Denver Police want to add surveillance cameras for the convention

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The Denver Post reports that the Denver Police Department wants to add 20 surveillance cameras to several areas around downtown Denver. They are hoping that the added surveillance will make the convention more secure.

Police hope to install at least 20 high-tech video cameras by spring that can capture images as detailed as faces and license plates, said police Sgt. Ernie Martinez.

"All officers have radios, but we want to put eyes to those ears," Martinez said. "It puts a cop on every corner for the protection of the citizens in the area."

This leads to the question of who will be paying for these cameras that can cost as much as $20,000 each. With security funding still pending Denver may be stuck with the bill.

Texas delegation's hotel is 10 miles from downtown Denver

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As Matt stated in earlier posts some states were given hotel assignments that they weren't too happy about. Here's yet another story from the great state of Texas.

Texas will be sharing a hotel with American Samoa ten miles from the Pepsi Center when the convention comes to town. According to the Dallas Morning News the Texas delegation will be staying in the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast which is about a 20-30 minute drive to downtown Denver on a good day with no traffic and a tailwind.

It certainly isn't the first time Texas Democrats got less-than-primo lodgings.

In 2004, in Boston, they got stuck at the airport Hilton – nice enough, but a hike by trolley or shuttle to the convention site. In 1992, it was a Days Inn in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.

Maybe if Texas can pull out a win for the Democrats in 2008 they'll get first choice on hotels for 2012.

Still no availability at the Red Lion-Denver

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A quick update on the stripping of Michigan's delegates. Turns out Michigan's been given 30 days notice:

The rule-making body of the Democratic National Committee ... tentatively recommended stripping Michigan of all its 156 delegate slots at the August 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver for setting a primary date of Jan. 15. The DNC panel said the penalty would take effect in 30 days unless the state party submits a delegate selection plan that complies with DNC rules.

According to the DNCC, the delegates haven't actually been taken away yet - that won't happen until after the 30 days expire. So Michigan gets to keep its hotel rooms, for now. But just in case they become available, Colorado Confidential gives us the room details:

"Enjoy the ambiance that soaring ceilings, slate stone columns, rich hardwood fixtures, Tibetan area rugs and a hand-painted mural provide," the website for the Red Lion reads. "Rooms feature brand new furniture, a 27" flat tube TV set along with free high-speed wireless high-speed Internet access and a pool and fitness center."

Wow, a 27'' flat tube TV. Also available for $299 at Best Buy.

Are Michigan's convention rooms available?

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Last week the DNCC stayed consistent, and did not assign any hotel rooms to the Florida delegation, since there is officially no Florida delegation. Well, today, the DNC also stripped Michigan of their delegates:

Democratic leaders voted Saturday to strip Michigan of all its delegates to the national convention next year as punishment for scheduling an early presidential primary in violation of party rules. Michigan, with 156 delegates, has scheduled a Jan. 15 primary. Democratic Party rules prohibit states other than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding nominating contests before Feb. 5. Florida was hit with a similar penalty in August for scheduling a Jan. 29 primary.

Michigan had been assigned the Red Lion Denver Central. Looks like the Democrats Abroad will have the run of the place.

Hotel assignments: Winners, Losers, and then there's Florida

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With the assignment of hotels to the state delegations, I needed someone local to interpret the results, and Colorado Confidential has the winners and losers:

Winners: New York, California, Colorado (big surprise), Vermont (another big surprise for Dean's home state), New Mexico, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio
Losers: Alaska, Nebraska, Delaware, Hawaii

And what about Florida, whose delegates, if they ever get any delegates, are homeless at the present? An emailer notes that the Grand Hyatt, where the Colorado delegation, and as of now only the Colorado delgation, is staying, is a large hotel, and has lots of rooms left over after the Colorado rooms are set aside. Very interesting...

Florida doesn't get a hotel assignment

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Readers of this blog know I focus on logistics, not politics, and there's an assumption that in this day and age the nominee will be chosen months before the convention starts. So there is essentially no overlap anymore between the politics of the primaries and the logistics of the convention. It's Howard Dean's job to prepare the convention and the national party and turn over the keys to the nominee as soon as he or she is picked.

For that reason I've chosen not to cover the debate over the primary schedule, and states moving earlier than the DNC allowed, because I assumed that as soon as the primaries were over those states whose delegates are being threatened would be restored. I mean, can you imagine the Democratic nominee actually supporting the non-seating of the Florida delegation at the convention? All it takes is a vote by the delegates at the convention to overturn any decisions made earlier, and by that point, who cares whether Florida gets seated.

Well they may get seated, but, as of now, they have nowhere to sleep. Dan Slater at DemNotes starts us off:

The DNCC has announced the housing assignments for the Democratic National Convention in Denver next August. First, some background: Somewhere between 17,000 and 19,000 rooms across Denver have been blocked off by hotels in the metro area for the Convention. Of these, around 6,000 to 7,000 are set aside for state delegations. The ones that are set aside for delegations are all in one of three areas: Downtown, Tech Center, and Stapleton. This summer, nearly every state sent a representative to Denver to tour hotels in those three areas and make their preferences known to the DNCC. Since September, the DNCC has been working on a complicated puzzle, trying to take into account the preferences of the delegations (some wanted close hotels, some wanted cheaper hotels, some wanted hotels with a lot of amenities, and some were limited to the largest hotels, etc.) and the available hotels.

Today, the DNCC announced the assignments.

The thing is, Florida did not get assigned a hotel. Now, it wouldn't surprise me if there's a hotel in Dean's backpocket, but at least Dean and the DNC is being consistent - I mean, if you don't have any delegates, why do you need a hotel room?

Update from the Denver Post:

Florida moved its primary up to January in violation of Democratic National Committee rules, leading the party to strip the state of its delegates for the convention and prevent them from being assigned a hotel. "We're following the direction we received from the party's rules and bylaws committee," said Natalie Wyeth, a spokesperson for the "At this point, we are just focused on the delegates we have."

The eventual Democratic presidential nominee could ask that Florida's delegation being reinstated to the convention, a likelihood given the state's electoral importance. But it's unclear what that would mean for the 210-member delegation's accommodations in Denver. "We can't speculate what the candidate might or might not do," said Wyeth.

That's a great quote by Wyeth: "At this point, we are just focused on the delegates we have."

And Florida responds:

However, the Democratic presidential nominee could ask that Florida's delegates be reinstated, and the powerful bloc is counting on just that. "We're looking forward to visiting the beautiful Mile High City," said Florida party spokesman Mark Bubriski.

Democratic National Convention Committee officials say their omission of Florida comes at the national party's direction. But hotel assignments are just beginning, and only about 7,000 rooms are blocked for the 5,000 delegates, their alternates and guests. In all, the DNCC has 17,000 rooms to ratio out to delegations, media and other party officials.

Sounds like there's plenty of hotel rooms left. But Florida has a big delegation, not to mention a Democratic Senator who is a superdelegate who I'm sure would like to be housed with his delegation, if someone would just tell him where they will be.

Update: Guam Loves Jason Rosenberg plots out the route for the Guam delegation from their hotel to the Pepsi Center. Needless to say, Guam did not get the best hotel assignment. Maybe Guam should offer Senator Bill Nelson of Florida a spot in their hotel?

Congress refusing to pay for convention security

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The U.S. government has traditionally, and I think appropriately paid for much of the security for the major party national conventions. Well Congress is taking their time:

Denver will be forced to pay millions of dollars in upfront security costs for the 2008 Democratic National Convention if federal appropriations remain stalled in Congress, several officials said st week. The concern is at such a level that Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Betty McCollum, DeGette's counterpart representing St. Paul, Minn., which is hosting the Republican National Convention, plan to send letters this week to the congressional leadership and to the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee urging action.

With Congress out for the two-week Thanksgiving recess, and the appropriations process stalled during debates over funding the war in Iraq, the host cities fear they won't have the money in hand when they need it. Denver and St. Paul have requested a total of $100 million.

The cities say that they aren't prepared to pay the costs of providing security for the national conventions in the post-9/11 environment and that they aren't prepared to wait for the federal bureaucracy to reimburse them long after the balloons and confetti have fallen.
...
"It is extremely important that we get at least some of the money upfront so that we can start forming plans and signing security contracts," DeGette said in a phone interview Friday. "This is a big deal," DeGette said. "We want to ensure that we get at least a down payment."
DeGette and McCollum have crafted the letter and are collecting signatures from the congressional delegations in Colorado and Minnesota.
...
DeGette and others stress that ultimately the money should be there. But the experience of the 2004 conventions has haunted planners in Denver and St. Paul. It took Congress two terms to free up the money needed to secure the Democratic convention in Boston and the GOP's event in New York in 2004. During that long process, the cities had to shoulder large costs. Boston wasn't fully reimbursed for nearly two years.

"That would be less than ideal here," said Leslie Oliver, spokeswoman for Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat from Golden. "Denver isn't set up like Boston or New York, nor is (St. Paul), to bear the cost. It would be a big hardship, which is why we're pretty adamant to write the letters and push this along." DeGette said conversations she had with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper last week stressed that security officials here aren't able to sign some contracts and set other plans in place while the appropriations process remains in limbo.
...
A request for the $100 million within a House bill this spring was trimmed down to $25 million - or $12.5 million per city. A request for the full $100 million was approved by the Senate this summer.

Obviously security cost have skyrocketed in recent years, and the burden can not be picked up by the local cities. Congress will eventually appropriate the money, so they might as well just do it now to make things easier on all concerned.

Press focuses on food at Denver walkthrough

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While I know that there was likely talk of radio frequencies, camera placements and floor access, the press, or at least the press covering the press at the media walkthrough, chose to focus on the issue of food at the 2008 Democratic Convention:

The economic challenges facing journalism are grave, but they haven't managed to kill one of the industry's most venerated traditions: the all-expenses-paid trip of dubious news value. Despite planned remarks by Democratic National Committee chairman (and recovering screamer) Howard Dean, the 2008 Democratic National Convention's Fall Media Walk-Through, staged on November 13 at the Pepsi Center, didn't promise to generate significant headlines. Nevertheless, representatives of media organizations planning to cover next August's bash flocked to Denver by the hundreds. Most of them learned next to nothing, but they ate very well.

Granted, the walk-through's breakfast spread could have been more diverse. Pepsi Center nosheries such as the Nutty Bavarian were closed, and even though the food tables sat next to displays of cotton candy and Dippin' Dots, the menu was dominated by bagels and pastries. Still, the journos seemed satisfied as they took seats along one side of the arena while images of natural wonder — mountains, streams, Denver Broncos cheerleaders — played on the overhead JumboTron. I wound up next to several representatives from the New York Times, which makes sense, since seemingly every third person at the venue wore a name tag stamped with the paper's name. (Who at the Times was forced to remain back east? A couple of interns, maybe?) The Times scribe nearest me asked a colleague, "You're staying tonight, right?" Upon receiving an affirmative answer, he proclaimed, "Party at Elway's!"

Shortly thereafter, Leah Daughtry, the convention's CEO, greeted the assembled masses and pointed out the event's primary prop: a blue balloon, affixed to a folding chair, that signified the main podium. Then, after platitudes (and precious few specifics) from a handful of other convention execs, press reps toured the facility prior to engaging in a Q&A that touched on several important matters. For instance, a WNYC radio employee complained that "the food choices in Boston," where the 2004 confab took place, "were limited to Dunkin' Donuts only," adding that "the Republicans fed us pretty well."

"Oh, that's a low blow," Daughtry joked before asserting that Dems "have a reputation for throwing better parties.... We like to eat and have a good time. So don't worry about the food."

I've been looking for a picture of that blue balloon. If anyone has seen one, please drop a comment or email. Update: Thanks to Aaron in the comments, we have our blue baloon!

Pepsi Center media walkthrough today

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The media covering the 2008 Democratic Convention gets its first logistical look inside the Pepsi Center today:

A few hundred representatives from the full spectrum of news media are gathering today in the Pepsi Center to scope out the realities of covering the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The editors, producers and trains-on-time technicians will get “a top to bottom look about,” said the Democratic National Convention Committee's Wally Podrazik, a veteran of convention logistics.
...
The DNCC estimates that more than 15,000 members of the media, including staff from stage crews to assistants to news anchors and producers, will be in Denver during convention week, Aug. 25-28. Besides getting an overview of the convention site and a chance to learn more about hotel rooms and credentials, many of the representatives will be looking for ways to showcase new advances in technology, Podrazik said.

Podrazik profile on DNCC blog

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Jason Rosenberg has been profiling various staff members of the DNCC, and today he turns his attention to Director of Media Operations Wally Podrazik:

For the ninth Convention running, it will be Wally Podrazik – with bullhorn in hand – leading the media though this first glimpse inside the home of the Democratic National Convention.

When Wally isn’t doing media logistics for the DNCC, he is busy writing books. In fact, he’s written ten books over the years, including “Watching TV: Six Decades of American Television” (a season by season story of TV). Wally, a Chicago native, also has written extensively on the greatest band of all time, The Beatles.
...
Q: We’ve got to ask: What drives you to keep coming back?
A: I love the role the convention plays in the process. This is the launching pad, the beginning of the final run to Election Day. And working with the media organizations is particularly satisfying. Every four years there have been leaps in technology that they’re eager to show off. More important, this is an event that brings out some of the best in journalists. Even as they gripe about preordained outcomes, they’re still here because THEY recognize this as an important event.
...
Q: Of the nine Conventions you’ve worked for, is it possible to identify a favorite Convention moment?
A: When the speakers connect with the crowd, it’s magic. President Clinton. Rev. Jackson. I can still picture the face of a young woman during the acceptance speech of Geraldine Ferraro as the vice presidential nominee (1984, San Francisco). I happened to look over and saw a joyful tear in her eye. For her, this was more than a speech, it was a moment of great pride, hope, and excitement. After all the business of the logistics of a convention, what ultimately matters is providing a stage, a platform, an opportunity, that allows people to feel invested and a part of our democratic process. It’s a terrific feeling.

Along with Jackson's speech, I'll throw some other moments that I was in the hall for: The overnight repainting of the podium from blue to Jimmy Carter's campaign color of Green before his speech; Ted Kennedy's speech in 1980; Gary Hart's speech in 1984; Mike Dukakis' entrance into the hall to Neil Diamond's "[Coming to] America", and the Clinton walk from Macy's to Madison Square Garden on New York in 1992. Great pageantry, although not always ultimately succeeding in November.

DNCC starts a blog

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The official blog of the Democratic Convention is now online. There are already a bunch of good posts up - make sure to check them out.

Convention names producers

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The show-runners of the 2008 Democratic Convention have been named:

An Emmy-winning producer and a longtime political strategist and media consultant will stage the Democrats' 2008 convention in Denver. The pairing, announced Monday, is meant to match production and political experience for the Aug. 25-28 political extravaganza.

Ricky Kirshner has produced every Democratic national convention since 1996. Most recently, he produced the 2007 Super Bowl halftime. Mark Squier has worked with Democratic candidates for more than 25 years and has produced ads for more than 20 U.S. senators.
...
In telephone interviews, both producers expressed a desire to showcase the Intermountain West and recent political successes Democrats have enjoyed here. "We have a success story in the West. That's a story that really needs to be told," Squier said, citing Democratic victories in governors' offices in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana and Wyoming.

Remember, its a television show first. The smoke-filled room are long gone.

Restaurants filling up fast for convention

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Want your state delegation in the hottest restaurant? Better make that reservation quickly:

Denver restaurateurs are stocking the bubbly for the bonanza that the 2008 Democratic National Convention is expected to provide. Venues are booking up fast. Real fast. By only its third day of operation this week, LoDo's new Osteria Marco restaurant - operated by the well-known owners of Mizuna and Luca D'Italia - already had booked two parties for convention week.

LoDo's Tamayo, with its terrace view of the Pepsi Center, where the Democrats are holding the convention, was booked solid months ago when a single Denver law firm bought out the restaurant from the Saturday the delegates arrive to the following Saturday. "Because we had such a huge role in bringing the convention to Denver, I wanted to play a role of being able to host functions," said Willie Shepherd, a partner at Kamlet Shepherd & Reichert and a key member of the Denver committee responsible for hosting the convention. "It's going to be something else."
...
The much-celebrated Restaurant Kevin Taylor already has booked one complete sellout and five smaller parties during the convention. Companion venue Prima Ristorante also has booked one full-restaurant party, and the restaurants' shared wine cellar is nearly booked solid for the first three nights.
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"The logistics of this thing are just so enormous," said John Imbergamo, who handles marketing for some of Denver's best-known eateries, such as Dixons, Racines, Goodfriends, Panzano and the two Morton's steakhouses. "The big question in everybody's mind is 'Do I do private events or stay open for walk-ups?"'

Because it remains unclear to many owners, especially in light of disappointing sales during the recent NBA All-Star Game, Imbergamo is encouraging clients to book as many clients as early as possible.
...
A bonus of the Mountain time zone is that the convention will be held two hours earlier to accommodate prime- time TV coverage for the East Coast. The Mile High City schedule - late afternoon to 9 p.m. - leaves Denver's dinner hour wide open. But with demand so great for brunch, lunch, and pre- and post-convention parties, many restaurants may be too busy for the traditional walk-up.

That is one key advantage. With an east coast convention that ends at 11 it's mostly informal drinks afterwards. But with an 9:00 finish, and trust me, the convention will end at 9 each evening, there will be lots of dinners eaten every night. The top restaurants should do fine.

Homeowners looking for quick rent money

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Where there is demand, supply is sure to follow:

The Democratic National Committee has blocked out 17,000 Denver-area hotel rooms for a week, but won't allow any of the 35,000 people expected to reserve them until January. A $1 million donation will land a company on the DNC's priority housing list. A $250,000 donation will secure at least one room.

So, companies are looking for alternatives to hotels and some Denver residents are looking to cash in on providing lodging during the convention, scheduled Aug. 25-28. Rick Mirsky is planning a vacation with his fiancee during the convention and renting his loft in lower downtown to a Washington law firm for $2,000 a night while he's gone. "It's an opportunity that rarely happens, to be able to make $5,000 to $10,000 in a matter of four days," Mirsky said. The law firm is still looking for another 41 rooms.
...
Developer Mark Falcone, chief executive of Continuum Partners, said he's getting inquiries for units downtown and in Lakewood. Continuum is asking a minimum of three months' rent to lease a place for August. Falcone said that will cost $12,000 to $13,000 for one of the Denver units. "There are people who really do need things for a whole month," Falcone said. "Three hotel rooms would have the same cost and value for the same duration."

If you've got the space, why not make a little, or not so little, money out of it. And if you're a Republican, and want to get out of town anyway, even better.

Still no Hyatt contract

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A year ago it was huge: Workers at the Denver Hyatt Regency, the convention headquarters hotel, formed a union. Well a year later, the workers still don't have a contract:

More than a year has passed since employees at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Denver became unionized, and workers still don't have a contract negotiating wages or health benefits.

The hotel, located at the Convention Center downtown, was touted as a boon to Denver's bid for the 2008 Democratic Convention when it was announced in late September last year that workers had successfully organized a union, appearing to show that the Mile High City would at least have one unionized hotel for delegates to stay at.

But that may not be the case, if the Hyatt cannot come to an agreement with the labor union representing the hotel employees. A staffer with UNITE HERE, the labor group representing the Hyatt workers, has confirmed that there is still no contract enforcing workplace issues like wages, health benefits, and vacation time.

If there's no contract by next summer, it will be embarrassing for the Democrats to have their convention headquarters at essentially a non-union hotel.

Convention rentals at a premium

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Looking to rent housing during next summer's convention? Better act fast:

Renters may have fewer homes to choose from in Colorado.
...
The 2008 Democratic National Convention may also be another reason for the scarce rental vacancies. The convention will be in Denver in August of next year. Visitors to the convention have already started looking for short-term rentals with in a short distance of the Pepsi Center. On the Craig's List Web site, Denver homeowners have started posting their properties as rental.

Homeowner Jeff Davis has offered up his condo for rent specifically during the convention. "Competition is going to be the hotels (which are) $200, $300 and $400 a night. It seems like a good time to rent the place, generate a little extra income and potentially get out of town," he said.

The organization Housing Helpers of Metro Denver has already received phone calls from groups looking for rentals ranging from a few weeks to more than 6 months. "People are looking ahead," said Dave Janecek, a Housing Helpers employee. "I guess they anticipate, if they don't take care of it, there's a limited supply of housing and when it's out ... it's out."

Housing experts expect the demand for temporary housing to move well beyond hotel rooms. Pat Waak, state Democratic Party Chairman, said 12,000 volunteers for the convention will need a base of operation and a place to stay. "If you have a best friend, who live in downtown Denver, call them up right now," Waak said.

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Fox News to provide convention pool coverage

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There's a mini-controversy about the announcement that Fox News will provide the pool coverage for the Democratic Convention. First, the news:

TVNewser has learned Fox News will be the pool for the Democratic National Convention in Denver beginning August 25, 2008. And NBC News will be the pool for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis the following Monday, September 1.

The pool provides camera shots inside the convention halls and can be used by any cooperating (read: paying) entity. A network insider tells TVNewser it's really as simple as drawing straws about which network will be the pool for a certain event. Since NBC and FNC will be pool for the conventions, the other networks will likely be the pool for other events, including next fall's debates.

Now the controversy. From OpenLeft:

Fox News is not a legitimate news outlet, but a partisan outlet pushing out GOP propaganda. Why in the world would this channel be allowed to control the camera shots inside the hall?

While I agree that Fox News is very partisan, the post at OpenLeft shows little knowledge of how a pool works at a convention. The pool is there to provide standard shots - especially shots of the podium. There is no need, and actually no room on the camera stands, for each network to provide their own camera to give the same unmoving shot of the speaker. More importantly, each network provides its own cameras for its own shots, and each network does its own production, choosing when to use its own shots, and when to use the pool shots. Also, the pool does not provide any graphics, commentary, or anything close to any editorial discretion. There's really no way that Fox providing the pool coverage could affect how the convention is covered.

Convention looking for interns and volunteers

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It takes a lot of people to put on a convention, and Denver's putting out the call for more. From Dan Slater at DemNotes:

Last night, I was in Denver again for a meeting of the Denver 2008 Host Committee’s Volunteer Committee (that’s a long name!). I am one of the co-chairs of that committee, along with Landri Taylor and Cec Ortiz, who are both wonderful people with which to work. The Committee is continuing to work to ensure that we plan for every possible contingent to identify and utilize the 7,000 to 10,000 volunteers that will be needed to put together the most memorable Democratic Convention in the history of our Party.

If you haven’t yet signed up to volunteer, you can do so on the State Party’s website (www.coloradodems.org), or at the Denver 2008 website (www.denverconvention2008.com). If you have signed up, you should have received about four different e-mails from the Host Committee over the past few months providing short updates. If you have signed up, but haven’t received those e-mails, you may want to check your spam folder and junk e-mail settings to be certain they aren’t being mis-identified as spam. You also may want to try signing up again online.

In the next couple of months, you will be able to set your volunteer profile online, and that will help us identify where we can use you as a volunteer as things heat up closer to next summer. So, when you get the e-mail about your online profile, be sure to go online and get that done — hopefully, before the end of October.

Right now, though, the Host Committee is in need for more college interns. If you, or somebody you know, is interested in being an intern for the Host Committee / DNCC, please send an e-mail to the Host Committee with your resume or qualifications to info@denverconvention2008.com - be sure and put “Intern” in the subject line, so your e-mail doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of e-mails received by the Host Committee daily.

Also, the Host Committee is looking for volunteers who can donate a full day or more a week on a regular basis to helping out at the Host Committee offices. Send an e-mail to the address in the prior paragraph with the subject line “Full-Day Volunteer” with your availability.

Volunteering for a political convention just can't be beat. And if you can be one of a few, instead of 1 of 10,000, the possibilities are endless. Those intern positions, or working in the Host Committee offices, are great ways to get in early and really make a contribution.

Convention looking for volunteer housing

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The Colorado Democratic Party notes the Denver Convention Host Committee is looking for housing for volunteers for next August:

The Denver 2008 Host Committee is looking for volunteer housing. While many of the volunteers for the 2008 Democratic National Convention will be from Colorado, some of those volunteers will come from outlying areas around the state. Also recruitment is going on in surrounding states. Most hotel rooms locally will be used to house state delegations, press, and others associated with the convention. If you know of someone who has extra room during next August, please contact Sondra Williams, Volunteer Coordinator at Sondra@DenverConvention2008.com or 303-534-6200.

How many journalists will cover the convention

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Interesting column in the Rocky Mountain News this weekend on how many media people will actually attend and cover the 2008 Democratic Convention:

The estimate of 15,000 journalists includes media support personnel, and it's the same figure the big political conventions have used for planning purposes since the 1992 or 1996 events, according to Wally Podrazik, director of media operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee.

But as you've noticed, major news media aren't spending as much money these days, so it's reasonable to assume that fewer mainstream journalists will come to Denver than came to previous conventions.

Fact is, most of the cutbacks have already occurred at previous conventions. When the networks were providing major coverage, they used to send 700-800 people each to the convention. But since they've cut back their coverage, they've already cut their numbers considerably, so 2008 shouldn't be much different than 2004. And trust me that the increase in bloggers covering the convention hasn't made up for it.

And if Wally Podrazik says they're planning for 15,000, they're likely to get near 15000. Podrazik has been doing media planning for conventions since 1980, and he works very closely with the umbrella press organizations that help to organize convention credentialing. I would trust his 8 conventions worth of experience over a local Denver columnist.