ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the transformation of the overall media system in which the presidential campaigns operate. The interplay between media forms is complex and in some respects often hidden by the mundane nature of their operations, it can be productive to pull apart and foreground specific components. To operate effectively on the national stage, presidential campaigns have relied on the media, typically mobilizing the latest technological innovations as a way to give their candidate an edge. Media provides a series of snapshots that can tell people much about the changing nature of media formations over time. The chapter examines an earlier instance of transformation: the 1892/1896 shift from the stereopticon to cinema. The order of presentation was probably intended, but reviews suggest that the impact of Empire State Express on the audience was so intense that it overpowered the final two McKinley campaign films. However, presidential campaign was consistent with a more general transformation of American culture in the 1890s.
