PBS confronts coronavirus with primetime special

“PBS NewsHour” produced a coronavirus special on Thursday, March 20, to bring context to viewers and answer viewer questions.

“Confronting Coronavirus,” supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, was hosted by Judy Woodruff, the lead anchor of “PBS NewsHour,” with correspondent Amna Nawaz handling viewer questions in-studio.

The special borrowed a piece of the “Washington Week” set, using that show’s normal studio, with most of the space filled by a dramatically lit cyc with updated lighting cues from Charles Ide.

Ths riser, also borrowed for the special, was updated with the special’s logo in the center.

“PBS NewsHour” and “Washington Week” are both produced at WETA, the Washington, D.C., PBS affiliate.

PBS wasn’t the only network to tackle coronavirus with a primetime special on Thursday night, NBC News also aired a cross-network program led by Lester Holt. 

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