#AskNewser: CNN, NBC News and NewsNation Executives Reflect on Their Election Night Coverage

As the dust settles from a historic midterm election that saw the Democratic Party surf a blue wave to capture both the Senate and the House, news outlets are downshifting from special coverage and settling back into regular programming.

With 31 million viewers tuning in Tuesday night across 13 networks, TVNewser recently spoke to NBC News’ evp, creative, innovation & field production Marc Greenstein, whose network was the No.1 network during primetime in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo, as well as CNN’s svp, Washington & special events programming Abigail Crutchfield, whose network was the most-watched cable news network in the prized demo, and NewsNation’s political director Chris Stirewalt, whose network in coordination with Decision Desk HQ was the first one to call both the House and the Senate for the Democrats, for a post-election AskNewser on what worked well during their live election coverage.

Here is what they said.

TVNewser: What worked well from a coverage and technology standpoint on election night?

Greenstein: Steve Kornacki continues to be the best at breaking down the vote, providing context and helping viewers understand not just what is happening, but where the night is headed. 

We combined editorial and technology in a new way, allowing Steve to contribute to the linear broadcast while simultaneously hosting his own dedicated streaming feed from the same studio as Savannah Guthrie and Tom Llamas. This allowed us to produce two distinct broadcasts just feet apart, each tailored to its audience, without losing the editorial connection between our talent. 

Extensive planning for multiple election scenarios allowed us to react quickly as race calls came in. We deployed multiple correspondents across nearly every battleground state, covering both voting developments and candidate headquarters. This gave us a strong presence in the places driving the story and allowed us to bring firsthand reporting and reaction into the broadcast throughout the night.

We played more than 35,000 graphics across our zones and platforms, delivering results and analysis with speed and clarity. We brought together broadcast, streaming and digital coverage under a consistent editorial and visual approach, while tailoring the experience to each platform. The launch of our dedicated vertical video feed was another important step in reaching audiences in new ways without compromising the depth or quality of our journalism.

Cruthchfield: It was having all of our experts and talent together in one place. It gave the DC bureau great energy, and it was fun to watch the reporters and anchors work together to unpack the results. 

Our director, Reza Baktar, designed a phenomenal set that gave us more mobility than ever and made it easy to get to any data set we needed at any moment. I also loved giving John King the ability to analyze the data at the magic wall or to bring his mini magic wall over to our analyst tables to be a part of the conversation. And I loved King’s new vertical magic wall, which opened up new storytelling options.

Stirewalt: You can’t beat the cards. We had such an advantage by having Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) on our side. I think we did a good job of bringing viewers into the process and explaining what we were doing, but when you get down to it, the advantage of being so far ahead of the competition was just amazing.

TN: What was the biggest surprise of the night?

Greenstein: The biggest surprise was how quickly we were able to call control of the Senate. While there was a general sense that it could be a good night for Democrats, I think the early call caught many of us a little off guard. That said, we had planned for a wide range of scenarios and were prepared to stay on air throughout the night across the broadcast network, NBC News Now and Kornacki Cam. 

Another pleasant surprise was how well the AI audio technology worked, allowing us to produce the linear and streaming broadcasts simultaneously from the same studio. We had limited time to rehearse with the technology, so there were certainly some nerves heading into the night. But it performed remarkably well and allowed us to pull off something we had never done before.

Cruthchfield: I think perhaps how quickly we were able to project the major results of the night. We always plan for every scenario, but this Tuesday we got answers from the voters quickly.

Stirewalt: How much work I wasted preparing for close elections in so many places. I was buckled in for tight contests in battleground states. We found out by 8:30 p.m. ET or so that what we really needed to get good at was going deep on places like Mississippi.

TN: Share the tricks you used to keep yourself awake and alert on Tuesday night.

Greenstein: Coffee, Diet Coke, and the adrenaline of being in the director’s chair! In my role, I rarely get the opportunity to direct. The last time was Election Night 2024. So getting back in the chair and working alongside the most talented people in the business, both on air and behind the scenes, pushes me to be at the top of my game. And I love every minute of it.

Cruthchfield: A lot of hot tea, a phenomenal team, and a big bag of gummy bears. 

Stirewalt: I don’t need any outside stimulants. When the results started pouring in, I was so thrilled at how DDHQ and our team were doing that I was just high on life.