Convention Signage 101
August 31, 2008
By Justin Deck \ Washington Bureau Producer
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The television crews are finalizing their shots, the convention staff are confirming the seating charts and a group of young Republicans are being trained in the vital task of distributing signs and materials at the convention.
RNC Page Training
A team of one hundred Republican National Convention Pages are responsible for distribution of schedules, party platform books, rules and the highly coveted signage during primetime speeches.
At the actual site of the convention the RNC has constructed a printing press to handle last minute changes along with using three other printers in the Saint Paul area. High school students from around the country are assigned to target areas to distribute rally signs for primetime speeches.
doneThe training resembled visions of an obstacle course as pages were told what areas to avoid and how to get the signs out quickly. The process is very synchronized which explains how they are able to transform an entire arena, in a matter of minutes.
The Scene…
August 31, 2008
By Sally Kidd / Washington Bureau Correspondent
This is the view from our skybox-turned-studio at the Xcel Energy Center
Our Bird's Eye View
We’ve already seen a few famous faces. We ran into comedian and political commentator Al Franken in the parking garage.
Parking Garage Portrait
Franken, a Democrat, is running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Sen. Norm Coleman here in Minnesota.
In Limbo
August 31, 2008
By Laurie Kinney / Washington Bureau Coorespondent
This convention could be all dressed up with no place to go. We’re here – in St. Paul – awaiting word from the RNC about possible changes to the convention schedule as a result of the massive hurricane that appears headed for the Gulf Coast.
The consensus seems to be that a big party is out of the question, but we just don’t know yet if the convention be curtailed, reduced to the bare-bones essentials, or what.
We do know that the President’s visit here tomorrow has apparently been cancelled. And the atmosphere in town is kind of subdued – although most of the folks we’ve seen this morning have been other journalists – and maybe we’re all just tired after Denver!
Right now I’m sitting in our skybox in the Xcel Energy Center, where I can see the enormous bags of balloons suspended the ceiling…will they ever be dropped…? We’ll find out soon.
Greetings From St. Paul!
August 31, 2008
By Dana Brown / Washington Bureau Producer
We’re here! Correspondent Sally Kidd, producer Justin Deck and I arrived in Minneapolis/St. Paul Saturday. We’re all looking forward to covering the GOP Convention – and we’re anxiously awaiting news of how Hurricane Gustav will affect the RNC’s plans, and in turn, our plans as well!
WDSU Reporter "Going Live" on CNN
Gustav is definitely top of mind. Eyeballs across Ronald Reagan Airport were glued to the TVs, including ours. We saw a live update by reporter Taslin Alfonzo, of one of our Hearst-Argyle Television stations, WDSU.
We all hope for the best for the people on the Gulf Coast!
Here in RNC land… my eyes are almost exhausted already from taking all of the sights in! I’m afraid to blink in case I miss something! There are interesting people, politicians and big league journalists and pundits everywhere! It started before we even left DC!
For example, look who Sally and I ran into right before went through security at the airport:
Sally Striking a Pose
This is a prime example for a rule I try to live by: Never leave home without a digital camera.
My Turn
So, we’re getting settled in at our quarters in and around the Xcel Energy Center.
Downtown St. Paul is sparkling clean, the city looks great and the people are warm and welcoming. We ran into this guy on our way to dinner:
doneRight after I shot the video of this guy, he said “This better be on YouTube by tonight!” They’re getting into the spirit!
I think that’s it for now.
Oh, I do hope at some point to shoot a throwback to one of my personal inspirations, Mary Tyler Moore. (How could we not, being here and all?) As soon as I find either Laurie or Sally a hat to toss into the air, it’s on! ”You might just make it after all..”
Check back for that!
The Reviews Are In…
August 30, 2008
By Nikole Killion/Washington Bureau Correspondent
WASHINGTON – As the attention turns to St. Paul and the Gulf Coast, the reviews are in from Denver. I spent the day traveling back to the nations’ capital and got an earful from delegates as they made their way back home.
Here are just a few of the adjectives they used to describe the week: “Once in a lifetime event”, “Amazing”, “Inspiring”, “Historical”…
It was quite a show…and with that I leave you with a few images from the final night at Invesco Field as Sen. Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for President.
Stevie Wonder performs a special tribute to Barack Obama.
Former Vice President Al Gore addresses the crowd.
Vice Presidential Nominee Joe Biden speaks.
Sen. Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
The Obamas and Bidens share the stage.Fireworks light up the sky over Invesco Field.
Inside Invesco
August 30, 2008
By Nikole Killion / Washington Bureau Correspondent
DENVER – Affer spending the last three days inside of the Pepsi Center, it was time to move outdoors into our new digs – invesco Field at Mile High Stadium!
It’s home to the Denver Broncos, but this week it was home to Sen. Barack Obama and more than 80,000 of his closest friends.
Here’s a sneak peak inside:
As I surveyed the floor I couldn’t help but notice the seating arrangements. I’m not sure who decides where delegations are placed. But there’s definitely a strategy.
Delaware and Illinois are front and center. It seems obvious that both got the best seats in the house to enthusiastically support the hometown ticket – Illinois Senator and Presidential nominee Barack Obama and Delaware Senator and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden.
But what about the other states? Reading between the “signs”, I wondered whether the assignments could be indicative of Barack Obama’s campaign strategy. For instance, Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida and Virginia are all up front near the stage. Conincidentally those happen to be the same key battleground states that Team Obama want to make blue.
Other states with decent views: Missouri , Montana, Indiana, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Hmmm…..all states where Obama also hopes to be competitive.
Hawaii is also towards the front, but it’s way off to the side (extreme stage left). Perhaps the idea is to give the delegates a close up view of their native son. But does the peripheral position suggest the island state is already considered a given under the Obama column and therefore requires less campaign effort?
And finally, there are states like Kentucky, Idaho Wyoming and Alabama. They are all located towards the back of the floor section. Could this imply the Obama campaign has given up on these traditonally red states and is counting them out?
Who knows? After all, it’s just a theory that may soon be tested after Obama leaves Invesco in a field that is still wide open.
Where Are All The Stars??
August 28, 2008
By Malika Raghavan / Washington Bureau Producer
DENVER – At the risk of damaging my journalistic credibility, I have to admit, one of the first things I knew I was going to do as soon as I landed in this city, was to look out for as many celebrities as possible. Fortunately, I’m not the only one!
Obviously, Denver is buzzing with governors, congressmen and various lawmakers. But many familiar faces outside the political scene are also making an appearance at the convention. According to reports, actors such as Ben Affleck, Jessica Alba, and Sean Penn, and even musicians like Kanye West, are all here supporting the Democratic party this week.
Well, if they are here, I certainly couldn’t find them! With so many celebrities in one town, I figured my chances of meeting at least one or two celebrities were higher than they would have been back at home. So hoping to catch a glimpse of at least one or two Hollywood faces, I set out for downtown with my trusty little video camera in hand.
Turns out finding celebrities is harder than I thought! And while I didn’t end up completely empty handed, I wasn’t lucky enough to bump into well-known figures like Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee or Quentin Tarantino. The fruits of my efforts are below…
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Malik Yoba gives BET an interview at the 16th Street Mall.
'Lost' actor Daniel Dae Kim exits the convention floor of the Pepsi Center.
Initially, I didn’t know the names of the first two. I just followed the excited crowds and snapped pictures, assuming I’d find out who it was later on. And although Blair Underwood, Malik Yoba, and Daniel Dae Kim may not be huge names in Hollywood, it was still pretty neat to see people from television, up-close and personal.
I will say, working behind the scenes at the convention has given me to opportunity to see some major news personalities like Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. No pictures of either of them though since of course, I did not have my camera with me. Our workspace is in the ABC News lot so I did run into Diane Sawyer in the bathroom. She complained to me about how filthy it was…And all I could say was, “You’re Diane Sawyer!”
Hmm, on second thought, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t meet any Hollywood stars. I probably would have been too starstruck to really talk to them anyways…
Wires Wires Everywhere…
August 28, 2008
By Shaun Neville / Washington Bureau Producer
DENVER – Think your home entertainment system gets messy with wires? Take a look at just one television cabling hub here at the Pepsi Center:
And a pretty picture from our compound tonight:
The Big Chill
August 27, 2008
Warming up off camera before a live shot. And yes, I did take the sweater off before going on TV!
DENVER — Denver prides itself on the fact that they get at least 300 days of sunshine a year. And that seems to be holding true in the short time that I’ve been here. With the summer sun radiating across the Mile High City, the highs have reached the low-nineties almost every day. But, boy do the seasons change when we enter the Pepsi Center each morning. It almost feels like winter has turned our sky box into an ice box!
As I warm up in front of the lights, I observed some of the other morning crews and discovered that we are in pretty good company!
Diane Sawyer of ABC News.
Our next door neighbor is Good Morning America’s Diane Sawyer. And NBC’s Matt Lauer is in plain view on the convention floor.
NBC Today Show Host Matt Lauer
Other notable sightings: Former President Jimmy Carter, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Political Commentators James Carvilleand Donna Brazile. (Sorry, no pictures. I was on the air!)
And speaking of sightings… with so many big names in town, everyone is trying to catch a glimpse of someone. That was the case as I walked by the hotel where Bill and Hillary Clinton were rumored to be staying. There was a huge crowd gathered outside. But they weren’t necessarily looking for the former first couple.
So who were they waiting for? Here is one woman’s explanation…
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