Hundreds of National Media Members Descend On Milwaukee For RNC Preview

Media members at Fiserv Forum for the 2024 RNC fall media walkthrough. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

From how to apply for credentials to where networks can build broadcast suites, media members and producers got their first official look at how the 2024 Republican National Convention will operate this week.

“Why are we in Milwaukee? I would love to tell you it’s the cheese, the beer, the food,” said Anne Hathaway, chair of the national Republican Party’s Committee on Arrangements, to several hundred media members assembled on the floor of Fiserv Forum Thursday morning. “But seriously, Milwaukee and Wisconsin made it clear they want the 2024 Republican convention here in Milwaukee.”

The actual convention doesn’t start until July 15, but getting to that point is a logistical maze for both the Republican Party and media outlets.

“They are going to make this easy. They are going to make this fun. And they’re going to make your life easier,” said Hathaway. She delivered her remarks in an arena soaked in red imagery and from a podium designed to show planners where the nominee and other speakers would speak from.

Host committee chair Reince Priebus, a long-time Republican strategist and former White House chief of staff, said his role for the event was apolitical. The host committee’s job is to make sure the event is a success for all involved he said.

Priebus’ group, led by CEO Ted Kellner, held a well-attended welcome party Wednesday night at the Miller High Life Theatre that featured an open bar and a wide array of Milwaukee and Wisconsin food, including plenty of cheese.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson also said his role isn’t political, and made it clear his politics don’t align with the Republicans.

“Let me let you in on a little secret… I’m not a Republican, in fact I’m a proud Democrat,” said Johnson. “That means my role here is different. I’m not here in a political capacity. My goal is hosting a convention that brings attention to Milwaukee… My desire, my goals to ensure that we are bringing economic impact to residents right here in this city.”

After the initial remarks, media members were able to review potential spaces big and small for their outlets. Those in attendance from national outlets were not on-air personalities, but behind-the-scenes producers and executives that must figure out what space needs to be rented and constructed. Options include private luxury-box-like studios for major networks, stand-up spaces for other networks, special press seating areas, photo podiums and an array of rentable media spaces in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Baird Center.

“I want your experience in Milwaukee to be spectacular,” said Johnson to the attendees, a mix of local, national, and internal media members and individuals affiliated with different social media platforms.

Hathaway said her side of the convention already has 23 full-time staff “on the ground,” the host committee also has its own staffing operation.

There were two words none of the speakers said Thursday: Donald Trump. While the former president is widely expected to be the nominee, all of attention was focused on how the event would operate.

An additional walk-through is expected to take place in the spring, with organizations building out their spaces in advance of the formal convention from July 15 through 18. In addition to the formal convention venues, a number of outlets are expected to rent spaces nearby for additional studio space.

For many in attendance, the walkthrough might have triggered a sense of deja vu. Effectively the last major in-person event for the 2020 Democratic National Convention was a January walkthrough at Fiserv Forum. Less than two months later the COVID-19 pandemic effectively rendered the convention a virtual affair.