Media picking Faneuil Hall as perfect Boston backdrop

By now, a few things are nearly certain about Democratic Convention Week. The traffic will be maddening. The politicians will be glad-handing. And anyone flipping through the television dial, in Massachusetts and around the world, will get mightily accustomed to gazing at Faneuil Hall.

The historic marketplace turned mall is shaping up to be the top icon of Boston, the leading backdrop for anchor shots outside the FleetCenter. NBC and MSNBC plan to park there for days, broadcasting the "Today" show and cable fare from a 30-by-20-foot plot near the Salty Dog cafe.

Other networks have also expressed interest in parking anchors and sets in the plaza, said Michael Kelleher, vice president and general manager of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which oversees the shopping and dining space.

And the City of Boston, concerned that protesters might gobble up all of the public space around the site, applied for permits to allow television satellite trucks to park around the city-owned entrance.

The city won preliminary approval for permits at Sam Adams Park, near the eponymous statue; on Curley Memorial Plaza; and on Washington Mall, an upper-level lip of City Hall Plaza that overlooks the marketplace below.

For an event designed to showcase Boston to the world, image has been a top priority for planners. Officials with Boston 2004, the local host committee, steered network scouts to city sites.

After scoping out a few locales, from the banks of the Charles River to the dock by Old Ironsides, NBC executives concluded that "Faneuil Hall had the whole package," said Phil Alongi, executive director of the network news division. He hailed the marketplace's history and constant foot traffic and said the site seemed to represent "the pulse of the city."

But some media critics balk at the notion that Faneuil Hall, wrapped in classic brick and cobblestone, is still the truest Boston ambassador.

"Forget about blue states and red states; the theme will be blue bloods and red brick," said Matthew Felling, media director of the Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., who wishes the networks would more creative

"Unfortunately, America's going to be pelted with the same images they see in every set-up shot they see on 'Cheers' and 'Ally McBeal,' " he said.

Felling's suggestion: Give would-be tourists a different sense of Boston color.

"Wolf Blitzer at Wonderland. Ted Koppel at Ruggles. Who wouldn't love to see the back and forth between Bill O'Reilly and a waitress at Durgin Park?" he said. "If you're going to do site research, do something new."

At least one network will bypass Faneuil Hall completely. The Fox News Channel will set up at the Boston Harbor Hotel, broadcasting from the roof and from a ground level spot overlooking the docks.

"Faneuil Hall . . . seemed like a cliche almost," said Marty Ryan, executive producer of Fox's political coverage. "We wanted to find some place that looked different."

Some producers counter that shorthand is essential to giving viewers an instant sense of place. "You would want something identifiable, more than unusual," said Marcy McGinnis, senior vice president for news coverage at CBS. "You go to Rome, you're standing in front of St. Peter's. You go to Paris, you're at the Eiffel Tower."

Faneuil Hall has logistical advantages, too, said Rosemary Lappin, political producer at WCVB (Channel 5), with history, tourists, and proximity to the FleetCenter.

It also offers a chance to attract spectators and generate buzz, Kelleher said. When ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast from the site last year, about 1,000 people showed up at 6 a.m. to catch glimpses of network stars.

News executives say they'll have ample opportunity to showcase other Boston images, as well. ABC and CNN are touting the campaign bus, a sort of roving studio that rolled through Iowa and New Hampshire during the Democratic primary season.

Convention-related news will probably dictate a few more prominent sights, producers say: Empty lanes of closed-off Interstate 93; police picketers, if the city's contract disputes haven't been resolved; the protests that take place throughout the city.

And in case Fanueil Hall gets overcrowded, the city has reserved a less-traveled but still brick-filled spot for spillover: North Square, near Paul Revere's House, in the North End.