The broadcast and cable networks will be going all out for coverage of the 2012 presidential election, which now kicks off less than 24 hours from now. Most results shows will ramp up between 6-7 PM ET on Election Day and all seem to be planning for a long night in the presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Here’s a rundown of plans:
BROADCAST
ABC: “ABC News Your Voice, Your Vote – Election Night Coverage” will originate live from Times Square, with real-time results appearing on Times Square screens. Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will host beginning with a special edition of “World News with Diane Sawyer” at 6:30 PM ET and continuing until at least 2 AM. A special edition of Nightline will air at 2:35 AM ET. Team: Jake Tapper, David Muir, Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Jonathan Karl, Ron Brownstein and Cokie Roberts, Josh Elliott, Amy Robach, Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi, David Wright, Ron Claiborne, Univision anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas, Deborah Roberts, David Kerley, George Will, Matthew Dowd, Donna Brazile, Nicolle Wallace, Pierre Thomas, Gary Langer, Martha Raddatz, Brian Ross, Richard Besser, Bianna Golodryga
CBS: Scott Pelley will lead seven hours of division-wide, multi-platform original reporting from 7 PM-2 AM ET. The team will use eight studios and three state-of-the-art control rooms. CBS Radio News will deliver at least six hours of live anchored coverage, updates, special reports and online feeds of the results. Team: Bob Schieffer, Norah O’Donnell, John Dickerson, Byron Pitts, Anthony Mason, Jan Crawford, Nancy Cordes, Dean Reynolds, Anna Werner, Elaine Quijano, Wyatt Andrews
Fox: Fox News Channel’s Shepard Smith will anchor live coverage beginning at 7 PM ET. Team: Ed Rollins, Mary Anne Marsh, A.B. Stoddard, Martha MacCallum, Bill Hemmer, Carl Cameron, Ed Henry, Alicia Acuna, Shannon Bream, Steve Brown, Mike Emanuel, Steve Harrigan, Molly Line, Doug McKelway, Dan Springer, Eric Shawn
NBC: “Decision 2012” begins at 7 PM ET, with Rockefeller Plaza transformed into a TV studio as well as an Oval Office and White House Briefing Room set. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will host from “Democracy Square”. Team: David Gregory, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Peter Williams, Andrea Mitchell, Tamron Hall, Lester Holt,Tom Brokaw, Peter Hart, Bill McIntuff, Kristen Walker, Peter Alexander
PBS: “PBS NewsHour” will provide multi-platform coverage beginning at 8 AM ET online, continuing through its regular broadcast until at least midnight. Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff will co-anchor. Team: Mark Shields, David Brooks, Jeffrey Brown, Christina Bellantoni, Stuart Rothenberg, Hari Sreenivasan, Michael Beschloss, Richard Norton Smith, Ray Suarez, Margaret Warner
Related: Networks, AP Revamp Election Exit Polls: Fewer In-Person, More Phone Surveys
CABLE
BET: Coverage begins with 106 & Park at 6 PM ET, followed by a special edition Of Don’t Sleep! hosted by T. J. Holmes At 10 PM ET and the premiere of BET News’ “Battleground 2012: Vote Night” anchored by Ed Gordon at 10:30 PM ET. Team: Dorian Warren, LaLa Vasquez, Lenny McAllister, Pastor Jamal Bryant, Amy Barnett, Cornell Belcher
Bloomberg: “Bloomberg Surveillance” with Tom Keene, Sara Eisen and Scarlet Fu will kick off coverage at 7 PM ET. Trish Regan comes on air at 8 with “Economy Election 2012.” Team: AL Hunt, Matthew Dowd, John Sununu, Neil Barofsky, Richard Falkenrath, Hans Nichols, Michael McKee, Julianna Goldman, Peter Cook, Megan Hughes, Carol Massar
CNBC: A two-hour special edition of “Squawk Box” begins at 5 PM ET anchored by Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Beginning at 7PM ET, Maria Bartiromo and Carl Quintanilla will anchor the network’s primetime special “Your Money, Your Vote” with Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood reporting. Team: Larry Kudlow, Steve Liesman, Rick Santelli, Tyler Mathisen, Eamon Javers, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Brian Sullivan, Hampton Pearson, Phil LeBeau, Scott Cohn, Mary Thompson, Jane Wells, Diana Olick, Kayla Tausche
CNN: “America’s Choice 2012” will be broadcast from Washington DC. Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper will host starting at 6 PM ET. Team: John King, Tom Foreman, Jessica Yellin, Dan Lothian, Brianna Keilar, Candy Crowley, Jim Acosta, David Gergen, Gloria Borge, James Carville, Ari Fleisher, Ana Navarro, Roland Martin, Margaret Hoover, Paul Begala, Van Jones, Alex Castellanos
Comedy Central: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will broadcast live on both the East and West coasts: Stewart’s “Election Night 2012: This Ends Now” (11 PM/8 PM PT) will feature early results and analysis, and Stephen Colbert’s “Election 2012: A Nation Votes, Ohio Decides; The Re-Presidenting of America: Who Will Replace Obama? ’012!” (11:30 PM/8:30 PM) will include a guest appearance by columnist Andrew Sullivan.
Current TV: Vice President Al Gore will lead coverage beginning at 8 PM ET. He will lead a roundtable with Jennifer Granholm, Eliot Spitzer, Cenk Uygur and John Fugelsang.
Fox Business Network: Coverage begins at 5 PM ET hosted by Stuart Varney, followed by Lou Dobbs. At 7 PM ET, Neil Cavuto will take over for the rest of the night. Team: Cheryl Casone, Peter Barnes, Sandra Smith Liz Claman, Gerri Willis, Rich Edson, Melissa Francis and Adam Shapiro
Fox News Channel: Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly will co-anchor “America’s Election HQ” beginning at 6 PM ET. Bill O’Reilly and Greta Van Susteren will also be part of the special coverage commenting on results as they unfold. Van Susteren will interview FNC contributor and former Gov. Sarah Palin during the course of the evening. For the first time, Fox News Latino will stream live at 9 PM ET, hosted by Rick Sanchez in Spanish. Team: Brit Hume, Chris Wallace, Joe Trippi, Juan Williams, Karl Rove, Kirsten Powers, Stephen Hayes, Martha MacCallum, Bill Hemmer, Carl Cameron, John Roberts, Ed Henry, Wendell Goler, Alicia Acuna, Shannon Bream, Steve Brown, Mike Emanuel, Steve Harrigan, Molly Line, Doug McKelway, Dan Springer, Eric Shawn
MSNBC: “Decision 2012″ coverage co-hosted by Rachel Maddow with Chris Matthews begins at 6 PM PT. Team: Al Sharpton, Lawrence O’Donnell, Ed Schultz, Steve Schmidt, Chuck Todd, Tamron Hall, Melissa Harris-Perry, Chris Jansing, Alex Wagner, Chris Hayes, Ezra Klein, Michael Steele, Eugene Robinson, Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, Ed Rendell, Howard Fineman, John Harwood
MTV: The network will employ newsbreaks throughout Election Night beginning at 8:30 ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on MTV and mtvU, in addition to ongoing news coverage throughout Election Day on MTV.com. The logo on all MTV channels in the U.S. will go red, white and blue, and the network will run an ongoing message on-air that reminds young people to vote via the Twitter hashtag #GoVote.
Politico: A special edition of “Politico Live” will originate from The Newseum in Washington, DC beginning at 7 PM ET. The show will be carried nationally on C-SPAN and will be augmented by the political news organization’s website coverage. Jim VandeHei, John F. Harris and Mike Allen host. Team: Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin, Lois Romano, Glenn Thrush, Juana Summers




What about Stewart and Colbert? Let’s be real — who do we really want to spend election night with?
I’ll be sticking with them for the funny and PBS for the good broadcasting. And maybe a little CNN here and there. You couldn’t pay me to go near the others, most especially Fox.
NBC’s branding of Rockefeller Center “Democracy Square” is just ridiculous1 It’s an ice rink! In two weeks they’ll name it Christmas Center when they light the tree. What a 30 crock!
I agree with Tony’s comment.
No PBS info? Big Bird has a lot at stake!
Don’t worry buddy. There will be coverage hosted by Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, with analysis from Mark Shields and David Brooks, and PBS NewsHour correspondents in studio and the field.
And yes, Big Bird will not go unnoticed.
It might not be as glamorous or glitzy as the other networks, but PBS will also be covering the election from 6 p.m onward. Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff do a good job.
I guess I’ll just be following the live video from Huffington Post and Democracy Now! if they’re streaming.
I pick the one to watch with the less crap on the screen. Once after the debates I watch YouTube, once the Washington Post, I enjoyed them both…
It’s on election nights that I’m reminded how great Tim Russert was. Still miss his great breakdowns of the numbers.