Phoenix CBS affiliate KPHO had a bit of a control room slip-up while testing election night graphics last Friday afternoon. A friend just sent this screen grab to me (click image to make it larger):

Binders full of bias…
Stephen Kruiser is a professional comedian and writer who has also been a conservative political activist for over two decades. A co-founder of the first Los Angeles Tea Party, Kruiser often speaks to grassroots groups around America and has had the great honor of traveling around the world entertaining U.S. troops.
What is that weird blue graphic? Bovine lady parts?
Cow Porn. It is Phoenix after all.
Careful there. I might have to bite you.
Keith Olbermann’s got a new show?
As a hifi enthusiast (“hysterical”, according to my wife) I cant identify that white top-left box. So what is it?
BTW, this election is already over. And Obama won. Just ask any “reliable” “news organization”.
Are you asking about the box in the upper-left of the cabinet, below the TV? That one is a Motorola DCH3416 HD cable box/DVR.
Well, that’s a relief. If they had called it the other way, we’d probably be under Marshall Law or something.
Or maybe even martial law or something.
Having long since divorced ourselves from marital law.
Eh, they haven’t been worth watching since they stopped being the “independent” station.
Back in the day they had Wallace & Ladmo, not to mention “The World Beyond”. Japanese Godzilla flicks every other week on Saturday. Good times, bro!
A lotta funny stuff here. Prescience and clairvoyance aside, it has what passes as our current president getting 43% of the vote and Romney getting 40%. That leaves a lot on the table. Does Nostradamus see some kind of viable third party that’s supposed to spring up in the next two weeks?
So who got the other 15m votes in their simulation? Ross Perot? (Can’t expect a Dem to go 50+ without a third party, after all.)
So if all the news stations SAY this, does that make it true? How would we ever know?
Stop believing in your lying eyes and do what you’re told.
This campaign has been brought to you by the letter”B”. Big Bird, Binders, and Bias.
Damn. You weren’t supposed to see that.
In an alternate universe, Kerry won in 2004 and was re-elected in 2008. This matchup was between Kerry’s 2008 running mate (Obama) and Romney. I think Hillary took the third party votes.
I used to work on the software for the decision desk for one of the “big three” networks. The odds are that the data for that graphic came from the AP TTT feed system, and I would not make any big deal that they had “the won” up this time. At this point they are typically doing 3 or 4 transmission tests a week , and have probably done at least two a week since August. One day, they will have an R land slide, the next a D, they will have days where it is too close to call till late in the test, they will have reversals of data, and of AP calls, they will basically test every single condition you can think of, particularly after the software issues from Vns back in 2002 (look that up)
Thanks for that clarification! I was about to go into conspiracy mode,
No problem. I know at the network I was at, the “graphics” guys got in on the testing typically mid October, and they also took the data feed. Like I said, they try to exercise the entire system, and that includes President, Gov, Senate and House races, but obviously the 1st three are where most of the attention is paid. They even test referenda, and like I said, over the months, they will test just about ever scenario. Some (like a 3rd Party Candidate winning) will tend to get tested once or twice, and that’s it. Certain Senate/Gov/House races, they might test the non incumbent winning once in a while, but concentrate on the incumbent winning (OK, does anyone, and I mean anyone expect Sen. Gillibran (NY) to lose? – and I’m a NY Republican…).
If you think of it from a computer systems design, you basically HAVE to test the system in every combination, so if sometime during the testing season I had not seen EVERY state go EVERY direction (Red/Blue/Green(3rd party)) I would have worried (even though at least in MY code, there was no state specific code).
Also remember, ALL the major players (MSM or not, Print and electronic, etc) all get their data from the same source – exit polling from EMR, vote data from AP. If THEY get it wrong, everyone gets it wrong. The initial call for Gore in Florida was because VNS gave reversed data over the system – I never heard if it was Florida SoS that reversed the data, or if it was a data entry clerk. I know that the head of our desk questioned the data and was assured that it was correct before the call was made (a usually R county was reporting D, by almost exactly opposite what the polls had shown). They corrected that a few minutes later with a “You were right, it was reversed”. Anyway, I’ve been out of the network since Jan 2010, so don’t have much in the way of details for this year
Who’s to say that the election isn’t already rigged. The TV station just let the cat out of the bag too soon.
I’m with you, I don’t trust the system or the people operating the system anymore. If people can hack into government computers, defense department computers and so on, what makes you think they haven’t already gotten into the computers running the election tallying system.
So was that Gary Johnson or Jill Stein that pulled down that impressive 17% of the vote?
Well, part of the joy of voting is never knowing whether your guy will win until after you do it, kind of like playing the lotto. But the other joy is getting the “I Voted” sticker as a reward, that you can smugly show off to prove your superiority over the less civic-minded.
Even though the first part is kind of ruined for me now, I guess I’ll vote anyway just for the sticker.
I remember 2000 when Bush won the first time against Gore. MSM reporters were crying. Can’t wait for this election. Pop plenty of popcorn.
And CBS is hosting the last debate. I’m sure that they already have the outcome planned for it too. Let’s hope to see some more “unexpectedly”.