The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Who Gets Your Vote For American Election Coverage?

RadioActive · November 6, 2018 10:09 am

I'm taking a leap of faith here that some on this board are interested enough in the U.S. mid-term elections to actually watch some of the coverage Tuesday night. If that's the case, who gets your vote in terms of coverage? Do you stick with the traditional networks, like ABC, CBS or NBC?

Or will you opt for one of the cable outlets? If so, which one? It's almost impossible to get unbiased coverage out of any of the American outlets, so do CBC or CTV's all-newsers tempt you instead? Or will you tune into Fox or CNN depending on the results to see how they spin a loss?

Or maybe you'll opt for local radio, the web - or just watch a DVD and ignore the whole thing.

I tend to graze these things, turning all over the dial much of the night, staying on whatever grabs my attention. Normally the mid-terms don't get all that much notice up here. But this one, as we know, is a very different animal.

The only real question now is - will it be an elephant or a donkey?

John D · November 6, 2018 10:22 am

I will flip the TV dial; but for the most part stick with CNN and NBC. I heard it mentioned the other night that this was a historic election and I tend to agree. CNN is starting very early at 5 p.m.this afternoon. My reason for CNN by the way is because I am a very big Jake Tapper fan.

unclefester · November 6, 2018 11:57 am

John D wrote:
CNN is starting very early at 5 p.m.this afternoon.

CNN "started" two years ago if you get my drift...

Leslieville Bill · November 6, 2018 12:37 pm

I'll flip between MSNBC and CNN on the TV while reading twitter feeds on my laptop from various sources (David Frum, MaggieNYT and various hashtags).

Media Observer · November 6, 2018 2:42 pm

I'll rely primarily on CNN and MSNBC; with occasional checks on the other networks.

Also checking the laptop for details on breaking stories.

Last edited by Media Observer (November 6, 2018 2:42 pm)

arc23 · November 6, 2018 2:55 pm

npr [wbfo]

milton · November 6, 2018 3:30 pm

According to the program guide on Bell Fibe TV, the NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS broadcast affiliates in Buffalo are covering the mid terms. Fox (WUTV 29) is apparently content to stick with "The Gifted" and "Lethal Weapon".

Fox News, MSNBC and CNN of course have mid term coverage blocked out on the schedule.

The Canadian broadcast networks are taking a pass, and the Canadian cable news channels are showing their normal schedules, although presumably that would include covering news, and the midterms is news for the first time ever north of the border.

Last edited by milton (November 6, 2018 3:32 pm)

November 6, 2018 5:05 pm

We're on Cogeco, so our American main nets are Detroit and Seattle. We tend to lean heavily on MSNBC on a daily basis, so that'll be home tonight, but we'll flip around to CNN and some ABC. We don't get Fox News, in more ways than one. The less said about that, the better. We just hope to God the Dems win the House!

g121 · November 6, 2018 5:23 pm

I'll be watching CNN. Then flip over to TSN to watch the Leafs/Vegas game while following the election results on my laptop (NYTimes, CNN, maybe 538). After the hockey game, I'll flip back to CNN.

@John-D .. Yes, I like Jake Tapper as well; a straight shooter, not shy on calling out the BS & lying. As an aside, it was fun watching a much earlier version of Tapper doing a Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary.

Last edited by g121 (November 6, 2018 5:24 pm)

betaylored · November 6, 2018 11:19 pm

Twitter mostly, and then Newstalk 1010, and GNR am 640 once or twice an hour just to hear the hosts/guests chat about the difference between Canadian and American government, House of Representatives/Commons etc.

Lee Marshall · November 6, 2018 11:51 pm

I've been with CNN all the way. So the Senate has been further tilted toward the grand OLD party. It's a bit of an orange crush if you will. No surprise sadly. On the other hand the majority of folks voting for their representative in the House have told ol' Trump to fire it right out his back-side. I feel comfortable with CNN. They know the difference between apples, bananas and the truth. And Yes John...Jake is a Winner. John King is too.

splunge · November 7, 2018 12:40 am

faux news has a better website graphic tracker than cnn. i'm staying wholly online, between faux, cnn, splinter, and buzzfeed. can't wait for colbert tonight! meanwhile, in important news, the leafs won and tony clement lost.

Lee Marshall · November 7, 2018 12:55 am

splunge wrote:
in important news, the leafs won and tony clement lost.

The Raptors continue to kick 'behind' too. [10/1] Should be quite the winter/spring. As for Tony? Kind of an Anthony Weiner isn't he? It must just suck to get caught. And now all of a sudden he needs to get some 'help'? Right. We need the help.

B' Bye Tony. Or is his first name actually Dick? How stupid can you get? This stupid!

splunge · November 7, 2018 1:10 am

Lee Marshall wrote:
splunge wrote:
in important news, the leafs won and tony clement lost.
The Raptors continue to kick 'behind' too. [10/1] Should be quite the winter/spring. As for Tony? Kind of an Anthony Weiner isn't he? It must just suck to get caught. And now all of a sudden he needs to get some 'help'? Right. We need the help.

B' Bye Tony. Or is his first name actually Dick? How stupid can you get? This stupid!

first wilson, now clement.... both supporters of patrick brown. it's a deep state conspiracy worthy of AM radio.

Dial Twister · November 7, 2018 10:09 am

Lee Marshall wrote:
How stupid can you get? This stupid!

Shouldn't you have to have a certain level of intelligence to serve on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliament?

Oh well, a few months of soul-searching, and a few thousand bucks spent with a "therapist", and he'll be golden again.

Fitz · November 7, 2018 11:07 am

I was flipping between MSNBC and CNN. Also checking the Five Thirty Eight site. They had projected the dems to take the house and I think their final average was 87 % probability. They had a real time percentage update and at one point that came down to 54 % probability for the dems but that tracked back up starting around 9 PM.

The dems have a 9 % edge on total votes for the house and that is considerable for a national contest. They would have had more seats if not for the gerrymandering that took place after 2010.

Yes the dems lost some high profile races like Beto O'rourke and Andrew Gillum but they were very close and the national vote count and the fact that there will be a check on the presidency should be a concern for Republicans.

RadioActive · November 7, 2018 11:23 am

And if you want the irony of ironies, consider this: The very first TV network that declared the Republicans had lost the House was none other than Fox News. They went with the confirmation a good 45 minutes before anyone else even came close. Given their leanings, you'd think they would have been the very last to admit it.

RadioActive · November 7, 2018 1:38 pm

Wow. Just wow. I'm not sure if anyone saw the noon press conference Trump held on Wednesday, but I honestly thought the President of the United States was going to go down in the press gallery and start a fistfight with some of the reporters - especially Jim Acosta of CNN, who Trump publicly said should be fired when he refused to sit down and stop trying to question him.

Or to paraphrase the old joke, "I went to a WWE match and a press conference broke out."

Trump clashes with 'rude, terrible person' Jim Acosta of CNN

Should be an interesting next two years.

Last edited by RadioActive (November 7, 2018 2:22 pm)

RadioActive · November 7, 2018 1:47 pm

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Where TV News Excelled On Election Day — And Where It Didn't

WilliamT · November 7, 2018 3:30 pm

RadioActive wrote:
And if you want the irony of ironies, consider this: The very first TV network that declared the Republicans had lost the House was none other than Fox News. They went with the confirmation a good 45 minutes before anyone else even came close. Given their leanings, you'd think they would have been the very last to admit it.

They are #1 for many reasons. I could explain, however people on this forum wouldn't understand. Nevertheless, you can calm the rhetoric. Those who aren't ignorant are not surprised by this.

WilliamT · November 7, 2018 3:32 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Wow. Just wow. I'm not sure if anyone saw the noon press conference Trump held on Wednesday, but I honestly thought the President of the United States was going to go down in the press gallery and start a fistfight with some of the reporters - especially Jim Acosta of CNN, who Trump publicly said should be fired when he refused to sit down and stop trying to question him.

Or to paraphrase the old joke, "I went to a WWE match and a press conference broke out."

Trump clashes with 'rude, terrible person' Jim Acosta of CNN

Should be an interesting next two years.

Heard clips on the radio. Acosta came off sounding whiny and self serving. Could have been different had I watched on TV.

November 7, 2018 3:53 pm

WilliamT wrote:
people on this forum wouldn't understand. Nevertheless, you can calm the rhetoric. Those who aren't ignorant are not surprised

! ! !

RadioActive · November 7, 2018 4:49 pm

WilliamT wrote:
Heard clips on the radio. Acosta came off sounding whiny and self serving. Could have been different had I watched on TV.

To be honest, they both sounded like petulant children, and in a way, Acosta came off far worse. It appeared he'd gone out of his way to goad Trump into acting exactly as he expected given their histories, and then just piled on from there. I think both are to blame for the lack of decorum and CNN has clearly had it in for Trump ever since this war of words with Acosta started two years ago. It looked to me like the reporter was trying to exploit it and become the story.

If that's the case, he got his wish because it was clearly the highlight of a very long (1 hour and 25 minutes) presser, and it's likely to be the clip you see on all the nightly newscasts.

Fitz · November 7, 2018 5:09 pm

I like the new name for Fox - Pravda. Trump TV. Proof is there for most of the day and was highlighted at a recent a recent rally when Sean Hannity and Judge Pirro joined Trump on stage and went on about the fake media;

This SNL clip sums up Pravda:

Anuway the headline has changed now with the resignation of Jeff Sessions.

Last edited by Fitz (November 7, 2018 5:11 pm)

Glen Warren · November 8, 2018 5:29 am

RadioActive wrote:
Wow. Just wow. I'm not sure if anyone saw the noon press conference Trump held on Wednesday, but I honestly thought the President of the United States was going to go down in the press gallery and start a fistfight with some of the reporters - especially Jim Acosta of CNN, who Trump publicly said should be fired when he refused to sit down and stop trying to question him.

Or to paraphrase the old joke, "I went to a WWE match and a press conference broke out."

Trump clashes with 'rude, terrible person' Jim Acosta of CNN

Should be an interesting next two years.

Later in the afternoon, The White House pulled Acosta's Press access accreditation. He found out as he arrived at the WH for an 8pm live hit.