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DANVILLE The media circus you've seen surrounding major political events this year has landed at Centre College for Thursday night's vice presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.

A huge portable stage for MSNBC arose behind the statue of President Lincoln sporting his own, personalized debate credential and a line of TV broadcast locations was forming along the sidewalk outside of the Norton Center for the Arts, where the debate takes place at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Inside, the college's gymnasium has been converted into a massive media center complete with "spin alley," where, immediately after the contest, representatives of each campaign will try to convince reporters their guy won.

It's all in preparation for Danville's international media close up.

"It offers us a chance to get out and about and talk to folks about what's on their mind and where they're at in the election," says Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who will anchor the network's coverage from Danville Thursday night along with Megyn Kelly. "There's always a lot of energy at the event."

Baier and Kelly are two of numerous Fox News personalities slated to be in Danville Thursday including Shepard Smith and Neil Cavuto. But in addition to them are numerous producers and technicians behind the Fox operation.

"There are a lot of people who make it work and thousands of feet of cable," said Baier, who has taken over anchoring duties this year following the retirement of Brit Hume. "I don't know how many people we're bringing more than a hundred."

CBS News is sending only two on-air reporters to the debate Nancy Cordes covering the Barack Obama and Biden ticket and chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford covering the Mitt Romney and Ryan campaign. But supporting them is a crew of producers, technicians and off-air reporters for the broadcast that will be anchored by Scott Pelly in New York.

"We're setting up a mission control," said Tim Gaughan, CBS News director of digital news gathering and special events. "It's essentially a remote bureau ready to do anything we need."

At the MSNBC tent, approximately a dozen technicians were working to set up the broadcast stage where shows such as The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd and Chris Matthews' Hardball will originate Thursday. The network is offering free coffee and network souvenirs to people who come watch from the lawn between the stage and the Lincoln statue.

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Media circus pitches its tent in Danville for Biden-Ryan debate