Press: Like a Suburban Swimming Pool

NBC is first with a splash of Reagan blue, but Cronkite scores

For millions of viewers who had settled in with snacks and drinks for a long night of watching election returns, it was like an eagerly awaited heavyweight championship that ends with a knockout eleven seconds into the first round. At 6 p.m. E.S.T., an hour before Election Night coverage got under way at the three networks, CBS News President Bill Leonard confidently collected a bet from a Carter backer, proclaiming, "It's gonna be an early night." At NBC, John Chancellor signed on at...