Wednesday, May 10, 2006

KMTV Coverage Primarily Live

KMTV (Cox Channel 5) offered three live reports, with reporters covering Tom Osborne (Joe Jordan), Dave Heineman (Michelle Bandur) and Pete Ricketts (Dave Roberts). All three reporters filed several reports throughout the newscast, providing viewers with the latest information, one-on-one interviews and insight into what had happened behind the scenes.

KMTV stuck with its approach of not offering percentages with its on-screen vote totals. Anchors Deborah Ward and Greg Peterson did make mention of the percentage of the vote totals that had been counted.

Using a double-box graphic to shuttle between the Osborne and Heineman Election Day headquarters, Bandur and Jordan offered much of the first segment coverage. Jordan used a football analogy to break down Osborne's situation, saying Osborne had delivered "somewhat of a halftime rally speech for the troops."

Interspersed with live coverage, KMTV had taped coverage of David Kramer's concession speech to Ricketts, as well as taped comments from Democratic challenger Senator Ben Nelson

KMTV was the only station to devote a reporter to the Douglas County Sheriff’s race. Molli Graham delivered the details in a "look live" report. A full-screen graphic showing the results of the race, though, abbreviated it as "Doug Cnty Sheriff" while a similar graphic for a race in Sarpy County spelled out "Sarpy County Sheriff" in its entirety.

In non-Election Day coverage, reporter Devon Patton provided an "exclusive" interview with a woman who witnessed the robbery and shooting at an Omaha jewelry store in a packaged report. Video of an early morning house fire in Council Bluffs was also shown.

Even Sports Director Travis Justice contributed to the coverage as the newscast came to a close, saying Heineman "got the lead in the fourth quarter, ran the ball and ran the clock out."

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