As Trump Gained Election Lead, TV Anchors Tried to Convince Viewers to Keep Watching
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Most of the nation’s big TV-news anchors used the same phrase throughout Election Night: “We’re not there yet.” As things turned out, they were.
TV networks came to the 2024 Election ready for a rehash of the one they covered in 2020. Executives had 24-hour coverage sessions mapped out for the battle between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and expected, based on polls, to have political panels at the ready through the weekend.
The belief was that, like last time, swing states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona would need days to tabulate the results.
Before midnight, however, the crystal ball became more clear. On NBC, around 11 p.m., Lester Holt chided his colleagues for starting to speak as if the whole thing had been decided. “This is beginning to sound like a post-mortem,” he cautioned.
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