Vivek Kemp is an on-the-scene reporter and a regular contributor to GE Reports.
Barack Obama was just sworn in as the first African-American President of the United States. As he was, a crowd of NBC producers, editors and curious onlookers gathered in a small Washington D.C. control room to watch.
“This is awesome,” said Lessandra MacHamer, a production manager for the Today Show. This was her fourth inauguration. “It’s huge.”
Just beyond this dimly lit room, beyond the wall monitors and control panels, a projected 2 million people converged on the National Mall – the largest inaugural gathering ever. They came despite the 28-degree temperature. Despite the fact many would only see Obama on a JumboTron. They came to be a part of history.
NBC and MSNBC’s challenge was to convey the feeling of that history to the millions who watched from their homes.
“Every year technology changes,” MacHamer said. “We can tell this story better now than ever. We’re broadcasting in H.D., we have more capacity for live shots. We’re always advancing. That’s why I never get tired of this business.”
Mark Whitaker, NBC News’ Washington Bureau Chief, watched the coverage from a conference room. “For 20 years, you really felt like one side lost. Like one-half of the country was grieving. Not this time,” Whitaker said earlier in the day. “It’s great to feel that we can all be Americans, not just be Democrats and Republicans.”
MSNBC and NBC had to work together to produce the day’s coverage, he said. “I want to make people feel the power of all our shows and platforms – that we’re all one family,” he said.
Outside, just after the swearing in, Howitzer cannons blasted a salute, punctuating Obama’s official new status. “It gets me every time,” said Brian Williams, off-air, after he heard the Howitzer-fire. This was his seventh inauguration.
President Obama then took the podium for his inaugural address. The crowd in the control room silenced. The crowd on the mall cheered.
The day before, Williams looked out at the Capitol building, from his anchor position. Outside, vendors were selling everything Obama — buttons, bookmarks, even oven mitts. “Take away who he is,” Williams said. “Say he’s Joe Smith. Just the fact that so many people are excited about a president. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. They’re just jazzed.” And while he’s the face of NBC News, he admits, “I’m just one small cog in what, I honestly believe, is the best news team in the world. No one does it better.”
