Posted by chicagomedia.org on September 25, 2009 at 12:04:59:
In Reply to: Chicago TV plans for IOC 2016 host city vote in Copenhagen posted by chicagomedia.org on September 25, 2009 at 12:04:15:
Clear decks for 2016 bid coverage
September 25, 2009
BY LEWIS LAZARE | Sun-Times Media & Marketing Columnist
It has the potential to be one of Chicago's biggest moments on the world stage for some time to come. So Chicago's television outlets are preparing to capture live as much of the drama as possible surrounding the final Olympic host city pitches and subsequent International Olympic Committee vote on Oct. 2, in Copenhagen.
Chicago is competing with Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo for the 2016 Summer Games.
A seven-hour time difference between Chicago and Copenhagen will complicate coverage not only for the local TV outlets, but also for viewers who want to follow the day's events in real time. Still, most of the major local TV outlets, including Channels 2, 5, 7 and 9, expect to go live from Copenhagen in the middle of the night, 1:45 a.m. Chicago time Friday, Oct. 2, to carry the Chicago 2016 bid committee press conference immediately after the group finishes its hourlong presentation to the IOC. Then WMAQ and WGN will return to live coverage starting at 4:30 a.m. WLS, WBBM and WFLD plan to be on the air with more reports starting at 5 a.m.
The next chunk of continuous live coverage for WMAQ and WBBM begins at 9 a.m., with WLS and WGN returning live at 10 a.m. Most local outlets will remain live until at least noon. An announcement is expected between 11:30 a.m. and noon, according to an IOC schedule.
Most -- but not all -- of the lead local news anchors are expected to be in place for the coverage, including Allison Rosati and Rob Stafford at WMAQ and Rob Johnson at WBBM.