The only people here at the Republican National Convention who outnumber the delegates are members of the media. Thousands of journalists from around the world have gathered here in St. Paul. Unlike in Denver where the media were stationed in five large tents around the arena, the journalists here in St. Paul are all gathered under one roof. One huge roof. It's a building called the RiverCentre, which is connected to the Xcel Energy Center and is big enough to hold everyone. There's more than 125,000 square feet of space on three floors.
We're on the top floor next to a wall of windows overlooking the Mississippi River and the Wabasha Street Bridge. Our neighbor is conservative radio talk show host Michael Medved. There are several other TV stations and networks (NY1, CNN, NBC), newspapers (Washington Times, Dallas Morning News) and national magazines (Time, U.S. News & World Report) on our floor, most of them in the 27,000-square-foot ballroom. And all the RNC news conferences are done in a ballroom right across the hall from us.
Right below our location is what's called "radio row." Actually, it's several long rows of radio stations and networks from around the world doing live broadcasts around the clock, many of them interviewing the movers and shakers within the Republican Party. It can get a bit noisy down there, but it can also be a good place to find the right people to talk to.
On the floor below that, in the building's large exhibit space, are mostly newspapers (Washington Post, USA Today), wire services (Associated Press, Reuters), and magazines (Newsweek).
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