DEL.ICIO.USConvention’s TV producers hoping for heavy coverage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, August 22, 2008
WASHINGTON — When folks find out that Ricky Kirshner will be co-executive producer of next week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver, they often ask him whether they can tune in and see him on television.
“I tell them that if they see me on TV, something will have gone really wrong,” said Kirshner, who has produced TV specials ranging from two Super Bowl half-time shows and the Tony Awards in addition to all the Democratic conventions since 1996.
Ed Andrieski/AP
Ricky Kirshner (center, in black), a producer for the Democratic National Convention, talks with Democratic leaders Howard Dean; Federico Pena, co-chair of the Obama campaign; and Democratic Convention CEO Leah Daughtry at Invesco Field during a tour of the facility Thursday.
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Joining the veteran behind-the-cameras TV showman as co-executive producer is Mark Squier, a Democratic political operative.
“This is the first time two executive producers have been paired,” said Squier, who said he is “coming more from the political messaging side.”
“Pairing Ricky’s unparalleled production experience with Mark’s strategic political insight will make an unbeatable team,” predicted Leah D. Daughtry, the convention CEO.
In the words of a Hank Williams Jr. song, the co-producers are carrying on “an ol’ family tradition.” Squier is the son of the late Robert Squier, a pioneer Democratic political consultant, and Kirshner’s father is Don Kirshner, a legendary rock music and TV promoter and producer.
The measure of success for the four-day production that begins Monday, said Squier, will be whether the party’s nominee — Illinois Sen. Barack Obama — is elected president in November.
For most Americans, political conventions are television shows and have been for decades.
“But it is a television show that is increasingly ignored,” said political analyst Larry Sabato. “Essentially, it’s a TV propaganda show.”
The 1972 Republican National Convention, where a script was released showing how every minute was programmed in the nomination of Richard Nixon, “worked perfectly,” said Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Since then, he said, both parties have tried to make all conventions run as smoothly as rehearsed TV specials.
“When they’ve veered away from precise programming, they’ve tended to lose. Remember when Ted Kennedy was unreconciled with Jimmy Carter at the Democratic convention in 1980 or when Pat Buchanan was going after George H.W. Bush” at the GOP 1992 Convention?” he said.
These staged conventions “are better for the parties but a real bore” for viewers, he said. As a result, TV networks and even some cable news networks have cut back coverage — with gavel-to-gavel coverage as anachronistic as party hacks picking nominees in smoke-filled back rooms.
As executive producers, Kirshner and Squier are responsible for the look and feel of the convention and how all the elements come together, they said in a telephone interview. They’ve been working on the production for more than a year — beginning long before the party picked Obama as its candidate.
“We knew this election was about change” no matter who the Democratic nominee would be, said Squier. “The electorate is sick and tired of what’s going on.”
Producing a political convention differs dramatically from producing a Super Bowl half time or network TV special because the producer lacks absolute control of what goes on the TV screens, said Kirshner, whose father managed The Monkees and produced a syndicated TV show called Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.
When he produced the half-time shows starring Prince and Tom Petty and featuring a colorful cast of thousands, Ricky Kirshner said he determined every camera angle and close-up. Inside the Pepsi Center at the convention, though, those decisions will be made by CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, CNN and other networks that cover the event.
“We’re creating a live event,” he said, but cannot choreograph the TV coverage.
“We’re basically putting a program on in the hall and wanting as much coverage as we can get,” said Squier.
The convention producers — as well as the networks themselves — are challenged with preventing viewers from clicking to other channels.
“Conventions are somewhat antiquated. A lot of the mystery has been taken out of it,” admitted Squier. “We have to figure out ways to make you guys (news media) want to cover it.”
There will be broad themes to guide the speakers for the four nights of the convention. The theme for Monday is “One Nation” and the featured speaker will be Michelle Obama, the wife of the soon-to-be nominee. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., will be the headline speaker for the Tuesday night theme of “Renewing America’s Promise.” On Wednesday night, vice presidential nominee will give an acceptance speech on the theme night of “Securing America’s Future.” And Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High stadium will be the highlight of a night on “Change You Can Believe In.”
Kirshner grew up in South Orange, N.J., and attended his first Democratic convention in 1976 when he was an unpaid page in New York City. Later, he was an intern at ABC’s “Good Morning America” and his first job out of college was with ABC’s “20/20.”
After producing four NFL Opening Kick-Off shows, Kirshner produced the 2007 Super Bowl half-time show starring Prince - the most watched television program in the world. In 2007, he won an Emmy, his third, for the 2006 broadcast of the “60th Annual Tony Awards.” His productions include the “Boston Pops Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular” for CBS, the Vibe Awards for UPN, the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Parade on CBS and the GQ Men of the Year Awards for NBC.
On the political side, he produced President Bill Clinton’s 1997 Inaugural Gala on CBS. Following September 11, 2001, Kirshner produced the “I Love NY” commercial in Times Square, featuring more than 400 Broadway performers honoring New York.
“It’s what I love about what I do: live TV and live events,” Kirshner declared on a Democratic blog. “The adrenaline rush of being on and hoping it all works. It is a function of a lot of preparation and working with a lot of great professionals.”
Mark Squier, who grew up around Washington, D.C., has run Democratic political campaigns for a quarter of a century.
Before co-founding McMahon, Squier, Lapp & Associates (MSLA) in Washington, D.C., Squier was the lead producer for nearly ten years at the Washington media firm, Squier/Eskew Communications. While there, Squier produced ads for more than 20 current and former senators, members of Congress and governors, including the late Ann Richards of Texas. Squier and his partners also worked as senior strategists for Howard Dean’s unsuccessful presidential campaign and successful campaign to for Democratic National Committee chairman.
Answering questions on a Democratic blog, Squier said his father — “who is considered one of the founders of political consulting” —had the greatest influence on his career path.
“One of my first memories of being interested in what my father did for a living was when he took me to see ‘Face The Nation’ on CBS,” he recalled. “I was nine and Dad was working for Hubert Humphrey. I can still remember Vice President Humphrey’s distinctive voice. Boy, that really dates me.”
Sabato said political conventions as television spectaculars have changed since that era. He predicted that the four-day convention will soon be replaced by two nights.
Now all that matters to viewers is the introduction of the vice presidential candidate and the presidential acceptance speech, he said.
“All the rest of the stuff is just cotton candy,” Sabato said.
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