PRESS RELEASE from The Associated Press
Aug. 21, 2012
AP
announces
coverage
plans
for
Republican
and
Democratic conventions
The
Associated Press will share its comprehensive coverage of the 2012
Republican and Democratic conventions across all media platforms
via a wide array of digital tools and innovations.
The
Republican Party is holding its national convention Aug. 27-30 in
Tampa, Fla. The Democratic Party follows with its convention Sept. 4-6
in Charlotte, N.C.
The
AP has covered every presidential race since 1848 -- the first election
in which all U.S. states voted on the same day. From the 1800s to the
present
day, the AP’s delegate count leading up to the conventions, its
coverage of the events and their meaning have been a critical part of
the country’s election history.
“As
the media landscape has changed so rapidly over the years, we have
innovated to ensure we bring customers and consumers what they truly
want from the political conventions,” said Sally Buzbee,
AP’s Washington bureau chief.
“Our
journalists’ goal is to provide insightful, accurate reports that
connect convention events with the larger campaign and culture,
and to offer real-time tidbits suitable for sharing, especially across
the social space,”
Buzbee said.
Here are highlights of AP’s
2012 convention
coverage plans:
- AP’s Live Desk will offer a continuous
flow of short-form color, updates and observations each evening as the
conventions
unfold. These brief “Eyes on the Convention” reports will work in
tandem with AP stories, allowing customers who check in regularly
-- especially on mobile devices --
to see what’s happening at a glance. "Eyes on the Convention" will be
distributed on all major AP services.
The effort is modeled on
"Eyes on London,” the Live Desk service that AP launched at the Summer
Olympics.
- AP
will have a dedicated group of journalists focused on getting beyond
the conventions’ scripted political narratives, providing explanatory
material including Fact Checks and behind-the-scenes looks such as live
blogging and photo galleries.
- AP’s
popular news app, AP Mobile, downloaded by more than 11 million users
across all mobile platforms, has expanded its offerings to provide
a complete conventions section under the "2012 Presidential Race" tab,
which will feature text, photos, interactives and video. You can
download the app at www.getapmobile.com.
- AP
video will capture convention news for the first time in
high-definition video, now delivered to AP broadcast customers
following a phased
rollout begun nine months ago. AP has made an investment of $30
million over the past three years to convert all of its video
ingestion, production and playout to HD.
- HTML
interactives – seamlessly viewable across platforms, from desktops to
phones to tablets – will be provided by AP for the first time
at political conventions. An "On the Trail" interactive will showcase
the work of
AP photojournalists in a dynamic grid design, capturing candid moments
at the conventions using Instagram, the popular photo-sharing
mobile app.
- AP's
Big Story microsite will dedicate a section to the conventions under
the Presidential Politics tab. The section will be curated daily and
include text, photos, video and tweets. Responsive design ensures that
the site will look as good on a tablet or smartphone as it does on a
desktop.
See the microsite at http://bigstory.ap.org.
Additional AP coverage plans:
- A
new daily text feature, “5 Things to Watch For,” will run during the
conventions, underscoring the top things expected each day. It will
move
on AP’s wires and mobile platform around 5 a.m. ET
in the United
States. It will build on the AP’s “10 Things to Know,” a rundown of the
top items of the day, which has become one of the more popular features
among customers and readers – particularly
on mobile devices.
- AP
Daybook calendars listing each convention’s daily floor schedules, plus
schedules for the presidential and vice presidential candidates,
demonstrations
and media briefings will begin running daily before each convention
starts.
- Spot coverage will include
gavel-to-gavel
coverage
of the conventions --
plus breaking news such as demonstrations outside
the convention halls --
across all formats: video, radio, text, broadcast wire and
interactives.
- AP’s premium
election service, Campaign Plus, which provides
additional special content around elections,
will produce
an interactive guide to the 2012 campaign during the conventions. All
“Campaign Plus” interactives are produced in HTML
5, optimized for use
on mobile devices and tablets, including the iPad.
The Race Rundown interactive will feature text, photos, video and
tweets from the conventions. The premium service also includes a wide
range of elections research data, most of it unique to AP.
- GraphicsBank,
AP’s video graphics service, will provide static and animated elements
throughout the conventions. Customers can already access preparatory
material such
as headshots and symbols.
- AP's Global Media
Services will be offering live facilities and workspace to
international broadcasters at both conventions, including live
positions from skyboxes overlooking the main stage as well as from the
floor of the main arenas. For the first time GMS will work in one space
with all AP platforms, providing broadcast clients with AP's technical
and editorial expertise.
About AP
The
Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast,
unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms
and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of
independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the
world's population sees news from AP. On the Web:
www.ap.org.
For further information:
Paul Colford
Director of AP Media Relations
Heidi Tan