Tuesday, November 5th was not only a monumental day for a highly anticipated election, but also an exhilarating day for Hofstra’s School of Communication. After months of preparation, and a week of two, eight hour rehearsals, the 4-hour simulcast election coverage was underway. Hofstra Votes Live is a student led production that follows regional elections every two years and national elections every four years. As a sophomore TV and Film student, I was fortunate enough to be part of this year’s production as a Decision Desk Analyst.
Rehearsal
The day began at 2pm, where the producers, crew, anchors, researchers, and analysts arrived to begin preparation for the 8pm show. Technical issues were ironed out for about an hour, then it was time to rehearse. The producers informed the crew and personnel which blocks we would be rehearsing before the show. The hours went by quickly, with a dinner break at 4pm. I observed the National anchors practice potential scenarios as the graphics team in the control room put up hypothetical results on the screen. As a decision desk analyst, my job was primarily important to the live broadcast and did not require much preparation. My role included ingesting, reporting on, and analyzing the incoming results from each state as the general election votes were being counted. Since I didn’t have to do much rehearsing, I enjoyed watching the other anchors and crew members prepare and get excited for the upcoming show. Around 6pm, we were released for a short break before the show. Then, at 7:30pm, we took our places.
The show
7:59, the countdown began. The stage managers held up their hands to signal, five, four, three, two. The introductory theme song began as an announcing voice welcomed viewers to Hofstra Votes Live. The cameras in Studio A went live and the National anchors began with welcoming the audience and prefacing what the broadcast had in store for the rest of the broadcast. As the night went on, I was tracking each state as results began to come in and polls were closing. I communicated with the producers through a headset each time a state was called with a projected winner. That way, they could communicate with the anchors and graphics team to begin reporting in real time on the state that had just been called. I was also asked for my input and analysis throughout the night by the Discussion Desk reporter. I reported on what I was seeing on the map, any surprises from certain states, and what we could expect to come further into the night. Throughout the broadcast, we jumped back and forth from multiple locations and reporters. At Hofstra, there were students reporting from Studio A for National races and Studio B for Regional races. Additionally, the Content Suite held many student researchers and the Newsroom reporter who spoke on their findings. In the field, there were multiple live-shot reporters in locations such as the Harris watch party at Howard University, Laura Gillen’s watch party, Anthony D’Esposito’s watch party, and Hofstra’s Student Center watch party.
Overall, being part of this broadcast was an incredibly exciting and formative experience. It was such an impressive feat that hundreds of students worked so hard to accomplish. I cannot wait for the next Hofstra Votes Live experience!