‘CBS Evening News’ pre-debate edition suffered audio issues

By Matt Collins Article may include affiliate links

“CBS Evening News,” not surprisingly, broadcast from inside the Gaillard Center auditorium where its debate set had been installed ahead of its Feb. 25, 2020 debate — and things worked out well at the start of the broadcast when anchor Norah O’Donnell was on stage.

However, after those first segments, she moved to a small setup inside one of the “boxes” on the side of the Charleston, South Carolina, auditorium and it quickly became harder and header to hear her as the natural sound of people starting to enter the space and chattering echoed.

The background audio noise seemed to continued to get louder as the broadcast went on and, presumably, more people started making their way to their seats.

O’Donnell was wearing a white label mic to match her white outfit instead of a handheld or headset microphone that are often used in situations like this because they can drown out background noise better — think parades, sporting events and conventions.