Election Result Coverage: Through the Years
Over the years, as technology and the ability of broadcasters to spread news quickly has changed, the ways in which we consume breaking election coverage has also changed. Here are just a few examples of important elections and the methods by which Americans received election results.
KDKA (Pittsburgh, PA) was the first professional radio station in the U.S. It began as 8XK in the garage of Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad in 1916. When his employers realized his growing listenership was fueling demand for radio equipment, they invited him to move his operations to their factory roof and begin regular broadcast hours as KDKA.
Listen to KDKA Election Returns,
November 2, 1920
This rare clip comes from the election returns broadcast on November 2, 1920, which was the first U.S. election coverage to be heard over the airwaves. Note that the announcer solicits listener postcards in order to find out how far the transmission reached.
NBC news anchors Chet Huntley and David Brinkley (left to right) anchor NBC's coverage of election returns.
November 3, 1964.
NBC news correspondent John Chancellor behind desk in background during NBC's coverage of election returns,
November 5, 1968.
ABC news anchor Howard K. Smith during the ABC's coverage of election returns.
November 5, 1968.
ABC news correspondent Frank Reynolds during ABC's coverage of election returns.
November 2, 1976.
ABC news correspondent Barbara Walters on the telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during ABC's coverage of election returns.
November 4, 1980.
