Convention TV coverage

WGBH-TV (Channel 44) will broadcast the constitutional convention from the State House beginning today at 2 p.m., as part of its program Gavel to Gavel, until the gay marriage debate adjourns. The coverage will be live and uninterrupted, station officials said in a news release.

New England Cable News will also air the joint session today at 2 p.m. Its coverage will be anchored by R.D. Sahl with former state treasurer Joseph D. Malone and former state senator Warren Tolman providing commentary. Coverage will air commercial-free until the debate adjourns, according to a news release.

The State House will open today at 8 a.m., and visitors to the building must pass through security, according to a news release. Public entrances are at the front of the building and on Bowdoin Street.

More than 200 members of the news media are expected to cover the convention, said Ann Dufresne, a spokeswoman for Senate President Robert E. Travaglini. She said 120 seats in the chamber are available to the public, but up to 1,100 others can view the televised session in Gardner Auditorium and the Great Hall.