Saturday, January 17, 2009

ABC's Inauguration Plans


In case you're wondering...

ABC TO PROVIDE MORE COVERAGE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
THAN ANY OTHER BROADCAST NETWORK


ABC News' Coverage of Barack Obama's Inauguration to Begin with Special Three-Hour
Edition of "Good Morning America" at 7:00 a.m., ET / 4:00 a.m., PT on January 20

"Inauguration 2009" Anchored by Gibson, Sawyer and Stephanopoulos
Begins at 10:00 a.m., ET / 7:00 a.m., PT

"The Neighborhood Ball: An Inaugural Celebration" to Air from 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET on ABC

ABC News Special "A Moment in History: The Inauguration of Barack Obama"
to Air at 10:00 p.m., ET/PT

On Tuesday, January 20, the ABC Television Network will provide more coverage of the Presidential Inauguration than any other broadcast network

ABC News' live coverage will begin at 7:00 a.m., ET / 4:00 a.m., PT with a special three-hour edition of "Good Morning America" anchored by Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

At 10:00 a.m., ET / 7:00 a.m., PT, Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will anchor coverage of Barack Obama's Inauguration. Broadcast from the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, coverage will include all events from the swearing-in ceremony and Obama's Inaugural Address to the Inaugural Parade, as well reaction from around the nation and the world to this historic event.

Gibson, Sawyer and Stephanopoulos will be joined by a team of ABC News anchors, correspondents and analysts including:

* Robin Roberts, Deborah Roberts and Bill Weir reporting from the Washington Mall
* Chris Cuomo, David Muir and Kate Snow reporting along the Parade Route
* Jake Tapper reporting on the Obama Presidency and his first day
* Jonathan Karl reporting on the new Congress
* Pierre Thomas reporting on the day's security operations, including the challenges the expected crowd pose on law enforcement
* Martha Raddatz on the foreign policy challenges facing the new administration and the legacy of President George W. Bush
* Ron Claiborne reporting from Obama's ancestral home in Kenya
* ABC News commentators Donna Brazile, Matthew Dowd, Cokie Roberts and George Will
* Historians Richard Norton Smith and Carl Sferazza Anthony
* Obama biographer David Mendell

At 8:00 p.m., ET President-elect Barack Obama will host the first-ever "Neighborhood Inaugural Ball," the premiere event of Inauguration evening. To help bring this unique event to neighborhoods across the nation, ABC will broadcast "The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration," giving everyone an exclusive look inside this historic event that will include the President and First Lady's first dance of the night, President-elect Obama's initial speech of the evening, and performances and appearances by some of the nation's top recording artists and stars. The event will air live from the Washington Convention Center in Washington DC, TUESDAY, JANUARY 20 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET).

At 10:00 p.m., ET, Gibson, Sawyer and Stephanopoulos will anchor the ABC News Special. "A Moment in History: The Inauguration of Barack Obama." This news program will take the audience live to Inaugural Balls and track the President and First Lady as they continue their celebration throughout Washington. Also, a team of ABC News correspondents will report on the special significance that the day holds for millions of African-Americans, the amazing lengths many Americans are going to just to be in Washington for the Inauguration, and world reaction to Barack Obama's promised effort to unite the nation.

ABC News will also provide live coverage of many of the President-elect's events on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, beginning with his train trip from Philadelphia.

As part of the network's Inauguration coverage, Mr. Gibson will anchor "World News" from Washington, DC, beginning Saturday, January 17. "Good Morning America" will originate from Washington on Monday the 19, and Kate Snow and Bill Weir will anchor the Weekend edition from there on Sunday the 18. Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran will anchor "Nightline" from Washington on Monday and Tuesday.

ABC News NOW's live coverage of Inauguration Day will be co-anchored by Sam Donaldson and Rick Klein, senior political reporter and author of "The Note," beginning at 9:00 a.m., ET and continuing until 11:00 p.m., ET. The coverage will be live-streamed on ABCNEWS.com. From 11:30 a.m. to approx 1:30 p.m., ET, ABCNEWS.com will, for the first time, offer live streaming coverage of President-elect Barack Obama's Oath of Office and Inaugural Address embedded directly on the Homepage.

ABCNEWS.com will have special indexes which will highlight stories from ABC News' top political reporters, as well as videos and slideshows. The featured indexes will include the new 44th president and the legacy of the Bush administration. The indexes will also include transcripts and video of various past Presidential speeches and Inaugurations, slideshows of Inaugural Balls and the festivities, as well as a timeline of events on Inauguration Day.

And Newswatch 16's Scott Schaffer will be in Washington to explore all the local angles... Watch for Scott's reports, beginning Saturday night, on WNEP.