Tom Brokaw with Jim Lehrer

We are sitting in the audience for “An Evening With Tom Brokaw.” He just said he believes the debate will happen tomorrow. I am posting a picture from the event. Also, we do know that both parties’ “people” did a final walk through the debate hall today, along with the moderator, Jim Lehrer. That is great news for our debate, which should take place in 24 hours.

Ole Miss has invested more than $5 million on hosting the debate and contributed hundreds of its employees’ time to prepare. The stage is set and ready, as you’ll see in my photos from this morning.

Governor Barbour and the Chancellor answered media questions well and stressed that the debate will go on as planned. After the news conference, we escorted mostly local media into the Ford Center for a photo opportunity of the stage. The coolest thing, at that time, was happening on stage. Two Ole Miss students, Tyler Craft and Mario Hilliard, were posing as the candidates for a broadcast technical rehearsal. But, they weren’t just standing there. The two, along with another student posing as the moderator, were actually debating the issues. It was exciting and better than just an empty stage.

There is a media welcome reception this evening, and then my goal is to meet Tom Brokaw. He is speaking tonight to a sold-out crowd. He is a big fan of the university, and on numerous occasions has spoken positively about Ole Miss. Shep will arrive late tonight. It will be good to see him again. Stay tuned, more news later.

Media Frenzy During McCain Announcement

What an afternoon here when McCain announced he wanted to delay the debate. The media tent finally started hopping as many journalists and more photojournalists flooded into the Filing Center to shoot photographs of everyone gathered around the hundreds of TV monitors here.

We assisted the University in issuing a statement to media and distributing that statement worldwide. The university is ready for the debate. I’m posting a photo of some of the frenzy in the tent in the last hour. Thanks to Kristin for helping me blast information to tens of thousands of journalists. She’s a pro.

Technical/Production Setups

The media frenzy is underway here at the Ford Center. Reporters and producers are starting to arrive. The TV technical production guys are in high gear assembling equipment. We have been answering questions from the media. The “where is a good place to eat” questions started at 9 am. Ajax was the answer.

Media Filing Center

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.