Roundup: All the changes NewsNation introduced March 1

In addition to officially changing the name of WGN America to NewsNation, Nexstar also rolled out key programming changes March 1, 2021.

The network had previously announced Jan. 25, 2021, that it would change its name to “NewsNation,” taking on the name of the three hour primetime newscast that debuted in September 2020.

The name WGN America was replaced by NewsNation on most providers March 1.

As promised, the change happened on the first day of March, just weeks after its news director quit around the same time it was revealed Nexstar had been using former Trump adviser and Fox executive Bill Shine as a consultant since last summer.

From the start, Nexstar went out of its way to drive home the offering would be “bias free” — even including its “Your news, your nation” tagline in most of its opens and reopens.

That tagline is notably missing from the opens for the new lineup and other slogan “News not talk. Facts not opinion.” trumpeted by the company when the venture launched.

Indeed, the “news not talk” claim can’t be made anymore with “The Donlon Report” and “Banfield” both incorporating elements of a talk or interview-style show. 

“Facts not opinion, meanwhile,” also isn’t a valid claim with “Donlon” offering analysis of the news, including using lower thirds “crediting” statements made by Donlon that aren’t hard news.

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Instead, the network now describes itself as a “fact-based, unbiased national news network.”

For full coverage of the NewsNation relaunch, see separate articles about each show below:

• “NewsNation Early Edition”
• “The Donlon Report”
• “NewsNation Prime”
• “Banfield”
• Updated music for “The Donlon Report” and “Banfield”

Previous coverage about “NewsNation” as a newscast can be found here:

• “NewsNation” mission and goals
• “NewsNation” branding and graphics package design
• “NewsNation” graphics package gallery by Troika
• “NewsNation” set design gallery by Clickspring