There are some things that are holy in newsrooms. The First Amendment. The RTDNA and SPJ Codes of Ethics. The AP Stylebook. Election Night Pizza.
Minnesota and Wisconsin journalists got their doses of Election Night Pizza last week, and South Dakota newsrooms will receive their orders tonight. More is coming nationwide in November.
TV and newspaper newsrooms have long had major cultural differences, but one thing that brings them together is the tradition of consuming large amounts of saturated fat and carbs while waiting for election results to filter in.
Update: the election night pizza has arrived. pic.twitter.com/cZmpMQi9Mx
— Alicia Tipcke (@AliciaTipcke) August 10, 2022
Election night in the Star Tribune newsroom means pizza. Lots of pizza! And a little bit of salad for balance. pic.twitter.com/EaEK5bVSA9
— Duchesne Drew (@DPDREW) November 4, 2014
Election night coverage meeting in the newsroom. 30 minutes until the polls close. And traditional election night pizza. #IYKYK Tune in to @CBS58 for updates on all the races for the primary. #Elections2022 pic.twitter.com/ALJTd1leXt
— Amanda Porterfield (@PorterfieldNews) August 10, 2022
Election night pizza in the newsroom pic.twitter.com/OQJc18KQqU
— Karen Pilarski (@KarenPilarski) August 9, 2022
The magic of Election Night Pizza is that a congealed slice with the least popular toppings while stressing out about a missing precinct at midnight is somehow more comforting than the fresh pizza was five hours earlier.
Newsrooms in the Duluth market consume a lot of Election Night Pizza because there can be four major elections in one year due to the different schedules in the three states they reach.
The first time I was in charge of ordering Election Night Pizza, I grossly underestimated how many slices college-age volunteers could consume before the polls even closed. I’m lucky I survived the night. Fortunately, my boss bailed me out by putting in a second order for the same number of pizzas I’d ordered the first time.
When counting the number of people who will eat, you have to count everyone in the building, since it’s torturous to make the production crew and sports department sit silently while the newsroom nervously downs slice after slice.
Shoutout to every sports reporter in the country shamelessly helping themselves to the election night pizza.
— Devin Fry (@FryTheSportsGuy) August 10, 2022
Is it ok for a meteorologist to eat Election Night pizza that is bought for the newsroom? Asking for a friend.
— Mark Baden (@Mark_Baden) August 9, 2022
It’s not just the number of pizzas, but the type. Thin crust? Thick crust? Toppings? Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options? I knew that if one particular director would be working, I’d have to order Hawaiian Pizza or I’d hear about it.
You also need to plan ahead. Pizza shops might not be able to handle a sudden order for 12 to 20 pizzas, so you have to call ahead and warn them. Some national chains use automated ordering systems that won’t let you call the local restaurant to confirm they’ve actually received your important order.
That’s what happened when someone else was in charge of ordering the pizzas. We waited and waited but the driver didn’t show up. You don’t want to be in a newsroom with a bunch of hungry, stressed journalists on Election Night!
But the worst Election Night Pizza experience was at a different station where the newsroom budget was under tight scrutiny.
“At this time, I am denying your request for Election Night Pizza,” the general manager wrote in an email to the news director.
Turnover in that newsroom was probably something higher than 50% in the following year (I was among the departures). It wasn’t directly about the pizza, but it was a symptom of bigger problems.
Don’t mess with Election Night Pizza.
Jon Ellis has worked in small-market TV news for 20 years in assistant news director and producer positions.
LINK: More Newsroom Notes