A week from today, about 15,000 members of the media will be covering day one of the Republican National Convention. While the big TV media companies will have their own newsrooms and studios in Cleveland, as well as inside the Quicken Loans Arena, the RNC has expanded and renamed its Radio Talk Show Row.
The RNC has taken over part of a nearby parking garage and dubbed it Media Row, where members of the media can interview Republican surrogates during the 4-day convention.
It’s a recognition of how media channels have expanded and evolved and makes it easier for the GOP to get its message out. So after an official does a local TV interview, she can then go to the next booth along the row to talk with a radio interviewer, or a YouTuber, or a Snapchatter.
“We have seen an immense amount of changes in news consumption since 2012, and Media Row will help us engage these new media platforms in unique ways,” said Convention director of communications Kirsten Kukowski. “This is the only space of its kind in 2016 and we are very proud to share our message with national, regional, local, and social media outlets around the clock.”
Here’s how the space was transformed from a parking garage to a new media hub: