Election Night: A Television History by Stephen Battaglio is a fascinating and revealing look at the evolution of U.S. presidential election night broadcasts and how since 1948, this televised event galvanizes the nation.
It explores the technical advancements in vote counting, live coverage from the field, how the networks get polling information and call a state for a candidate and how the drama unfolds in the control room. Through the lens of NBC News, Election Night highlights significant commentary by legendary news figures such as Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, John Chancellor, Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, and Brian Williams.
Drawing from the extensive archives of NBC News, Battaglio goes through every presidential race beginning with Truman vs. Dewey and covers all sixteen elections broadcasted since the dawn of television, including the 2012 re-election of President Barack Obama.
Filled with anecdotal stories about political campaigns and network coverage, Election Night provides a "behind-the-scenes" account by industry professionals and gives inside access to history in the making.
Photos are featured throughout as well as memorabilia from each political campaign.
The book features many of television's most memorable appearances by major political figures in U.S. history including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, John McCain, and Barack Obama, among many others.
Election Night: A Television History is a must read for history buffs, political junkies, television enthusiasts and anyone interested in discovering how every four years our nation elects the President of the United States and how Americans watch it happen.
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