Busy Night in Jackson

The stations in the #90 DMA had their hands full last night. Not only was it Election Day, featuring Jackson’s mayor’s race and a wide range of City Council positions being contested, but the market had some extreme weather as well in the form of thunder, hail, cats, and even a few dogs.

WJTV came up with a long list of hail comparisons today on Twitter:

Dime size hail in Ridgeland, Pea size hail in Flowood, Pea size hail in Fondren, golf ball size hail in Byram

A previous Tweet reported “nickel-sized hail.”

In the midst of the election coverage, Mayor Frank E. Melton was found unconscious in his home and was rushed to the hospital.

WLBT.com calls it a “major cardiac event.” Despite rumors to the contrary, Mayor Melton (pictured) is alive. [UPDATE: Mayor Melton passed away early this morning.]

The breaking news has kept stations hustling. “Now it’s more than just how many cut-ins can we do,” says WJTV’s VP/GM Bob Romine. “It’s how do we get the information out on Twitter and Facebook, what kind of email blast are we doing, how are we using text messaging.”