Obama's inauguration available everywhere on TV

It was hard to miss the moment on television when Barack Obama lifted his right hand to take the oath of office as the nation's 44th president. The transfer of power was everywhere you'd expect, on the CNNs and ABCs of the TV world. But ESPN also interrupted its sports highlights to show it. MTV cut away from self-obsessed "Real World" roommates. Business networks CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox telecast it, although the stock market tickers stayed on the screen. BET and TV One celebrated the arrival of a black president, and BBC America took its focus off Britain. Not since the September 2001 terrorist attacks have so many television networks shown such a unity of purpose, this time for a moment of hope. The networks bore witness both to a history-making event and a uniquely American ritual, with coverage that was most effective when anchors and commentators faded to the background. There were spectacular pictures: the sweep of a huge crowd cheering as if at some massive sporting event; the motorcade taking the Obamas and Bushes to the Capitol; Michelle Obama handing a gift to Laura Bush; and former presidents greeting one another before taking their seats. "What a moment for the man, what a moment for the country," ABC's Charles Gibson said after Obama assumed the presidency. On NBC, Lester Holt noted simply how many people were singing the National Anthem, when that is not always the case. CNN analyst David Gergen seemed to nail the day's mood early. "It's almost like Mardi Gras in January," he said, "with a much more serious purpose." The networks faltered when they let giddiness get the best of them. Gibson talked about getting chills, and not because of the weather. "There's just something about this day," he said. "The buildings are a little brighter." Anderson Cooper should wince at a playback of his attempt at music criticism: "There are three first ladies on this stage," he said. "Aretha Franklin is the first lady of soul." (Actually, since he overlooked Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton, his count should have been six.) Like an election night, news networks hauled out some expensive tricks, such as Fox News' impressive graphic map of Washington used to place the events. CNN contracted for a satellite to take a shot of Washington from space, and asked its viewers to send in pictures of the exact moment Obama took the oath of office. With a small search of its archives, NBC could have had a real memorable moment: Andrea Mitchell, reporting among the dignitaries on the reviewing stand, mentioned how she interviewed young Sen. Barack Obama there four years earlier during the Bush inauguration. It would have been priceless to see a clip of that interview. While the networks all assigned reporters to cover a crowd estimated at more than 1 million people, they were underused. The ordinary Americans who stood in the cold to witness history were a bigger part of the story than was reflected, as was evident by the rock starlike cheers that rang out during the Obamas walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. NBC's Norah O'Donnell and CNN's Dana Bash contributed quick, clear-eyed reporting Tuesday afternoon when Sen. Edward Kennedy had to be taken from a luncheon in a medical emergency. Kennedy, ill with a brain tumor, suffered an apparent seizure and was taken in for evaluation. There was no immediate word from medical personnel on his condition, although fellow senators said he remained conscious as he was taken for further evaluation. Obama's inaugural address largely drew a thumbs-up from the TV reporters covering it. Fox's News Channel's Brit Hume called it a "marvelously eloquent speech delivered in the characteristically flawless way by the new president." CBS historian Doug Brinkley said it was a "very beautifully written speech." Many commentators noted, though, the undercurrent of criticism at outgoing President George Bush that may have undercut the polite way the two men dealt with each other. "I suspect that if President Bush had read the speech before they had that ride to the Capitol, it may not have been as warm," said NBC's Tom Brokaw. On MSNBC, Peggy Noonan noted the visible warmth between the two families, epitomized by Michelle Obama's gift to her predecessor (a journal and pen for writing her memoirs). Yet it was undercut by a crowd singing "na na hey hey goodbye" as the Bushes helicopter took off. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who the night before had urged Obama to prosecute Bush for war crimes, couldn't hide his glee at the moment. "We have liftoff ... and to all a good night," he said.