As a seasoned political junkie with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Prime Video’s foray into live election coverage felt like a promising debut but lacked the spark to truly set it apart from the pack. Brian Williams, a veteran anchor who has seen more White Houses than most, helmed this production, and his presence was undeniably comforting, much like an old pair of worn-in shoes on a chilly autumn night.
As a gamer, I stepped into Prime Video’s LA soundstage yesterday, all set for their first live election special. The place was massive, filled with cutting-edge tech, but in the initial hours, it felt just like any other election night streaming event out there.
The live coverage on Election Night commenced as anchor Brian Williams delivered a spoken introduction, addressing the founding fathers, acknowledging their creation of our nation (acknowledging that some of them were also slaveholders), and expressing hope for “the strength and wisdom to navigate our path forward.
The special was initially developed at a stage similar to advanced studios seen on shows like “The Mandalorian.” Typically, a sequence of images from various parts of the country were displayed behind Williams. A large, sweeping “Breaking News Alert” banner would dominate the screens whenever there was a significant update to report.
The special began with extensive preamble, discussing the key topics at hand and potential voter tendencies for a full two hours (a common issue during election night broadcasts is finding ways to fill time before and after reporting of vote results). The program was divided into two panels of analysts: Abby Huntsman, Baratunde Thurston, political strategists James Carville and Mike Murphy, former Trump press aid Erin Perrine, historian Douglas Brinkley, journalist Jessica Yellin, ex-CNN correspondent Candy Crowley, former Trump aides Kristin Davison and Sarah Matthews, and former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan. During the initial hours, Brian Williams frequently turned to the table with the panelists, while Jessica Yellin moderated discussions in a separate lounge area.
On Election Night, Erin McPike, a former journalist and political consultant now serving as a public affairs executive at Meta, monitored the electoral map. Meanwhile, Shepard Smith was stationed at Harris’ headquarters, Lydia Moynihan from the New York Post was posted at Trump’s HQ, and Tara Palmeri from Puck, who has been following the Trump campaign, reported from the studio to Williams. It was revealed earlier in the pregame segment that these three individuals were absent for several hours.
Williams also pointed out that the operation lacked a decision desk and would wait for other media outlets to make their calls. He followed suit, referencing reports from CNN and his previous workplace at MSNBC, yet it remained uncertain how Prime Video was making its calls regarding states for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. In essence, it appeared to be hesitant in declaring states – even as Williams declared that reliably democratic states like Illinois and New York would go to Harris, these projections were not displayed on the board. This cautious approach was shared by a few other news organizations, such as ABC, CBS, and MSNBC, while Fox News, The New York Times, and The Washington Post moved more swiftly in allocating states’ electoral votes.
Initially, during the first few hours, there wasn’t a lot of verbal conflict among the panelists. Instead, each had their chance to speak, and there were limited exchanges between them. Williams, perhaps, established the tone early on, stating that political agreement in the country is obsolete, reminiscing about past periods of bipartisanship, and commending those times.
As a gamer, I’d say that the spotlight was truly on Brian Williams during Election Night Live. He took charge, commanding the majority of screen time and even conducting remote interviews with notable figures like Al Franken, Don Lemon, Ritchie Torres, and others. Huntsman and Yellin got a few chances to shine, but it was primarily Brian’s night.
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2024-11-06 06:54