Members and staffers couldn’t help but notice an unusual number of TV cameras whirling around the Hill on Wednesday.
The organization behind the extra cameras? NBC News, which is producing a “Dateline” special called “Taking the Hill: Inside Congress” with “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams, who attracted curious onlookers in the Longworth Cafeteria.
The documentary is scheduled to feature interviews with House and Senate leaders, who we assume will be slow-jamming the news with the anchorman.
NBC flew in staffers from across the country for the day — from places such as Florida, California and Colorado (as well as, of course, from D.C. and New York) to document daily life on Capitol Hill.
They have about 30 cameras and are expecting to gather 75 hours or so of interviews and B-roll.
On top of that, the D.C. crew spent the whole day on Twitter, complete with its very own hashtag and handle (#insidecongress and @InsideCongress, for the curious).
Among the Senators caught by the ubiquitous NBC cameras was Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman (I), who is NBC News Communications Director Erika Masonhall’s former boss. Roll Call’s very own photog, Tom Williams, may also cameo. (As an aside: Life on the Hill can be hard like math, as some of the newbie TV crews found out. One team was caught trying to enter a “Senators only” elevator. Sorry, guys. Members Only isn’t just a windbreaker around here. It’s a lifestyle brand.)
The program is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Sunday on NBC.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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