NBC plots most elaborate election night coverage among networks

NEW YORK -- NBC is turning Rockefeller Center into a giant television studio on election night, covering the landmark skating rink with a jigsaw puzzle map of the United States and turning the side of the General Electric building into an electronic bar graph.

Like other networks, NBC News is preaching caution after the missed calls of 2000, which could potentially make a long night on Nov. 2 even longer.

NBC has built an outdoor anchor booth overlooking Rockefeller Plaza for anchorman Tom Brokaw and analyst Tim Russert. Separate booths there will house anchor teams from MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.

The whiz-bang plans -- one competitor has already dubbed the set "democracy on ice" -- are meant to evoke a time when election night was a celebration of how Americans come together to make a decision on their future, Brokaw said Wednesday.

"People felt included on election night," he said. "I worry that in the past 10, 15 years or so the American political process has been more about exclusion."

A stadium-sized TV screen will be visible behind the anchors. The skating surface will be transformed into a huge map, with puzzle pieces of each state colored red or blue for President Bush or John Kerry put in place when results are clear.

Carrying Texas

"I think it will take three people to carry Texas," said Mark Lukasiewicz, executive producer of that night's coverage.

Red and blue lights will be superimposed on the GE building, for a graphic signifying how many electoral votes Bush or Kerry have earned.

NBC has also built a "Democracy Plaza" display at Rockefeller Center that has a replica of the Oval Office and will show a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Bank of America helped pay for that display, but wasn't involved in building the election night studio, an NBC spokeswoman said.

It's likely to be the most elaborate election night plan for any network, although CNN is building a temporary studio at the Nasdaq headquarters in Times Square. Dan Rather will be in the CBS studios on the West Side. ABC News and Fox News Channel haven't detailed their plans.

Chances are NBC will be the network followed by more Americans on election night. The network had the biggest audience at both party conventions and for three of the four campaign debates.

Then there's the emotional edge of a last hurrah for Brokaw. He's stepping down Dec. 1 as "Nightly News" anchorman, and election night will likely be the last big event where he's quarterbacking NBC's coverage.

The networks have revamped their exit poll systems and promised to make viewers more aware of how and why they declare a winner in a particular state. Television networks famously called Florida for Gore in 2000, then took it back and declared Bush the winner, then had to take that back and wait until the end of a weeks-long court fight decided the winner.

"We can't risk getting it wrong a second time in a row," Brokaw said. "That's why we reformed the system and why we'll take a deep breath that night."

NBC has removed television monitors from the room where its decision desk will make calls so its experts won't be influenced by what other networks are doing.

"Obviously we're going to be aware of what the others are doing," Brokaw said. "We don't live in a Dick Cheney-like bunker on election night. But the idea that I'm going to risk the integrity of NBC News based on what another network does is folly."