The hidden technology behind Fox News’ election night that fooled everyone

Behind the scenes this year, Fox News used some ground-breaking technology to wow viewers without them even knowing it was there.

Traditionally, election night graphics have been anchored in real-time results across screens and tickers. But now, viewers expect more: interactive graphics that respond to data in real time, powered by sophisticated data integration and graphics technology.

Tools like XPression and Voyager, Ross Video’s real-time graphics platforms, have transformed how we visualize complex political data, enabling newscasters to engage viewers with everything from bar charts showing real-time vote tallies to interactive maps of crucial battleground states.  

This year, Rocket Surgery and Fox News redefined interactive on-air graphics again. After the success of their 2020 election broadcast, Fox News asked Ross Video’s creative services team, Rocket Surgery, to deliver an even more immersive and interactive experience.  

The result was Graphics on Command: the first implementation of the voice-activated switching tech teased at our 2024 NAB Show keynote – and an industry first. Graphics on Command technology makes Fox’s 2024 election broadcast a turning point for broadcast graphics technology. This system ‘listened’ to Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer, processed his natural language commands, verified the request context, and converted it into commands for DashBoard and Voyager to display the appropriate graphic without manual input. 

Led by Bo Cordle, Rocket Surgery’s R&D arm, Rocket Labs, was instrumental in developing this technology, pioneering the combination of AR graphics, AI, and voice interaction to bring next-generation graphics to life. 

“The focus had to be on storytelling, not technology. Achieving over 99% accuracy with context-aware voice control transformed this from an interesting concept into a revolutionary tool that let Bill Hemmer and the Fox News team focus on the election narrative as it unfolded.” 
— Bo Cordle, Team Lead, Rocket Labs  

To ensure smooth execution, the system included a sophisticated “state machine” that interpreted commands contextually. For example, when Hemmer mentioned the vote margin for “Fulton County,” the system differentiated between whether he was talking about Fulton County, Georgia or Fulton County, Pennsylvania, and sent the correct command. Similarly, commands like “let’s clear this” selected the appropriate transition-out sequence, creating a smooth experience for on-air talent and viewers at home.   

Another key technology that enabled this was the integration of Stype Follower alongside a prototype tracking pen from Stype, giving on-air talent a new level of interaction with AR graphics. With this unique tool, talent can analyze real-time data and explore electoral scenarios, taking the power of the election touchscreen and bringing it into 3D space. Over 10,000 data points from the Associated Press drive these immersive graphics, including a faithfully recreated White House and Capitol environment where viewers can be seamlessly transported between the latest election results displayed as part of this monumental environment. 

Beyond the immediate impact for Fox News, Graphics on Command opens a future of more responsive and intuitive automated production workflows. By integrating voice command with real-time graphics, we’re paving the way for similar applications across news, weather, sports, and other live broadcasts. It’s a testament to our commitment to innovation and the forward-thinking partnership we have with Fox News. With Graphics on Command, election night will never look the same again. 

“The future is now. Integrating voice controls with virtual graphics is an industry first that will lead to all kinds of interesting innovations in the future, in election broadcasts and across the industry. And that’s just one example of how we’re innovating.”  
— Jim Doyle, VP of Creative Services, Ross Video 

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