Networks offer nightly convention coverage

ABC and CBS will offer gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Democratic and Republican conventions this year over the Internet, along with one hour of prime-time television coverage on three nights of each convention.

Last week, NBC said it would offer one hour of prime-time coverage each night of both conventions, supplemented by five hours of coverage each night on cable channel MSNBC.

Political conventions have become staged “publicity making machines” for both parties and thus inappropriate for the television networks to cover to the extent they once did, “Nightline” host Ted Koppel told the Television Critics Association on Monday.

Koppel walked out of the Republican convention in 1996 and did not attend the Democratic convention that year to “make a statement that conventions had significantly changed,” he said.

But both he and “World News Tonight” anchor Peter Jennings said it was proper to use new technology to bring more extensive coverage to those who want it.

“I really do think it is our responsibility to give the parties an opportunity to put their spokesmen in front of the American people,” Jennings said.

Jennings will host ABC’s prime-time coverage as well as 19 hours of coverage that will be made available to local stations to broadcast over their digital signal.