Sunday, September 02, 2007

Media to Dem Convention: Yawn

The Rocky's other Denver media columnist, Jason Salzman, says the oft-repeated estimate that 15,000 media types will be at the Democratic National Convention next year is suspect:
The 15,000 figure has been floating around unchallenged in the dailies, and the big number misleads readers into thinking the convention is guaranteed to be a be-all-end-all media event for Denver, on par with past political conventions. . . .
If that many actually came, Denver would have to pass a quartering ordinance.
But as you've noticed, major news media aren't spending as much money these days, so it's reasonable to assume that fewer mainstream journalists will come to Denver than came to previous conventions.

ABC, CBS and NBC reduced live convention coverage to just three hours in 2004, and you can bet they'll reduce coverage further in 2008.
On the other hand:
Former president of Gannett Broadcasting Roger Ogden told me that he expects the convention to draw at least as much news coverage as 2004, including network coverage, because there are more and more news outlets and because of the uniqueness of the likely nomination of a female or minority candidate. . . .

And it's true that a whole fresh crop of bloggers will come to town, and their news hole is bottomless. Democrats are welcoming them with loving arms and press credentials.
1. Who you calling a bottomless newshole, pal? 2. Where're these press credentials and lovin' arms at, anyway?

But, as much as you might love your pet bloggers [I'm a self-described pet blogger!] their combined audience is still minuscule compared [with] what's reached by mainstream news media.

The dailies reported in February that Democrats will construct a 220,000-square-foot building, with air conditioning and carpets, for the expected 15,000 media members.

Wouldn't it be great if, instead of sending so many reporters, the media limited itself to pool coverage by (serving suggestion) Nina Burleigh and Walter Cronkite? I'd watch that.

Update: Actually, Nina Burleigh is kind of gross (scroll down to "Page Four").

Update II: What's a "Lewinksky"?

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