Here’s How Broadcast Networks Will Cover Tonight’s Supreme Court Announcement

By A.J. Katz 

The White House has asked the broadcast networks for roughly 20 minutes of airtime this evening during the 9 p.m. ET hour, presumably to show President Trump announce his nominee for the next Supreme Court justice to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy.

The Trump White House also asked for time from the networks to show Trump’s announcement of then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Jan. 31, 2017.

CBS was No. 1 in total viewers for the Gorsuch announcement, NBC was No. 1 among adults 25-54 and Fox News was the No. 1 cable network when it came to announcement coverage that night.

Advertisement

Here’s how the broadcast networks are covering tonight’s announcement:

ABC:

ABC News will break into The Bachelorette to cover and televise President Trump’s announcement.

  • Chief anchor George Stephanopoulos will anchor the prime time special report from New York.
  • ABC News will offer comprehensive coverage and analysis on ABCNews.com and its live 24-hour news channel ABC News Live, which will feature a live special (8 -11 p.m. ET) with reporting and analysis from ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and ABC News anchors, correspondents and analysts. Coverage will be available on ABCNews.com, ABC News social pages (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and the ABC News OTT and mobile apps.
  • ABC News Radio will offer a one-hour preview special at 8:00 p.m. ET and live coverage of the announcement at 9 p.m. ET anchored by Correspondent Aaron Katersky and joined by ABC correspondent Megan Hughes from the White House, and contributors Alex Castellanos and Steve Roberts. There will also be multiple one-minute status reports each hour.
  • ABC NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, will provide full coverage with correspondents Stephanie Ramos and Janai Norman reporting from the Supreme Court. ABC News contributor Cokie Roberts will also provide analysis for ABC affiliates. NewsOne provides news content and services for more than 200 ABC affiliates and international news partners.

CBS/CBSN:

CBS News’ special report will air before a rerun of NCIS: New Orleans during the 9 p.m. ET hour.

  • Jeff Glor will anchor the CBS Evening News from the network’s new studio in the CBS News Washington bureau Monday (6:30 p.m. ET) in advance of President Trump’s scheduled prime time announcement of his nominee.
  • Following the CBS News special report, Glor will anchor a live edition of CBS Evening News for West Coast viewers (6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET).
  • Beginning at 9 p.m., Glor will anchor CBS News’ multi-platform Special Report on the president’s announcement, which will be broadcast on television and streamed live on CBSN.
  • Glor will be joined on the special report by CBS News Correspondent Weijia Jiang from the White House and CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford. Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan and others from the CBS News Washington Bureau will contribute to the coverage.
  • CBS News extended pre- and post-announcement coverage will continue on CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 digital streaming news network, and CBSNews.com.
  • Elaine Quijano will anchor CBSN’s daily public affairs program Red and Blue at 5:00 p.m. ET leading into the evening coverage.
  • CBSN will begin  special coverage at 8:30 p.m. ET with Quijano anchoring from New York. CBSN will carry the network’s special report and will continue coverage following the announcement.

FOX:

  • Fox News chief breaking news anchor Shepard Smith will be fronting coverage on Fox Broadcast from New York. Contributions to the Fox Broadcast coverage will be made by chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel.

NBC:

NBC News will break into a two-hour edition of American Ninja Warrior. After the announcement has been made, NBC will go back to ANW, which will air until 10:20 p.m. ET.

  • NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt leads the special report live from New York, joined by NBC News political director and Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams and NBC News chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson.
  • The special report will stream live on NBCNews.com as well as across the network’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts. NBCNews.com will also feature original analysis and in-depth coverage on the nominee’s background and past rulings.
  • Following the NBC News special report, Holt anchors a live edition of NBC Nightly News Monday evening for West Coast viewers (6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET).
  • Today show will continue to cover the nomination on Tuesday morning, as the Senate confirmation begins.

PBS:

  • PBS NewsHour managing editor Judy Woodruff will anchor the prime time special broadcast at 9 p.m., with correspondents John Yang and Lisa Desjardins reporting live from the White House and U.S. Capitol, respectively.
  • Joining Woodruff in studio will be Constitutional Accountability Center president Elizabeth Wydra and Helgi Walker, former clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
  • The 6 p.m. broadcast of NewsHour, to be anchored by Woodruff, will include reporting from Yamiche Alcindor at the White House and Lisa Desjardins at the U.S. Capitol, with studio guests including Helgi Walker and Hogan Lovells partner Neal Katyal, National Law Journal chief Washington correspondent Marcia Coyle, and as part of NewsHour’s weekly Politics Monday segment, Cook Political Report national editor Amy Walter and USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page.

Advertisement