Ben Grossman]
If Sen Hillary Clinton (D-NY) wins her party's nomination, her use of comedy shows, much more influential than in past elections thanks to YouTube, may be considered part of a turning point. That's only one lesson -- for candidates, commentators and comics -- in this epic made-for-TV battle between Clinton and Barack Obama. Before it's over, there will be plenty of other takeaways: Saturday Night Live Is Relevant Again; CNN's touch-screen wall is the must-have accessory; Each of the cable networks is struggling with tonal imbalances in its coverage; and Networks Are Learning From Mistakes.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6539698.html

* Reporters Live Their Campaigns
For the off-air embedded network reporters who are covering the presidential election, many of whom have been covering their respective candidates full time since October, the trail is the ride of their lives, and they must hold on for dear life. The Kids on the Bus, as they are known, eat, sleep and breathe their politicians. They stay in the same hotels. They travel on the candidates' planes. They shadow them through a relentless daily schedule of orchestrated photo-ops and talking-point soliloquies. The payoff for both White House hopefuls and the “embeds” is all about ratings, and this year, the numbers are climbing with each passing primary in the cycle.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6539703.html