Marathon TV election coverage

It's the grandest soap opera in town, there is no escape from the matchmaking, and nobody is more excited about this than the presenters who will bring the results to the nation.

TV One and TV3 have the usual full-on marathon slogs - TV3 hosted by John Campbell and TV One's by Susan Wood and Mark Sainsbury, who are facing their first election as hosts rather than reporters.

TV One has 3D graphics and "virtual sets" so Susan Wood and Mark Sainsbury can take viewers on a tiki tour through Parliament by walking across the studio set.

TV3 election executive producer Keith Slater says TV3 is concentrating more on getting the results out quickly. "We don't do flash. What we do is fast. Sometimes the fancy do-dads can detract from what viewers actually want and that is clear, accurate and fast graphics telling them what's happening."

What he really means is they can't afford to get too many flash gizmos in. Besides, all the graphics in the world can't beat the thrill of TV3's great sausage roll hunt. According to host John Campbell, the first reporter to find a sausage roll at a party HQ wins.

For those to whom hours of John Campbell seems like a primeval form of torture, there is full radio coverage on Radio Live, Newstalk ZB and National Radio, where Linda Clark is facing her first year hosting on radio rather than television.

TV ONE, FROM 7PM
Presenters: Mark Sainsbury and Susan Wood
Panel: Political commentators Colin James and Nigel Roberts, statistician Hugh Morton.

TV3, FROM 7PM
Presenter: John Campbell
Panel: Political scientist Dr Therese Arseneau, unionist Andrew Little, Act MP Deborah Coddington, Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws.

MAORI TV, FROM 8PM
Taaria te Waa, to 11.30pm.
Presenters: Temuera Morrison, Moana Maniapoto, Stacey Daniels.
Focuses on Maori electorate seats.

TRIANGLE, FROM 9.30PM
Elect, from 9.30pm.
Triangle's first live broadcast will be hosted by the new Craccum editor, Ryan Sproull (he takes over next year).