CHICAGO — Our WFAA crew of senior political reporter Jason Whitely and photojournalist Darryl Golden are in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention. And while the focus of the week is on the main stage -- where speeches from President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris are headlining the action -- there's a flurry of activity going on behind the scenes.
From parking lots full of media trucks and trailers, with news outlets from across the world converging on Chicago for weeklong coverage, to celebrity sightings in the concourses and tunnels of the United Center, there's a lot of moving parts that go into a major political convention.
On Tuesday, our team took you behind the scenes, as Whitely and Golden walked from their media workspace in the parking lot to the broadcast booth areas setup in the arena suites.
The WFAA team is renting workspace in the same hub as CNN, so it wasn't a surprise to bump into a few of that network's personalities, including David Axelrod, the former Obama staffer and current political commentator. Then our team got a look at the media presence outside of the arena, including a Japanese TV network getting ready for an update.
Inside the United Center is where the frenzy began, from a "blue carpet" laid out for social media influencers to the long hallway of broadcast booths, where everyone from Fox News to PBS to NBC News set up shop this week.
Check out the full video:
And yes, Whitely eventually did run into the guy he was looking for: Comedian Matt Friend, known for his spot-on impressions.
Enjoy:
More Democratic National Convention coverage from WFAA: