From John Stewart, just as I learned who was the new pope from Father Guido Sarducci.
We waited to send our son (Dweezil) to bed until they had called our state (Virginia) - took 'em 4 hours. They announced for Obama immediately after that (guess that was the one that meant McCain had no chance of winning the electoral college). So Dweezil was able to hear both the state, and the country, before he went to bed.
When the TV at my student union said that PA went for Obama. I saw wingless pigs and the devil was still sweating, so McCain’s hope was nil.
Of course, I’d like to say that, as a Poli Sci major, I trusted my pollster colleagues to have called it correctly many months ago. When the Steelers won on Monday night, there was no chance in hell of a R victory.
I was online, bouncing back and forth between the SDMB and a half-dozen news sites.
At the time they called Ohio, I went to CNN’s interactive electoral map, plugged in the “safe” states of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, and realized that Obama had over 270 at that point, with just the states that had already been called plus those four. I knew he’d get more, the question was just how many at that point.
I was watching the Daily Show when they called it. I looked at my husband and said “I wonder if any of the regular channels have just called it too?” so we switched to MSNBC, where they were showing Grant Park and a group of students at Spelman College celebrating, with no commentary, just switching back and forth between them. I’m really glad to have witnessed that moment without anyone trying to talk over it.
I’m in California, and I figured that the networks weren’t going to call it until the polls closed out here. I was watching NBC, and they interrupted the local broadcast to announce it. It was pretty obvious after Pennsylvania and Ohio, though.
ETA: It was 8:01 our time. Pacific time is great for elections and Oscar broadcasts.
When I called my mum to tell her I’d be home later that day (I’m from Northern Ireland) and she asked me what I thought about Obama winning…cue open-mouthed shock from myself as I mistakenly believed the US elections were still a few days away and intended to sit up to watch them!
In my defence my job means that I work irregular shifts and its easy to lose track of exactly what is happening when…however its the second time I missed an event of historic importance due to it, I also missed Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the final race of the F1 season on Sunday… 
When they called PA and shortly thereafter, OH. Kept watching until they finally called VA, after which I joined over a thousand others on the streets of Richmond.
I was watching NBS and they went to a short break for the local news to report on who was winning the county commissioner and so on…
Then they cut back LATE to NBC and they just showed all these people screaming and jumping around. I was confused because I guess the local news was on when they made the official announcement that he was over 270. I figured out what had happened, but I’m still annoyed that I didn’t get to realy hear the big news.
I was studying in the library. I heard people celebrating in the halls.
Against my better judgment, I was watching the results on CNN/Fox/MSNBC, flicking from channel to channel with each commercial. I knew he had it as soon as all three agreed that he had won Ohio, as I already felt he was certain to win California, Washington, and Oregon.
I was playing with the baby in her room and I heard my wife muttering and sputtering in the kitchen and then a ‘well that is just fucking GREAT!’ while we were watching a repeat of Ruby and Max. I figured the election was going Obama’s way, so I just stayed out of her way - great woman, wonderful wife and mother, but a big-time GOP-er and she absolutely has no explanation as to why.
I was watching MSNBC when it was 207. I filipped to see if The Daily Show special was still on and a couple of minutes later Jon announced it. Colbert cried.
Flipped back to MSNBC to see official numbers . Heard McCain’s very classy speech. Then Obama’s. A great night.
I was at the Democratic Party’s big shindig downtown when they announced. We’d been at the bar down the street when they called Ohio, and wanted to be at the party when they did the official announcement, so we headed back. Madness! My state rep’s a young progressive neighbor of mine, so we went back to his suite and hung out with his campaign people and watched McCain concede and Obama’s speech. What an experience.
I have the flu and want to die today, but it was worth it. 
Watching CNN in HD with my husband – once they called OH and PA, we knew it was actually happening. THEN we broke open the champagne.
Stayed up to watch the speeches and then to bed. I slept well last night, even with the adrenaline dump. I am happy and calm today, looking forward to January.
We were switching between CNN and Comedy Central and heard the actual announcement from the lips of Jon Stewart (who was watchng CNN). Flipped back to CNN to confirm.
I was standing with 70,000 other Obama supporters in Hutchinson field. Obviously, as Ohio and Pennsylvania got called, the crowd roared. Then Virginia finally got called on the jumbotron CNN feed.
Then there was a huge “CNN BREAKING NEWS” on the screen that changed over to “BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT” and all hell broke loose.
One of the benefits to living in Hawaii’s time zone, we never have to wait too late to find the result*. Around 7pm, we were eating dinner. I had already done the math after Ohio, figuring the west coast states would stay Obama. Then, a short while later, MSNBC called it for Obama. I threw the baby around in celebration!
- Sometimes, though, we know mathematically who’s won before we can make the polls after work. Hawaii’s voting percentage is notoriously low, although Hawaii-born Obama made this year an exception!
I was watching ABC, Obama was sitting pretty at 207. Charles Gibson says “we are not going to call it until it hits 270. Polls are closing in a few minutes, and will bring you the results.”
8 o’clock PST hits: “We can call California for…Obama is the next President of the United States”
Wait, what?! You said you weren’t going to call it, and then all of a sudden, you call it? I want to see some numbers, jack!
10 minutes of camera’s panning around, people celebrating the victory, and FINALLY they give the numbers that put him over the top.
I wasn’t angry, just confused. They said they weren’t going to call the election until it hit 270, they don’t say it hits 270, or at least explain how it got to 270, and then we have a new president.
Bah, maybe I am just a stickler for details…
note: above quotes are paraphrases, I don’t remember exactly what he said
I hope I never forget that moment.
In a Brooklyn bar with the SO surrounded by an absurd number of TVs - basically one for every table and all around the perimeter of the room - all set to NBC’s coverage except for one little TV within my eyeline on silent CNN. This was cool, since we could see how the two channels called states differently, and we kept freaking out when NBC would call a state but CNN wouldn’t.
Ohio made us all very happy, but I hadn’t done the math so I wasn’t entirely sure it was in the bag at that point. There was kind of a lull while mostly “no duh” states were called. Then, all of the sudden, NBC called Virginia, and while everyone was screaming about that, I looked over at the lonely little CNN screen, where it read “Barack Obama elected President” and I don’t think I’ve ever screamed so loud or long in my life. It was complete bedlam. Incredible.