Inauguration 2013: CNN Coverage Plans

By Merrill Knox 

Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper will lead CNN’s coverage of President Obama’s second inauguration. Coverage of Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony begins at 10amET. Cooper and Blitzer will be joined by John Berman, Kate Bolduan, Gloria Borger, Erin Burnett, Candy Crowley, John King, Don Lemon, Piers Morgan and Soledad O’Brien. Crowley will anchor “State of the Union” from the National Mall. Special Sunday editions of “Piers Morgan Tonight” and “Anderson Cooper 360” will air in primetime.

On Monday, Blitzer will be live with Berman, Bolduan, O’Brien and Jessica Yellin from the U.S. Capitol West Front beginning at 9amET. Cooper will be live from the National Mall with Borger, King, Lemon, David Gergen and Brooke Baldwin.  Blitzer will  anchor “The Situation Room” from Lafayette Park, the location of the President’s viewing stands. Cooper, Morgan and Burnett will anchor from 7-1opmET. Cooper will be live from the Mall, with Morgan and Burnett from the inaugural balls.

More from CNN after the jump.

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Blitzer, Cooper Lead Sweeping Coverage of The Presidential Inauguration

CNN, Instagram and Facebook Team Up for an Interactive Inauguration Experience

CNN will anchor special coverage of the second inauguration of President Barack Obama Sunday, Jan. 20 through Monday, Jan. 21 from locations on the National Mall, Capitol Hill, Lafayette Park and on the parade route at Freedom Plaza. For the first time, CNN, Instagram and Facebook will offer inauguration go-ers an opportunity to be a part of the coverage on CNN and CNN.com by using the hashtag #CNN to share their stories. Most of CNN’s coverage will originate from the National Mall, where the network has built a large broadcast platform designed to let television viewers experience the ceremonies firsthand.

On Sunday, when a private swearing-in ceremony will take place at the White House, Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper will be joined by John Berman, Kate Bolduan, Gloria Borger, Erin Burnett, Candy Crowley, John King, Don Lemon, Piers Morgan and Soledad O’Brien starting at 10 a.m. and leading up to a prime time special at 8 p.m. Inauguration eve special editions of Piers Morgan Tonight and Anderson Cooper 360º will follow.

On Monday, Jan. 21, Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin and Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien will kick off the day’s coverage at 5 a.m. Beginning at 9 a.m., Wolf Blitzer will be joined by John Berman, Kate Bolduan, Soledad O’Brien and Jessica Yellin, live from the U.S. Capitol West Front, while Anderson Cooper will be on the National Mall with Gloria Borger, David Gergen, John King, Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon. HLN’s Robin Meade and Christi Paul will be reporting for both CNN and HLN from the National Mall.

Candy Crowley will anchor State of the Union on Sunday from the Mall and on Monday she will report from the inauguration ceremony platform. Also reporting will be Dana Bash, Jim Acosta, Brianna Keilar, Joe Johns and Tom Foreman.

The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer will be live from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Lafayette Park, the location of the presidential viewing stands. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Anderson Cooper, Piers Morgan and Erin Burnett will co-anchor the network’s special coverage. Cooper will be live from the Mall; Morgan and Burnett will be live from inside the inaugural balls. At 10 p.m.,Anderson Cooper 360º will broadcast live to wrap up the day’s events.

Throughout the Inaugural weekend, commentary and analysis will be provided by CNN political contributors John Avlon, Paul Begala, Cornell Belcher, Donna Brazile, Ron Brownstein, Alex Castellanos, Ari Fleischer,Margaret Hoover, Van Jones, Ryan Lizza,Roland Martin and Ana Navarro. Also on hand to contribute commentary will be: Bill Burton, senior strategist for Priorities USA Action and former deputy press secretary for Pres. Obama;Jodi Kantor, New York Times reporter and author of “The Obamas;” David Maraniss, Washington Post associate editor and author of “Barack Obama: The Story;” Dee Dee Myers, Vanity Fair contributing editor and former White House press secretary during Pres. Clinton’s first term; and Jeffrey Toobin, CNN senior legal analyst and author of “The Oath: The Obama White House and The Supreme Court.” Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will offer her expert perspective.

Instagram and Facebook

CNN and Instagram have teamed up to offer a multimedia look at the crowds who will gather for the inaugural ceremonies. From Jan. 18 – 21, CNN will ask people attending inauguration events to take a photo of themselves ‘in the crowd’ and post to Instagram with the hashtag #CNN.  Users will be encouraged to share a personal detail about their participation: why they made the trip, what they expect from the next four years and who they are. The photos will be displayed in an interactive visualization for CNN.com and the best entries will appear in a global slideshow on CNN.

Additionally, CNN and Facebook will again partner to surface the most viral moments, photos and terms as they spread across the world’s largest social network, telling the story firsthand about the communities most engaged around the inauguration and what terms dominated the social conversation. CNN will ask our viewers through Facebook to identify, rate and react to the viral moments as they happen.

CNN Digital

On Monday, Jan. 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., CNN will offer unrestricted access to the network’s TV broadcast and inauguration programming via the CNN.com homepage and CNN’s apps for iPhone and iPad. Users can watch alternative inaugural festivities at CNN.com/live, on CNN’s mobile apps and mobile website. Inauguration-related articles, analysis and interactives can be found on CNNPolitics.com, the CNN Political Ticker, CNN’s Live Blog and at www.cnn.com/inauguration.

Social media users can follow and contribute to CNN’s coverage by visiting CNNPolitics on Facebook and by following @CNNPoliticson Twitter. GetGlue users can check in to CNN’s The Presidential Inauguration coverage for exclusive limited-edition stickers.

CNN International and CNN en Español

On Monday, Jan. 21, CNN International will simulcast domestic programming from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CNN en Español will offer live updates starting at 6 a.m. on Café CNN and through the 11 a.m. hour on Actualidad en Vivo. The network will carry the inauguration ceremony and parade live. CNN en Español’s afternoon and prime time newscasts Nuestro Mundo, Directo USA, Panorama Mundial and Conclusiones will be broadcast live from Washington, DC.

HLN

HLN’s presidential inauguration coverage will focus on “people, not policy,” and explore issues related to where Americans want to be in the next four years. On Monday, Jan. 21, Morning Express host Robin Meade will anchor live from our nation’s capital from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with on-location reports from HLN’s Ryan Smith. Kyra Phillips, based at HLN headquarters in Atlanta, will provide continued live coverage of the day’s events from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

CNN Newsource

                CNN Newsource will provide its affiliates extensive, on the ground coverage from reporters Tory Dunnan, Rene Marsh and Emily Schmidt.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

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