Networks rethink conventions

ABC, NBC, CBS to reverse years of limiting prime-time coverage in an effort to compete with cable television

"We know our core audience is a politically minded audience that wants this story and loves this story," says David Gregory, NBC's chief White House correspondent, who will anchor on MSNBC. "We have all our resources and collective brainpower focused on this story - it begins our signature time for the network to own this political story."

No outlet during the past three decades has been more stalwart in staying with the convention story than Jim Lehrer's NewsHour operation at PBS, which will again be offering more coverage than anyone else on broadcast TV. With three hours of prime-time convention programming tonight through Thursday, PBS will be providing four times that of any broadcast network. And like the other network and cable channels, it will be continuing with online coverage before and after the opening and closing gavels.

Linda Winslow, executive producer of the NewsHour, says the intensive coverage grows out of Lehrer's commitment to thinking of the audience as citizens rather than consumers. But it doesn't hurt that public TV stations around the country enjoy some of their highest ratings of the year for the convention coverage, either.

Winslow says she's surprised by how many members of the media don't understand that, at least for this election, good journalism can be good business.

"The question I keep getting asked by people who are writing stories about convention coverage is 'Why are you bothering, what's the big deal, aren't they old-fashioned, haven't they outlived their purpose?' " Winslow says with a tone of incredulity in her voice.

"And I am always coming back saying, 'This is the end of the most exciting campaign in my lifetime, why wouldn't you want to be there for it? Why would you want to hang onto your seat every Tuesday night for months through the primaries and then ho-hum the convention where it crowns the winner?'

"I'm sorry, but I just find that nuts. We will be there."