Though two hours behind schedule, the procession for Sen Kennedy was met with large crowds and applause when it arrived at Capitol Hill around 6:20pmET. NBC, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News had special live coverage of the motorcade appearing at the U.S. Capitol and the subsequent speeches.
Following a long break after the funeral Mass, NBC resumed special live coverage from 5:30pmET to 7pmET with Tom Brokaw anchoring. ABC resumed their special live coverage again at 7pmET. (In New York, “World News” and “Evening News” aired at 6:30pm and “Nightly News” aired at 7pm).
At 7:15pmET, there was live, wide footage of the motorcade crossing the Potomac River, which was lined with people. At 7:58pmET, the service began at Arlington National Cemetery. There was limited press coverage at the burial site, as the family requested, so the networks broadcast footage of the service from a distance with few microphones. By the time the service began, it had also gotten dark with less visibility, so overall the broadcast had a much different feeling than what we’d witnessed earlier in the day and on Friday. ABC ended its special broadcast at 8:16pmET. The cable networks stayed with the service.
Here are some images from the service at Arlington (of what was visible):
TVNewser will be following up over the next few days with analysis of the coverage and ratings from the special events surrounding the Senator’s memorial services.