Networks Unveil Convention Coverage Plans

The broadcast networks are sticking to one hour per night of coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, while some of the cable and streaming networks are planning more expansive coverage.

The broadcast network plans to go live from 10 PM to 11 PM ET each evening are in line with previous cycles, as NBC, ABC and CBS devoted an hour of primetime to major speeches and commentary.

The broadcast and cable networks have been waiting to finalize their plans as it became clear that the conventions will be almost all virtual, as Democrats last week scrapped plans for speakers in the host city of Milwaukee and Republicans abandoned a large-scale convention amid the pandemic. Instead, President Donald Trump says that he plans to deliver a speech from the White House or at Gettysburg, PA, the site of the bloodiest Civil War battle.

The onus will be on both parties to produce content that will draw attention with the caveat that network producers tend to break away during films or other taped segments that are informercials more than news events. The DNC starts on Monday and runs for four nights; the RNC begins on Aug. 24. ABC announced its lineup last week. CBS, NBC, MSNBC and Fox News unveiled their lineups on Tuesday.

CBS:- Norah O’Donnell will lead coverage from Washington, and will be joined by John Dickerson and contributors María Elena Salinas, Jamal Simmons and Leslie Sanchez. In addition to the network’s team of correspondents, the coverage will feature analysts from Valerie Jarrett, Reince Priebus, Robby Mook, Joel Payne and Terry Sullivan. Anthony Salvanto, CBS News elections and surveys director, also will provide insights and polling tracking.

The network’s streaming channel CBSN will provide coverage each night starting at 5 PM ET, with Red & Blue anchored by Elaine Quijano. She will continue coverage at 8:30 PM ET. O’Donnell, Dickerson and others on the CBS News political team also will appear on CBSN, and there will be a simulcast of the network’s broadcast each evening.

CBSNews.com will provide live blog coverage starting each day at 5 PM ET, and highlights will appear on social media. CBS News Radio will feature reports from Steven Portnoy, Steve Futterman and Peter Maer and analysis from Leonard Steinhorn. The CBS Weekend Roundup will also feature coverage anchored by Allison Keyes. There also will be coverage via the affiliate service CBS Newspath.

Fox News:- The network’s coverage of the Democratic convention will originate from Washington, starting with a one-hour special on Sunday, Convention Kickoff, at 10 PM ET. It will be anchored by Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story’s Martha MacCallum.

Each weeknight, Baier and MacCallum will co-anchor Democracy 2020 at 10PM ET, and they will be joined by Chris Wallace, Brit Hume, Dana Perino and Juan Williams, along with Fox News’ team of correspondents. Donna Brazile, Karl Rove and Katie Pavlich will also offer analysis. The Ingraham Angle will move to 11 PM ET during the week, and will be followed by FOX News @ Night with Shannon Bream.

Bill Hemmer will anchor live coverage for Fox O&O stations and broadcast affiliates. FoxNews.com also will feature coverage via live blogs and video of key speeches, while footage also will be available on the network’s social media accounts. Fox News Radio will provide coverage led national correspondent Jared Halpern and political analyst Josh Kraushaar, and Fox News Audio will feature reports and analysis on various podcasts.

NBC:- The broadcast network will air an hour in primetime of each evening of both conventions, while MSNBC plans seven hours each night of the events. Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie will anchor from the network’s headquarters in New York starting at 10 PM ET, with Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell at the NBC News Washington bureau. MSNBC plans live coverage from 7 PM ET to 2 AM ET, starting with The ReidOut at 7 and then All in with Chris Hayes at 8 PM ET. At 9 PM, Rachel Maddow, Reid and Nicolle Wallace will host coverage from New York. Brian Williams will snchor at 11 PM ET, followed by Ari Melber at 1 AM ET.

NBC News Now will feature special coverage starting at 8 PM ET, with Todd anchoring. NBC News Digital will provide a live blog and updates on all nights of the conventions at NBC News.com/Decision2020. That also will feature Road to 270, a web tool where users can use the electoral map to game out various scenarios for both candidates. Additional coverage will be available on the pop-up channel on Peacock, NBC News Archives, as well as on the network’s Stay Tuned on Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, and The Report on Quibi.