If you can't find coverage of the conventions of the nation's two major political parties on television this summer, you've probably lost the remote control.
The conventional wisdom is that the networks have significantly curtailed their convention coverage. But the numbers suggest otherwise.
The networks are taking an increasingly skeptical view of the dueling four-day pageants, which have been minutely scripted to emphasize desired themes and skirt controversy. And they have certainly reduced their coverage from a generation or so ago, when vigorous maneuvering over vice presidential picks and violent street protest infused great drama into the sessions.
But news executives with the networks say they're generally keeping their coverage steady from recent presidential campaigns, despite the mediocre ratings and the high expense of setting up broadcast booths and sending correspondents.
"In a funny way, it's amazing that the networks are on at all," said Al Ortiz, the executive director for convention coverage on CBS. "Prime time real estate is more precious than ever before."
The mathematics of figuring out exactly how many hours the networks intend to air live is complicated and subject to change. As things stand now, ABC will show five hours total on prime time over four nights; CBS will show four hours; NBC will show two and ahalf hours; and PBS, equally available to anyone with a television set, plans 12 hours.
In addition, the networks are likely to devote all or part of their news magazines - such as ABC's "Nightline"; CBS' "48 Hours" and "60 Minutes II"; and NBC's "Dateline" - to issues that arise at the conventions. And many of the morning shows and nightly newscasts will be broadcast from the host arenas.
Local correspondents will appear on air, too.
WJZ (Channel 13) will send Kai Jackson to Philadelphia to cover Marylanders there, although it's not clear what the CBS-owned station will do for the Democrats. WMAR (Channel 2), an ABC affiliate, will send Janet Roach to Philadelphia and Marybeth Marsden to Los Angeles. WBAL-TV (Channel 11), an NBC affiliate, will rely on the Washington reporters of its parent company, Hearst, for news reports of regional importance, while Fox's WBFF (Channel 45) is not planning to use local reporters at all.
This will be the first convention covered by Fox News Channel, which debuted during the summer of 1996.
