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Reporter's Notebook - August 17, 2000
By Mike Mulcahy
Part of MPR.org's Democratic National Convention coverage.


SHARON'S A STAR

We would have posted a picture of Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton on the convention floor Thursday night, but she wasn't on the floor. She was up on stage for the big Al Gore celebration. Sayles Belton definitely had a national profile at the convention, and she isn't ruling out a job in a Gore administration. After her meeting with Joe Lieberman Thursday , and her special guest status during Gore's speech it seems likley she ccoul get an offer is Gore wins.

IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

Sam Donaldson was just one of the TV types working the internet side of the convention. ABCnews.com had a major presence in both L.A. and Philadelphia in the so-called internet alley section of the conevntions' press areas. In fact it looked as if that web operation alone had a staff comparable to MPR's newsroom. The thought was that the internet would become more popular as TV covered less and less of the conventions. The early word is that the web casts aren't exactly drawing huge audiences. Donaldson told USA Today that on a good day about 3,000 people catch his webcasts compared to 6,000,000 who see his reports on the TV news.

Some reporters had to leave early to catch a riverboat in LaCrosse, Wis.
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TICKET HEADS TO LACROSSE

Some delegates and reporters left L.A. a lot sooner than they wanted to. The newly nominated Democratic ticket headed to LaCrosse for their trip down the Misssissippi right after a big fundraiser following Thursday night's speeches. The trip on the boat costs reporters $600 per day as the soft money free lunches comee to an end.


Mike Mulcahy's is MPR's senior political editor. You can reach him at mmulcahy@mpr.org.