By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Twitter says it will live-stream CBS News' online coverage of the Republican and Democratic conventions later this month, a first for the social media outlet.
People will be able to watch video of the conventions on mobile devices and desktops alongside a feed of political tweets, the company said on Monday. The GOP convention in Cleveland begins on July 18, with the Democrats in Philadelphia the following week.
Besides being the latest example of Twitter's foray into video, the announcement is a major shot of exposure for CBSN, which is CBS News' two-year-old live online stream.
"It makes us first among equals if you're looking for convention video," said David Rhodes, CBS News president.
NBC News also announced Monday that the broadcast network will offer one hour of prime-time news coverage on each of the four nights of the conventions, identical to ABC's plans divulged last week. CBS hasn't announced its plans, but is likely to do the same.
That in itself is a reflection of increased interest. In 2012, ABC, CBS and NBC had convention coverage on three of the four nights of each convention.
CBSN's Josh Elliott, Elaine Quijano and Vladimir Duthiers will anchor the coverage on Twitter. Other CBS News anchors and reporters also will appear on the stream during hours the network is not in news coverage. CBSN does not simulcast CBS News' television broadcast.
Although CBS does not say how many people watch its live stream, it claims steady growth. The Twitter exposure should attract viewers much like channel surfing does on television, Rhodes said. Since Twitter said that some of the early primary debates attracted some 4 million tweets apiece, there should be an audience available.
Twitter experimented with video during the recent Wimbledon tennis tournament and has announced plans to beam some NFL games this fall.
Political news has driven big ratings for cable news networks this year, which will likely offer near-nonstop convention coverage. With delegates opposed to Republican Donald Trump still talking about objecting to his nomination, and the long candidacy of Democrat Bernie Sanders, the conventions offer less predictability than in the recent past.
It's somewhat unusual for the networks to be announcing their coverage plans so late, and there's a reason for that. Rhodes said the parties, particularly the Republicans, have been less forthcoming about their own schedules than in recent election cycles.
"We don't want anybody just to assume that we're going to flip a switch and they're going to be able to program to millions of people without any filter," he said.
Rhodes said delaying an announcement of the network plans gives broadcasters some leverage in getting information about convention planning from the parties.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTEยฎ,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
โSMPTEโs membership has spoken,โ said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann DโAmato. โThese officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!โ
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More