DStv Covers the U.S Presidential Elections

Now, after more than 18 months of debates, speeches, primaries and political rallies, the U.S. presidential campaign trail culminates on November 4. CNN and BBC World will be right there to bring viewers across Africa hours of non-stop election night coverage, live on DStv.
On CNN (DStv channel 401), the program: US Presidential Election 2008 will have teams in place in more than 32 countries, including Kenya, Obama's father's birth place; as well as Iraq, Israel, key capitals of Europe, Asia and Latin America, together with the key battleground states in the US.
Fronting the coverage from the CNN Election Centre in New York will be an award-winning team of political reporters and analysts including Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Campbell Brown, Bill Schneider and John King, who will report minute-by-minute using the 'Magic Wall' and break down the data from the key states as the information pours into the election studio.
Audiences can also tune in for BBC World’s live broadcast from the BBC’s bureau in Washington D.C. Their program: U.S. Election Night will be anchored by David Dimbleby, one of the BBC’s most experienced and highly respected presenters of news and major live events, alongside Matt Frei, anchor of BBC World News America. They will be joined in the studio by veteran newsman, Ted Koppel for big picture perspective and global analysis.
U.S. Election Night airs on Tuesday November 4 at 21:00 pm on BBC World (DStv channel 400).
There will be global reaction from the BBC’s reporters and contributors as well as the University of Virginia’s Professor, Larry Sabato in the studio. Reporting from the key campaign headquarters will be Washington Correspondent, Katty Kay with the McCain team in Phoenix and Gavin Hewitt, with the Obama team in Chicago.
The United States presidential election of 2008 will be the 56th consecutive quadrennial United States Presidential election where the President and Vice President of the United States will be selected.
The 2008 election is particularly notable because it is the first time in U.S. history that two sitting senators will run against each other for president, and because it is the first time an African American is a presidential nominee for a major party, as well as the first time both major candidates were born outside the continental United States – Hawaii for Obama and the Panama Canal Zone for McCain.
As the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, is African American and the Republican nominee for vice-president is a woman, the eventual winning ticket is very likely to be historic, as neither an African American nor a female has achieved either office. Also, the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, would be the oldest first-term president and the Democratic nominee for vice-president, Joe Biden, would be the first Roman Catholic vice president.
Other nominations include: former Congressman, Bob Barr nominated by the Libertarian Party; pastor and radio talk show host, Chuck Baldwin, nominated by the Constitution Party and former Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney nominated by the Green Party. The president-elect and vice president-elect are scheduled to be inaugurated on January 20, 2009.