As the world watches the race to the Oval Office, Eurovision teams on both sides of the Atlantic have mounted a major operation to bring this must-have news story to EBU Members and their audiences.

A correspondent goes live from a Eurovision stand-up
position in Boston on the final days of the election campaign

Eurovision has occupied choice rooftop positions overlooking the White House, one on the ground in New York’s bustling Times Square and another from the roof of Eurovision’s New York office, overlooking the city’s spectacular skyline.

At the Barack Obama election night rally in Chicago, Eurovision has multiple stand-up positions, allowing EBU Members’ correspondents to report live from inside the event with a backdrop of the stage and crowds. Eurovision also has live stand-up positions inside the Mitt Romney election night party in Boston.

For reports from the hotly-contested swing states, there are Eurovision operations in Columbus, Ohio, and in Tallahassee, Florida. And Eurovision has engineered tailor-made solutions for several EBU Members, allowing them to mount complex election night specials from locations of their choice around the US.

In addition, Eurovision Americas’ 24-hour Washington news desk is beaming live and edited material into the Eurovision News Exchange, at Geneva headquarters, where Members can cherry-pick pictures for their bulletins.

Around 50 simultaneous circuits on the high-capacity Eurovision fibre network (FiNE) are carrying election programming between the US and Europe.

Bill Dunlop, President and CEO of Eurovision Americas, Inc., said Eurovision had pulled out all the stops to ensure EBU Members will have a vast choice of news material at their fingertips.

He said: “This presidential race is as close as it gets, so worldwide interest in the outcome is high. Our business is to bring the news to public broadcasters as soon as it happens, and to provide the facilities to allow correspondents to report live from the key venues. We’re experiencing round-the-clock demand for presidential election material, and we are more than ready to meet it.”