CBS News and NBC News/MSNBC released their 2018 Midterm Election Night coverage plans yesterday, with the personalities you expect leading their respective network’s coverage.
Below is what their plans look like.
CBS News:
CBS News will deliver comprehensive coverage and original reporting on Midterm Election Night, Nov. 6, on CBS and CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 live streaming news service, and all CBS News platforms including CBS Radio and CBSNews.com.
CBS This Morning co-hosts Norah O’Donnell, Gayle King, John Dickerson, Bianna Golodryga, and CBS Evening News anchor Jeff Glor will lead CBS News’ comprehensive coverage from Campaign 2018 headquarters at Studio 57 at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.
Coverage starts on the CBS TV at 8 p.m. ET with a special prime time update and will continue from 9 – 11 p.m.
“The 2018 midterm is shaping up to be one of the most important off-year elections in recent history and we’ll be focused on keeping viewers informed of not only the results, but the motivation behind the votes and how this election will impact Americans’ lives,” said Mary Hager, executive producer of CBS News’ Midterm Election Night 2018 coverage and Face the Nation. “CBS News has the unique ability to offer a full menu of options across our news platforms — whether you follow CBS News on television, radio or on our digital platforms, CBSNews.com and streaming network, CBSN, our viewers will have access to up-to-the minute election results and analysis, no matter where they are.”
The CBS News Decision Desk will make projections throughout the night. CBS News’ Director of Elections and Surveys Anthony Salvanto will use his extensive experience in analyzing polling data points to make the projections.
The CBS News Congressional Desk will be led by Chief Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes and Political Correspondent Ed O’Keefe.
CBS This Morning Saturday co-host Anthony Mason will provide analysis of CBS News Exit Polls from across the country.
CBS News’ Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and White House correspondent Weijia Jiang will also be contributing to the political coverage.
CBS News will also have a team of correspondents contributing live reports and original reporting from across the country, based in the states featuring key Senate, House and Gubernatorial races.
Coordinating political coverage both in the run-up to the midterms and for 2020, are CBS News vice president and Washington bureau chief Chris Isham and political director Caitlin Conant.
CBS News will report on the concerns and views of voters across the country. Some of the initiatives CBS News has launched and will continue through Election Day include:
CBS This Morning’s ongoing series Issues That Mater provides a forum for original reporting and conversations with newsmakers about issues voters care about most including health care, education, job creation and the economy, and national security.
Voter Focus Groups – CBS News led discussions with voters in key battleground states about issues facing the country including the economy, healthcare, President Trump’s performance, the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and the role of women in the 2018 election. Since this past May, CBS News has conducted focus groups in Arizona, Miami, Las Vegas, and Virginia.
Battleground Tracker – CBS News along with YouGov will continue to poll voters from key states and House districts through Election Day, and offer the most comprehensive look at the midterms, the key issues, and key voter groups in the places it really matters. CBS News’ Battleground Tracker House Estimate shows the current contest seat by seat, and the latest Battleground Trackers from Sunday on CBS Face the Nation highlighted Texas, Arizona and Tennessee while recent versions looked at Missouri and Montana. An updated House Estimate is scheduled to be released on Sunday, October 14th.
CBS News Polls – CBS News’ polls take a deep dive into understanding how Americans feel about policy issues on topics from the impact of President Trump’s tariffs to reactions to the Trump-Putin summit, the economy, and the forces motivating Americans in this pivotal year.
The CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor in Battleground States – Glor will travel to states with competitive races for comprehensive, on-the-ground coverage leading up to the midterm elections. Glor will anchor coverage from battleground states including Texas, Missouri and Florida this month for expanded, on-the-ground coverage of Campaign 2018.
Local Matters – CBSN’s ongoing series of reports from local journalists across the country deliver unique perspectives on the cultural, social and policy issues driving voter choice within each state.
Campaign 2018: Election Hacking – CBSN delivers a weekly series tackling real threats and dispelling myths related to election security. From social media influence campaigns, to databases and voting machines, and critical infrastructure attacks, the series delivers original reporting from CNET’s Dan Patterson and the CBSN team.
CBSN:
Coverage on CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 digital streaming news service, will begin at 5 p.m. ET, led by CBS News Correspondent Elaine Quijano.
CBSN’s around the clock coverage throughout Election Night will be available for free across all digital platforms and will include a simulcast of some of the Network’s live coverage.
NBC News:
NBC News and MSNBC will broadcast live coverage of the midterms, The Vote: America’s Future, from NBC News World headquarters in New York. Rock Center will transform into Democracy Plaza on Nov. 6, election night, and 30 Rock will light up in red, white and blue programming streams on screens flanking the building. There will also be an AR map that will display over the ice rink, as was the case on Election Night 2016.
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt and Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie lead NBC’s coverage and will be joined by Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd and Megyn Kelly.
Coverage will air live from:
- 9:00pm – 11:00pm ET
- 8:00pm – 10:00 p.m. CT
- 7:00pm – 9:00 p.m. MT
- 9:00pm – 11:00 p.m. PT
- The eastern and central time zones will receive additional updates after local news and the live edition of Late Night with Seth Meyers.
- The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon will be pre-empted on Election Night.
On Sunday, Nov. 4, Meet the Press originates live from NBC News Election Headquarters in New York with an all-star political panel of NBC News and MSNBC anchors and contributors. Today will provide full coverage with Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on Election Day and the morning after.
NBC Nightly News broadcasts from NBC News Election Headquarters on Monday, Nov. 5 and Tuesday, Nov. 6.
MSNBC:
Coverage beings with Morning Joe and continue throughout the day.
Brian Williams, host of The 11th Hour with Brian Williams, and Rachel Maddow, host of The Rachel Maddow Show, will helm election night prime time coverage on MSNBC with NBC News and MSNBC national political correspondent Steve Kornacki at the “Big Board.”
Williams and Maddow will be joined throughout the night by Deadline: White House’s Nicolle Wallace, Hardball’s Chris Matthews, All In’s Chris Hayes and The Last Word’s Lawrence O’Donnell.
Kornacki will be on set breaking down the details of key races with his now famous “Big Board,” which re-launched with an all-new look using cutting-edge software developed by the NBC News Digital product and technology teams.
NBC News Digital:
MSNBC anchor Katy Tur will host a pre-show airing across all NBC News digital properties from 7 p.m. ET – 9 p.m. ET, with NBC News coverage simulcasting afterwards and through the night.
NBC News correspondents Catie Beck, Garrett Haake, Kasie Hunt, Chris Jansing, Steve Patterson, CalPerry, Morgan Radford, Gadi Schwartz, and Jacob Soboroff as well as NBC News political reporters Shaquille Brewster, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Vaughn Hillyard, Mike Memoli, Heidi Przybyla, and Ali Vitali will report live from key locations across the country, focusing on the candidates and the crucial issues impacted by 2018 midterm results. NBC News senior legal and investigative correspondent Cynthia McFadden will embed with the NBC News VoteWatch team reporting on election security.
NBC News Digital’s full politics team will be providing coverage of the race results and ballot initiatives across the country. They’ll offer exit poll data and analysis on the consequences for the President and each party and will also provide live blog coverage of the night. NBC Social teams will be live on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with race results, data, speeches and on-the-ground updates from NBC News reporters around the country. And, NBC’s Stay Tuned will be covering the races with additional breaking news updates to their show throughout the night.
Digital will also showcase a new interactive map on NBCNews.com powered by the same technology used by Kornacki and Todd, allowing viewers to follow the vote count on television and on their own by selecting district combinations to see how the balance of power in the House may shift.