BBC Coverage: US Election Night 2008 opening

[Atheist2006]

I have always been wondering if the British understand American English.

[roswellatup]

I don't get it why people voted that one on 2008, but he's gonna lose in 2012

[MegaCrevice]

@roswellatup Funny how the right-wing trolls disappear right after Obama won in 2008....... and only wait till Obama is now not so popular to come out from under the troll bridge. Then they act all cocky.

Why don't you work out what you are actually saying when you yell "Get your government hands off my Medicare!" --- Sort out that hypocrisy first.

[itsinmynamechap]

I think almost everyone here in the UK wanted Obama to win.

[rileykernaghan]

Is Jeremy Vine ever let out by the BBC into the real world?

[altfactor]

David Dimbleby is the son of Richard Dimbleby, who anchored BBC television coverage of many special events during the 1950's and early 1960's until his death in 1965.

In the late 1950's, the elder Dimbleby was often referred to in the 'States as "The Walter Cronkite of England" because of his skill in anchoring breaking news, something Cronkite was also very adept at.

[cnmmedic218]

@altfactor Walter Cronkite was the Richard Dimbley of America.

[thewalrus45]

damn it where is the full coverage! I remember that used to be on Youtube but the guys channel got banned because of some other video.

it was better coverage then most other networks.

[jimbobjimminy]

Dimbleby is God

[mjwatts1983]

Watch the BBC coverage of the 2010 UK General Election. It helped me understand how the British political system works better.

[tableconnect]

next presidential election i will watch on bbc america except when rachel is on the air on msnbc.

[iggig41]

@tableconnect I love rachel!

[boxersforever3]

what an amazing night.......one that will stay in everyone's minds forever

[imbestigador]

"All through the night we'll be hearing some reactions from the BBC correspondents,Not just in the United States but around the world"

Wow! that puts American Networks to Shame!!!

[kewlguyfl]

American voted...and we got an "Obamanation"....Scott Brown's pickup of the most reliably held leftist senate seat is the opening shot of reclaiming our country from this catastrophe. BHO's poll numbers have plummeted faster than any modern president. He has cleaved his own party into vicious in-fighting and lost the confidence of the American people. In November, we will be able to undo this historic mess of a President.

[WICKEDMAN85]

I was up with my Mum and saw History made, thank god Obama won in style too. Yeah the BBC is brillant, so much better than FOX that load of shit!!!!!!!!!

[hachibeach151]

I am glad I was able to get a torrent of the whole event. Downloading right now!

hb151

[KeithEss]

where from? Could you send the link?

[hachibeach151]

Check your messages...

hb151

[uktvfan01]

Link please?

[hachibeach151]

@uktvfan01 Check your notes soon...

hb151

[SavagePersonified90]

Wow this coverage was so much better than our own. lol

[kefkaROX]

BBC NEWS IS AWESOME!!

[ducksoup2007]

how ??

[profnc]

well, for example calling John McCain "the other guy"...

[slimes23]

He'll be 'the other guy' forever now...

That's how history works.

[profnc]

@slimes23 yeah, i guess u r right... just like John Kerry is now know as... the long faced other guy

[ducksoup2007]

a possible term of phrase still not a smoking gun like what FOX does

[lamparalaptopiaguita]

wah cry wah

[EsotericDesi]

Nice opening...

[RoCkErX285]

i remember watching this at 3:00-5:00 o'clock in the morning and i was so happy when Obama won and i can say that i watched his historic speech live. it was a good night :)

[iyawodara]

Obama's visit to No 10 was memorable, how about Berlin? I hope he does America proud and change their views of the world. Not many Americans including a certain Sarah P know the difference between a country or a continent or names of countries in these continents,..the shocker of them all I was asked by an American if they speak English in my country England. bah! Its high time a really..really educated man became the president of the USA.

[badtown88]

Haha, if someone asked you that, they were most likely from the South. Don't judge all Americans based on that. Most of us hate dumbasses.

[fryersoncaptain]

I'm so sorry about that little incident. Please know that Sarah "Can See Russia From Fantasy Land" Palin and whoever it was that asked about your language aren't really representative of American society as a whole, though there are really too many fools...

[jck148]

does anyone have a copy of the full night of BBC Coverage? Would love to see it.

[van1houtte]

Their accents are sexy. We should have more British reporters here (in America). A lot more Americans would watch the news.

[johnkerry7]

hehe. even England gets excited over our Election :)

[ducksoup2007]

because we will no longer have to put up with bush

[Gambit08]

cool how our elections touch the world

[Baadil1]

It was a great night for America; We did it as a nation as we expacted to do we done thanks to American people. I wish you well but the best our president-elect and I hope you will be one of the best president we have ever had a a nation God blass America as well as entire world!!

[CassieDynomite]

looked good

[firefly123456]

I have to agree, weird and I though the US networks would have more money to spend on presentation.

[maureenOWW]

You have to remember that the BBC is a global broadcaster (the biggest in the world, by a long way) so they invest a lot of money into historic events. They have more reporters than NBC have employees.

[firefly123456]

That is true. However, BBC is a British network (with a global footprint) with very small audience in America. For them to put a better show than the AMERICAN networks is saying something sad about our news. Furthermore, as for resources, all the major news channels are owned by huge corporate conglomerates. You'd think GE, Disney, CBS/Viacom and News Corp would be able to fork over more cash.

[maureenOWW]

I agree, the US networks seemed to spend most of their time talking to people standing on streetcorners, most of who just kept saying HOPE and CHANGE it's a historic day etc, it was boring after about 5 mins. As for money, the US corps have to make money and that means advertisement breaks (which they hate having during 'breaking news' like this, the BBC has no adverts and makes no money.

[SWalkerTTU]

@maureenOWW Actually, the BBC makes a crapload of money--around £3.5bn year from the licence fee alone. The '08-'09 BBC budget was about £4.6bn. The BBC however is a non-profit public corporation, so it can put just about all those resources into programming...which they need for 8 TV channels (6 full-time, 2 part-time), 5 national radio channels, and a large number of local radio stations--and that's just in the UK.

Food for thought--BBC: £70 per capita, CPB $1.40 (roughly).

[grahamkeithtodd]

strangely firefly123456 old son i am NOT surprised at all that the us news shows did not put up a better show then the bbc did!

if a news clip lasts more then 24 seconds then most americans tend to lose intrest!(proven FACT!)

[sbrooks0178]

Damn...this was better than a lot of the coverage in the U.S.

[komak100]

It really wasn't. It was pretty damn amateurish all night long.

[EarlyGraycex]

Wow. The BBC seemed to cover the election just as well as CNN, ABC or MSNBC if not better. As for Fox News... well I don't watch crap so I have no idea.

[hygh2]

CNN did the best job, can't beat a freaking Hologram.

[GoodbyeToBlueberyPie]

It wasn't a real hologram! It was a fucking gimmick...

[maureenOWW]

LOL it's aas much a hologram as the one in Star Wars. i.e. IT'S NOT REAL.

[nextstep333]

@EarlyGraycex Fox News is a fascist network of ignorant people.

[tableconnect]

@EarlyGraycex I just hope the next Presidential Election the BBC will send Paxman

[rtnash420]

@EarlyGraycex

If you watched MSNBC and didnt find it as bias trash you dont know BS when it is right infront of you. PBS, BBC, CNN. Only networks I will watch. MSNBC was worse than FOX even, they should be ashamed. They had all the liberal talking heads out, would be like if FOX had Hannity, Beck, and Bill cover the elections.

I despise all bias in media, you seem to just hate the bias that isnt in line with your thought. Makes you no better than the FOX viewers you put down.

[electrogeek77]

@rtnash420 If you take out the bias, it's still a poor excuse of a news channel just by style and execution. It's endless commentary with a heaping side of mudslinging. I cannot recall the last time I saw a journalist just giving us some news. And their current special on "liberal media bias"? It doesn't matter which channel does this and what slant they're taking on, it's downright disgusting to air something like this on a channel that's supposed to give information.

[electrogeek77]

@EarlyGraycex It wasn't crap that night. It was crap and a half.

[YoungIvyScholar]

@EarlyGraycex BBC covered it much better than MSNBC. BBC doesn't have an outrageous liberal bias. As for it in comparison to Fox, let's not even go there...

[vanitycult]

as an American living in the UK and having watched the BBC on election night, I can say it was a real treat and the reporting was light hearted at times but phenomenal! The segment with Gore Vidal later in the show was great.

Yeah I agree I think John Bolton is a grade A moron but I suppose they had to stir it up a bit.

[mike7743]

wow, the Brits are covering our election? on the other hand we wouldn't even hear about it if tomorrow their country blows off the face of the earth let alone to care about their politics.

[elmatador451]

You are very correct but that's not necessarily a good thing. I think Americans should be more aware of what is going on beyond our borders. Sadly, most of them don't give a shit.

[waltlantz]

While I kind of agree, you understand that while Countries such as England and France still wield considerable influence internationally (particuarly in their former colonies) the US is the 700 pound gorilla in the world. It's natural most things happening outside would seem secondary to us cause, we really are the movers and shakers of the world. (In a broad general sense of course)

[Moionfire]

@elmatador451

This is true. But the truth is that countries which have little global power, tend to be more aware of the world, as they have to be. India, Brazil, and large nations tend to cover more of their country because they are cultural, economic, and political heavy weights.

[maureenOWW]

And yet your country was obsessed to the point of insanity when some 2nd-class english aristocrat (Lady Di) gets killed in a drink-related car crash? Get a grip dear.

[mike7743]

come again. I really don't know what you're talking about. if you're referring to Princess Diana, sorry to disappoint you but half the country never heard of her or really cared at that time, including myself. I had to take a moment to figure what you were talking about. lol..Brits are funny still thinking they're relevant. lol

[maureenOWW]

So when I was in the US (minnesota, about as midwest as you can get) the day it happened, and saw everyone so shocked and upset and it was on the news for the next two weeks solid until it made me want to puke (I hated the bitch), I imagined all of that, did I?

You are a total tool, and were clearly not around at the time, or perhaps locked in your parents basement.

[mike7743]

lol @ everyone being shocked, are you kidding me? and in Minnesota at that?

lmao..what a retard.

[dreamissbehaved]

what's that little red thing the BBC people have pinned to their chest?

[stevemanuk]

It's a poppy for Remembrance Day (November 11th)

[ducksoup2006]

It's a poppy for Remembrance Day (November 11th) it is for all the British army dead these who died for England it is a symbol of their sacrificed and our gratitude

[MohammedHasanie]

Awesome. The BBC had exellent coverage of the elections.

[StevoArmstrong]

I like the opening music. I wonder if the BBC will use it for the next UK General Election, or revamp the 2005 edition of "Arthur"? Comments anyone?

[waltlantz]

This is was carried on BBC One? DAMN

[maureenOWW]

It was on BBC One, BBC News 24, and BBC Parliament.

Clearly nothing else imporant happened on the planet that day.

[AdmiralPrice]

The Gore Vidal interview was CLASSIC

[yes4me]

I love BBC. At least they are not influenced as much politically as American news and give better news imo.

[deachick]

Actually, it was kind of a joke. I thought it would be good coverage, done in a non biased way, but alas...it was comical, especially the Gore vidal interview and John Bolton the US Ambassador (!??!!) who kept arguing with the reporters, and even wanted them FIRED!!??!! No wonder our country is in a shambles, Bush had appointed YET another idiot to a serious position. Bolton had NO BUSINESS being an Ambassador, unless it is to cause unrest and tension with other countries!

[theBlockerPH]

i think he is already have been relieved of his duties, because of MANY criticisms a few years ago.

i still wonder why the hell BBC got Mr. Bolton, can't they think of anyone whose not on far-right?

[Moionfire]

@theBlockerPH

the BBC tends to purposely pick people to make right wing people- espeically american ones look bad. There are many right wing americans they could have choosen to talk about the US policy be it ecomic or foreign policy...

[koldapu]

whoa bbc news had better coverage than some US stations!