Excitement and anticipation are in the air here in Oxford. If you have never been to the Ole Miss campus, it is truly breathtaking. You’ve probably heard the stories of tailgating in the Grove (of ancient oak trees) before football games. I can understand why. The entire campus is a beautiful place, perfect for the gathering of students and the Ole Miss community. What a place for the first presidential debate: a university with unrivaled beauty and grace.
The Ford Center, where the actual debate takes place, is just down the street from the Grove. And, already the street in front of the Ford Center is blocked for media technical set-up. There are platforms built along the sidewalks in front of the Ford Center, where reporters will report live later in the week.
We toured the Media Filing Center, which is the “temporary tent” where media file their stories. It’s really not a tent.. it’s huge. Inside are hundreds of work stations where reporters can set up their computers and equipment. From what I understand, after the debate is over on Friday night, the Filing Center turns into a bit of a wild place, as both parties parade their people into the center for live interviews.
Already, the hospitality Mississippi is so famous for is showing. From the banners and signs posted throughout campus to students saying “Hi” to us, Ole Miss is opening its doors to those of us who don’t live and work here every day.
This afternoon, we discussed the PR strategies we will use to reach out to national and international media who are arriving in the next 48 hours. It’s going to be a pretty exciting place by Friday. So far, Fox & Friends (Fox network’s morning show), CBS Early Show and all the local (Jackson, Memphis) media are broadcasting live morning shows from the Grove. Already, we saw Jackson and Memphis TV news staff reporting live at 6pm today. This is a huge local story for both markets.
Tomorrow, we have a tour of the working media area scheduled, as well as a large staff meeting for all of us who will have any contact with media folks. ‘Til then, goodnight, y’all.
