UPDATED/NBC NEWS ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE PLANS

NEW YORK, N.Y. — NBC NEWS ANNOUNCES UNPRECEDENTED EXPANDED ELECTION NIGHT PROGRAMMING ON TUESDAY, NOV. 2

Network Will Pre-empt "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" For Overnight News Coverage of Election Results

Brian Williams Will Anchor NBC News Coverage, Joined by David Gregory, Tom Brokaw, Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd and Mark Whitaker

New York – October 21, 2010 – NBC has announced it will pre-empt "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on election night and air extended coverage of the 2010 mid-term election results on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Live from NBC News' headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, Brian Williams will anchor "Decision 2010," and will be joined by "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory and NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw. Correspondents Andrea Mitchell, Savannah Guthrie and NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Mark Whitaker will also offer reports and analysis. In addition, NBC News Political Director and Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd will conduct live results analysis for both NBC News and MSNBC; and Lester Holt will report on exit polls for both NBC News and MSNBC as well.

"This midterm is shaping up as one for the record books," said Mark Lukasiewicz, NBC News VP of Specials and Digital Media and executive producer of NBC's Decision 2010 coverage. "It is off the charts by every measure: the number of races in play; the number of wild-card issues and candidates; and the political stakes hanging in the balance. We're going to be going late into the night because that's when the story will fully unfold. We have the most talented and experienced political team -- and now we'll have this unprecedented time -- to give our viewers the best possible coverage."

UPDATED: Network coverage will begin at 6:30 pm, ET, on the "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams." All "Nightly News" feeds will be updated live, with election trends, analysis and results as polls close. The NBC Network's "Decision 2010" special coverage will begin with a two-hour "Decision 2010" special report from 9:00 – 11:00 pm, ET and then continue with coverage from 11:35 pm, ET- 3:30 am, ET. West Coast viewers will get an NBC News live "Decision 2010" special report from 9:00 - 11:00 pm, PT and 11:35 - 12:30 am, PT. NBC News will also offer its affiliates time throughout the special report to cover local and state races.

NBC News will offer comprehensive coverage of the upcoming 2010 mid-term elections across all its platforms, including msnbc, Msnbc.com, Telemundo, NBC News Radio and NBC News Mobile. Storytelling will be front and center in NBC News election coverage. NBC News will employ the use of new technologies to help deliver the stories to viewers. Virtual reality technology will be used to help demonstrate polling results and analysis. IPads and touch screen technology will be used throughout election coverage. Live election coverage will be embedded on Twitter for the first time, allowing consumers to watch on Twitter and share msnbc.com embedded video player with friends and followers.

For NBC News' coverage, a veteran team of NBC News correspondents will report from across the country on key Senate, House and gubernatorial races and a team of analysts, lead by NBC News' Elections Director Sheldon Gawiser, will analyze the statewide exit polls, election results and voter trends. It is NBC News' policy to not project a winner in any state until all of that state’s polls are scheduled to close.

MSNBC

On Tuesday, November 2, MSNBC will offer all-night election coverage from 6 pm to 6 am ET. Evening coverage will be led by Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell and MSNBC contributor Eugene Robinson from election headquarters in New York. Ed Schultz, host of the "Ed Show" will report live from Las Vegas, covering the hotly contested Harry Reid-Sharron Angle Senate race. As control of Congress hangs in the balance, MSNBC will bring viewers results and analysis from key races across the country, with the perspective only our primetime team can deliver.

MSNBC's extraordinary coverage of the 2010 mid-terms continues on Wednesday, November 3 with "Morning Joe" live from historic studio 8H in 30 Rock from 6 am to 9 am ET. Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and special guests will offer complete analysis of the mid-term election results. "Morning Joe" will be broadcast in front of a live studio audience open to "Morning Joe" viewers. More information about tickets will be available at joe.msnbc.com.

MSNBC.COM

The Msnbc Digital Network's extensive election coverage will feature live streaming video and real-time election results to give consumers up-to-the-minute political news on election night. Leading up to the election and beyond, politics.msnbc.com will feature expansive politics coverage, the latest FirstRead blog posts, interactive maps, exclusive multimedia features, live votes, social media integration and world-class video from NBC News.

• Video on msnbc.com will include a live stream of NBC News’ coverage throughout Election Day, with morning-after results and analysis. Consumers can embed and share the live video stream on Facebook, and for the first time, live election coverage will be embedded on Twitter. Viewers can watch the live coverage on Twitter and also share the embedded video player with their friends and followers.
• Msnbc.com’s exclusive Voter Confidence Index (VCI) gives consumers the tools to measure the country’s mood by averaging three key questions from national polls. The VCI is also available as a downloadable widget.
• FirstRead (www.firstread.msnbc.com) will deliver the latest political news as well as insight and analysis from NBC News’ leading political team. The team will blog live throughout election day.
• The NBC Projections Map offers an interactive feature that allows consumers to see the 2010 election projections for the Senate, House of Representatives and Governors races in their states.
• In a partnership with Hashtag Art, the avatars of users who tweet the hashtag #electionday on Twitter will become a part of a mosaic embedded on msnbc.com.
• In a partnership with Watchitoo, a multi-streaming platform that allows web cam participants to communicate in real time, msnbc.com will host a live chat on election night.
• Consumers will also be able to submit pictures and reports from their polling locations.

Consumers can embed the live election video stream and place it on their sites and blogs. Msnbc.com's video player allows them to easily search transcripts by keyword, find specific passages, edit the length of the video and embed any video clip. Msnbc.com was the first major news site to offer embeddable video to consumers.

TELEMUNDO

For "Decision 2010," Telemundo will launch its special election coverage under the title, "Tu Voto, Tu Futuro" (Your Vote, Your Future). The multiplatform editorial initiative will focus on three key issues of special importance to the Hispanic community: the economy, immigration and education. In addition, the network will launch a "get out the vote" campaign supported by an aggressive social media effort. Telemundo's news coverage will include two innovative journalism projects:

• The Telemundo Family Project: the network will select Latino families from key communities around the country (CA, TX, AZ, NM, NV FL, and NY) and cover the issues through the eyes of each family and how they are making their voting decisions.
• The Telemundo Student Project: the network will activate its network of Latino "JR. Correspondents" from college campuses around the country. The youth-driven coverage will highlight what's important to young Hispanic voters through daily TV and web stories.

NBC NEWS RADIO AND NBC NEWS MOBILE

All NBC News Radio affiliates have the opportunity to simulcast NBC News coverage in its entirety. FLO customers may watch simulcast coverage of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC on their cell phones. NBC News Mobile will offer alerts on major race results and offer downloadable content reporting through the night.

• As we did two years ago, NBC News will text projected race results as the polls close on election night. To be a part of this subscriber group and stay on top of election night coverage, viewers should text elex to 622639.
• In the week leading up to election night, MSNBC cable will run daily surveys. Viewers can text in their responses as well as comments that may appear on-air or on-line.
• Also leading up to election night, we'll have a Who Said It? Are you ready to vote? text quiz. We'll text quotes from the campaign with candidate names in multiple choice answers. Points will be rewarded for correct answers and a winner(s) declared.
• Viewers going to www.gomiso.com and checking into MSNBC or NBC News election coverage will be able to earn a custom Decision 2010 badge, get links to stories and share comments in a co-viewing election night social chat on a customized page for the Miso TV viewing site.

Mark Lukasiewicz is Vice President, NBC News Specials & Digital Media, and executive producer of NBC News “Decision 2010” political coverage.