NBC is a major broadcast network with a mainstream morning show, variety and talk programing during the day, straight news program in the early evening, and a wide range of primetime offerings.
Major Event Broadcasts
NBC airs extensive coverage of all major political and newsworthy events, including primary debates, general election debates, Presidential speeches, press conferences, and election night coverage.
The amount of time NBC spends covering any major event depends on how important it is. For example, a general election debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees will get brief coverage before and after the event while a hastily announced Presidential press conference may only receive minimal coverage outside of the event itself.
When there is a major debate, NBC will bring together a team of journalists and political pundits to discuss what they think will happen during the debate and then bring them back on the air to discuss how they felt the debate went at the conclusion of the event.
NBC also hosts exclusive primetime townhalls with major political candidates and other top personalities.
Election night coverage is hosted by lead anchors Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie with help from Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, and others offering commentary and updates throughout the evening.
Morning Broadcasting
The Today Show is NBC's premiere morning show. The show, hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin, among others, spends two hours each morning discussing major news of the day along with more lighthearted segments. The hosts interview major players in the political and entertainment world. The Today Show also has spinoffs called Early Today and Today 3rd Hour that air before and after the main show.
Primetime Broadcasting
NBC's flagship news program is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. It is a straight news program that discusses the major stories happening on a given day in the United States and throughout the world.
Sunday Morning Broadcasting
NBC's Sunday Morning political affairs program is Meet the Press With Chuck Todd. The hour long program is split between interviews with major political players in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country and panel discussions with political pundits representing a broad spectrum of the political landscape.
The third and final Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was held at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Both candidates were allowed to answer moderator Kristen Welker's initial questions for two minutes uninterrupted, as a new feature allowed opponent's mics to be muted during that timeframe. After the initial segment question, of which there were six, both candidates spoke freely. Biden and Trump addressed questions on outside interference with American elections, the economy, national security, the ongoing pandemic, healthcare, climate change and tax plans if elected. Final question was about Leadership. This debate was far more civil than their first.
Oct 07 2020
Wed
Salt Lake City, UT
Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence faced off at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City for their first and only debate. A couple memorable moments are when the moderator accidently referred to Senator Harris as Kamala Harris, to which the Senator responded "that's fine. I'm Kamala" and when a fly landed on Pence's head. The two repeatedly clashed over the Trump Administrations response to multiple crises gripping the United States, with Senator Harris strongly criticizing Trump and Pence for their inability to help everyday Americans and VP Pence largely sticking to talking points in defense of Trump.
The first Presidential Debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was held in front of a small audience at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The topics debated were Biden's and Trump's records, the Supreme Court, pandemic, economy, racial unrest, and election integrity. Donald Trump constantly interrupted Joe Biden, prompting the former Vice President to ask Donald Trump "will you shut up, man?" Chris Wallace, the moderator for the evening, constantly had to chime in to ask Donald Trump to stop interrupting Joe Biden.
The 9th Democratic Debate was held at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. NBC News and MSNBC hosted the debate along with The Nevada Independent. It was the smallest debate stage in the 2020 election cycle and the first debate former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg participated in. His Democratic rivals wasted no time harshly criticizing his record on a number of issues and questioning his motives for entering the race. Bloomberg appeared caught off guard at some moments, but forcefully pushed back at others. Another memorable moment is when Sen. Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg had an impassioned debate over courting minority voters.
Night two of the first Democratic debate of the 2020 election cycle featured the second ten of twenty candidates who qualified to participate. The debate featured much more spirited discussion between the candidates than the first evening, with Vice President Biden, Senator Sanders, and Senator Harris engaging each other directly on a number of hot button issues like universal healthcare, racism, and immigration reform. One exchange in particular stood out when Senator Harris criticized Vice President Biden over his remarks praising former segregationist Southern Senators. Biden pushed back by saying Harris mischaracterized his words and insisted he did not praise racists.
The first Democratic debate of the 2020 election cycle featured the first ten of twenty candidates who qualified to participate. There were plenty of minor disagreements between the candidates, particularly on immigration, healthcare policy, and Donald Trump. Some notable moments are when Senator Warren publicly called for the elimination of private health insurance (a first for her), Julian Castro's passionate plea for a more inclusive immigration law, and a number of candidates answering questions in Spanish instead of English in a bid to appeal to Hispanic voters.