Stations Going Mobile For Election

Forget about the candidates -- the big winner on Election Night this November figures to be mobile media. That’s according to some local TV news pros who say the time has finally arrived for so-called “second screens” -- mobile phones and tablets -- to become “first screens” on Nov 4 as news consumers rely increasingly on their mobile devices for Election Night returns.

The challenge, local TV executives say, is in creating second-screen experiences that complement, enhance or otherwise drive viewership to what they’re doing on the air -- and vice versa. Whether stations have a handle on the new media and how to apply it to their Election Night coverage plans, in the final analysis, it’s the substance of what a station is providing -- on whatever platform -- that matters most, says Sinclair’s vice president Scott Livingston.