Posted on 03/03/2004 8:27:46 PM PST by Pokey78
NEW YORK -- "Have a good show, everybody. Lock and load."
The words float through the Fox News control room, as the seconds tick toward 8 p.m. on Super Tuesday. The nation's No. 1-rated cable news network is about to cover the biggest day to date in the presidential election.
Whether politics or sports, producers crave drama. But for a Tuesday election declared over before all the ballots were counted, that was going to be stretch. If the Democratic primaries were Super Bowls, Super Tuesday was the Tampa Bay-Oakland blowout.
Just an hour earlier, when the polls closed in Georgia, Fox projected Southern son John Edwards would lose the Peach State to John Kerry.
It was the closest race of the night — Kerry winning by 4 percentage points. Fox called Georgia earlier than other members of the National Election Pool, the networks that pay for exit-polling data.
John Moody, Fox senior vice president news editorial, the executive ultimately responsible for approving a network projection, said the trends indicated by the exit polls occurred as predicted: Edwards would be strong among white suburban voters, Kerry strong among African-American voters.
The competitive zeal to be first led every network to initially and incorrectly call Florida for Al Gore in 2000.
Broadcasters promised Congress they had learned their lesson and would be more careful in the future.
During a close call in last month's Wisconsin primary, networks waited about 45 minutes after the polls closed before projecting Kerry the winner.
Not so with Fox Tuesday night.
"Our stomachs tightened a bit — but it always does," Moody said Wednesday morning. "Did I think about calling it back? No."
Networks evaluate exit data in concert with actual vote samples. When Moody checked off Georgia for Kerry just before 7 p.m., Fulton and DeKalb county samples had not arrived. But Moody, and Fox statistical analysts, were confident that the poll's margin of error had been overcome.
After the Georgia call, drama — and Edwards — took another hit 30 minutes later.
The 24-hour clock above the on-air program monitor read 19:29:12 — just 48 seconds before the polls closed in Ohio at 7:30 p.m.
A voice called out to Marty Ryan, executive producer for political programming.
"Marty, we're going to call Ohio for Kerry, right?"
Ryan confirmed. Moments later, Washington managing editor Brit Hume went on air one floor below in studio D, projecting a win for John Kerry.
"Hit it! Hit it!" a director said. A graphic appeared on the screen: Ohio for Kerry.
"The call we made earlier in Georgia, that was the big one for the night," Hume told viewers, "the one where John Edwards had the best chance to win. The shape of the race seems to be clear early on . . . This is a very big night for John Kerry."
At the controls
The focus of the darkened control room is the dozens of monitors fixed on the front wall, where images from myriad sources flit past, like a scene from "The Truman Show."
At the top of the room in the back, Jennifer Starobin and Geraldine Pitsinger talk into microphones to reporters and producers in the field — including reporter Major Garrett covering Edwards in Atlanta.
Democratic analyst Susan Estrich stands by in studio D, already having reported that Edwards would drop out.
The clock is running
Time ticks on: 19:59:57 . . . 19:59:58. . . . 19:59:59.
When the clock hits 8 p.m., coverage is at full speed. Hume goes on air, calling three more states for Kerry — Maryland, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Eyes and ears in the room scan for Edwards, searching for a sign he's dropping out.
"He's in the room," Starobin says.
It's 20:07:57. Edwards addresses supporters: "This is the America we will all fight for come November. . . . And I'd like to take a moment to congratulate my good friend, John Kerry."
Ryan notices another monitor at 20:11:17. "NBC is reporting that Edwards is dropping out."
In a few seconds, CBS reports the same.
Four minutes later, Garrett files a report from Atlanta.
"Senior advisors say that Edwards will quit the race tomorrow [Wednesday] in Raleigh."
Winner, loser
A minute later, Starobin tells Ryan there's videotape from D.C. showing Kerry watching Edwards' speech.
"Kerry in 2 minutes," she says.
The video is broadcast; Kerry walking out among supporters, but saying nothing.
At 20:34:48, Starobin talks to the producer who's with Kerry in Washington, D.C.
"Marty, Kerry's in makeup," Starobin advises. "He's going to get a briefing. He could be out in 15 minutes."
It's 20:50:03. Still no Kerry.
"He's supposed to be speaking, theoretically, right now," Starobin tells Ryan. Then she gets an update. It could be 1 minute, maybe 20, until Kerry shows.
'Change is coming'
Kerry's ready to bask in his victory. At 21:06:32, he hugs fellow Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy. "Change is coming to America."
It's 21:25:03. The California primary is still going on, the last of the Super Tuesday primaries. No call is imminent.
But this race is over. On the air, Hume concludes the coverage, turning things over to the talk-show duo of Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes.
There's nothing left but a late-night bite — and the next day's broadcast.
Ryan is satisfied.
"Nice going everybody," he says.
Bush leaves no one waiting. Punctual as can be as it is respectful.
It was the closest race of the night — Kerry winning by 4 percentage pointsSix points. But it is a more dramatic story if the AJC says 4 so let them run with it.
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