As Congress prepare to vote on a possible compromise in the government shutdown/debt ceiling battle, cable news executives are keeping an eye on things to see how it develops. If the deal falls through, or the votes go late, expect live coverage through primetime and beyond.
As of now Fox News is planning live editions of “Hannity” at 10 PM, “Special Report with Bret Baier” at 11 PM, and “The Kelly File” at 12 AM ET. All three of its primetime programs will be covering the potential end of the shutdown. Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Michele Bachmann, who have played pivotal roles in the shutdown, will both be on “Hannity.” FBN will be live from 7-9 PM, with Rich Edson providing updates from that point on.
On CNN, Jake Tapper will anchor the 11 PM hour live, with Piers Morgan anchoring live at midnight. Tapper has been anchoring from 11-11:30 in recent days, with a replay of “Crossfire” airing from 11:30PM-12AM. He will anchor the entire hour tonight. CNN International will be simulcast with live coverage from 1-4 AM.
MSNBC is waiting to see how the news plays, but may go live.