Networks prepare extensive programming for America’s 250th anniversary

Networks will present live news coverage, entertainment specials, historical programming and local reports to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, with much of the programming scheduled for July 3-5.

Coverage will originate from Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Nashville, Mount Rushmore and other locations. Broadcasters will also use streaming platforms, connected TV services and immersive production technology to extend their coverage.

NewsNation

NewsNation will provide live coverage throughout July 4 from Washington and other cities, culminating in a four-hour primetime special anchored by Leland Vittert, Elizabeth Vargas, Katie Pavlich and Chris Stirewalt.

Anna Kooiman will anchor “Morning in America” from the National Mall from 6-9 a.m. Eastern, followed by Laura Ingle from New York from 9 a.m.-noon. Nichole Berlie and Connell McShane will anchor consecutive editions of “NewsNation Live” from noon-6 p.m., followed by a two-hour edition of “The Hill” moderated by Blake Burman.

McShane will also report from the National Mall during the primetime special, including coverage of tributes, festivities and the planned fireworks display.

The network will provide additional reports from Sail4th 250 and the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks in New York, as well as celebrations in Philadelphia, Urbandale, Iowa, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

NewsNation will also provide July 3 coverage from Mount Rushmore, where President Donald Trump is expected to deliver remarks. Brian Entin will host a special edition of “Cuomo,” followed by “Jesse Weber Live” and a two-hour edition of “Katie Pavlich Tonight.”

Related programming includes the “American Made” series, “America’s Greatest Sailors: Heroes of the High Seas” and “Patriots and Plotters: Bill O’Reilly’s Unsung Heroes and Villains of the American Revolution,” which will debut July 2.

Advertisement

Tegna

Tegna will conclude its yearlong “America’s 250: Red, White & You” local journalism initiative with a one-hour national special beginning June 29.

Hosted by Lesli Foster and Lorenzo Hall of WUSA in Washington, the program will air and stream across TEGNA stations, digital services and connected TV platforms.

The initiative features reports about educators, artists, volunteers, veterans, entrepreneurs and other residents whose work affects their communities. An encore presentation will be available in July.

Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Co. will provide local and national America 250 coverage across its television stations, Scripps News and digital platforms.

Alisyn Camerota will host “250: Celebrating America,” a one-hour special airing at 4 p.m. Eastern on July 4. The program will combine local reporting with national stories about people contributing to their communities.

Scripps News will begin its July 4 lineup at 3 p.m. with “JFK: Fact & Fable,” followed by “250: Celebrating America,” “Happy Birthday, USA!” and six hours of live coverage from the National Mall beginning at 6 p.m.

Del Walters and Camerota will anchor “4th of July — Live from the Capitol,” featuring musical performances and fireworks coverage.

Scripps will also air America 250 vignettes across its local stations and maintain digital hubs with event information, local reports and coverage highlights.

CBS

CBS will air “The Great American Block Party 250,” a three-hour live primetime special hosted by Tony Dokoupil and Nischelle Turner, from 8-11 p.m. Eastern on July 4. The program will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7.

The Washington-based special will feature performances by Zac Brown Band, Jon Batiste, Goo Goo Dolls and The War and Treaty. It will also include coverage from Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Charleston, New York, Philadelphia, Mount Rushmore, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.

“CBS Mornings” and the “CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil” will originate from Washington on July 3, followed by “CBS Saturday Morning” on July 4.

CBS Television Stations will present locally focused America 250 reports using broadcast, streaming and immersive augmented and virtual reality production.

Advertisement

CBS New York’s “Tri-State 250: Our Legacy of Liberty” will examine Revolutionary-era locations and events in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. CBS Philadelphia’s yearlong “Founded in Philly” franchise will focus on Philadelphia’s role in the nation’s founding.

CBS Detroit will present reports about Michigan’s automotive industry, the Underground Railroad, Motown Records and the civil rights movement. CBS News Bay Area will use immersive technology to examine the arrival of Spanish settlers in Alta California in 1776 and recreate Indigenous life during that period.

CBS News Chicago will focus on the city’s industrial history, while CBS Boston will present reports about New England’s role in the Revolutionary era.

NBC News

NBC News will provide coverage across NBC, NBC News Now, “TODAY,” “NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas,” “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” and NBCNews.com.

Tom Llamas will anchor a July 3 edition of “NBC Nightly News” from Philadelphia. On July 4, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin will begin six hours of coverage from Governors Island as Sail4th 250’s International Parade of Sail moves through New York Harbor.

NBCUniversal builds Sail4th 250 coverage around nearly 50 cameras and no rehearsal

Sheinelle Jones and Laura Jarrett will join the coverage from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern. Willie Geist, Jenna Bush Hager, Al Roker, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer, Joe Fryer, Angie Lassman, Stephanie Gosk and Kelly O’Donnell will also contribute.

NBC News Now will simulcast the maritime coverage before beginning a separate special at 7 p.m. led by Ryan Nobles. The streaming program will include reports from Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, along with fireworks coverage.

Llamas will anchor “NBC Nightly News” from the Washington Monument at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Kristen Welker will host a July 5 edition of “Meet the Press” examining the country’s founding and the future of American democracy. Guests will include Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ken Burns and Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III.

ABC and Disney

Disney will present a 24-hour cross-platform event beginning July 3 across ABC, Disney+, the ESPN App, Freeform, FX, Hulu, National Geographic, ABC-owned stations and affiliates.

Advertisement

The centerpiece, “Disney Celebrates America: Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash,” will air live from 8-11 p.m. Eastern on July 4. Ryan Seacrest will host the Nashville production.

Performers will include The All-American Rejects, Boyz II Men, Brothers Osborne, Clint Black, Elizabeth Nichols, Emily Ann Roberts, John Crist, Lauren Daigle, Little Big Town, Ne-Yo, Nick Jonas, Reba McEntire, Sublime and Tim McGraw.

The event will also feature a fireworks and drone show accompanied by the Nashville Symphony, along with coverage of fireworks at Disneyland Resort. Roberts will serve as backstage correspondent, while Crist will report from the crowd.

ABC will also air “Disney Celebrates America: The Pursuit of Happiness” on June 29, with an encore July 3. Deborah Roberts and Will Reeve will host the two-hour program from Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland.

The special will use Disney attractions as settings for reports about U.S. innovation, conservation, music, aviation, baseball, small businesses, the automobile industry, Hollywood and ABC News’ coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

CNN

CNN will air two days of America 250 programming, beginning with “Independence Eve Live with Anderson & Andy: Celebrating 250” from 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Eastern on July 3.

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will host the Times Square broadcast, which will include a midnight ball drop marking the start of the July 4 anniversary. CNN correspondents will also report from celebrations in cities and towns across the country.

Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen promote pre-July 4 special

“The Fourth in America: Celebrating 250” will begin at noon Eastern on July 4, with Brianna Keilar and Laura Coates anchoring from Washington. Coverage will focus on events at the National Mall, including the Great American State Fair.

Cooper and Pamela Brown will anchor from Boston beginning at 6 p.m. CNN will serve as the worldwide exclusive broadcast partner for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Shell.

Keith Lockhart will conduct the event, which will feature performances by Lainey Wilson, Chance the Rapper and Trombone Shorty, followed by fireworks and a drone display.

Dana Bash and Boris Sanchez will anchor primetime coverage from the National Mall. Sara Sidner and Victor Blackwell will anchor from the Empire State Building in New York, while Elex Michaelson and Cari Champion will begin coverage from San Diego at 11 p.m. Eastern.

CNN will also show fireworks from more than a dozen cities, including Philadelphia, Nashville, San Diego, Houston, St. Louis, Seward, Alaska, and locations on Kauai, Hawaii.

The July 3 and July 4 coverage will stream for CNN subscribers through CNN.com and the network’s connected TV and mobile apps. The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will stream on CNN.com and the CNN app for all users without a subscription requirement.

Fox News Media

Fox News Media will present America 250 programming across Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Nation, Fox News Digital, Fox News Audio, Fox News Podcasts and Fox Weather from June 24 through July 5.

Fox News Channel will broadcast from the National Mall, Liberty State Park, Philadelphia, Mount Rushmore and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Bret Baier, Harris Faulkner, Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade and Dana Perino will co-host “America 250: Celebrating Freedom” from Washington during the evening of July 4.

Earlier coverage will include extended editions of “Fox & Friends,” “America’s Newsroom” and “Outnumbered” from Liberty State Park, followed by “The Will Cain Show” from Philadelphia. Rachel Campos-Duffy, Charlie Hurt and Griff Jenkins will begin the network’s Washington special at 4 p.m. Eastern.

Fox Business Network will air live programs from the New York Stock Exchange, including “Mornings with Maria” on July 1 and “The Claman Countdown” on July 2. “The Bottom Line” will also present a one-hour “Red, White & Blue Collar” special about U.S. workers.

Fox Nation will provide live streams and on-demand historical programming, while Fox News Audio will launch a SiriusXM pop-up channel from July 3-5. Fox Weather will provide on-location reports, event forecasts, historical segments and fireworks forecasts.