Biden Decision Surprised Most TV News Networks: How CBS, MSNBC and More Scrambled to Cover Bombshell

As a dedicated follower of news and politics, I was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events during Sunday’s broadcasts. The sudden announcement from President Biden that he would be ending his 2024 campaign for the White House left many major TV-news outlets scrambling to respond.


Many of them knew it was coming, but not exactly when.

As a devoted cinephile following the latest political developments, I was taken aback when President Joe Biden unexpectedly declared his decision to abandon his 2024 re-election campaign during a Sunday broadcast. The major TV news outlets seemed to be blindsided by this announcement, leaving several top anchors absent from our screens in those immediate aftermath minutes.

At 2:02 p.m., instead of their regular anchors Norah O’Donnell, Margaret Brennan, or Major Garrett, CBS News introduced Kristine Johnson from WCBS New York to cover the news. About 45 minutes later, O’Donnell and Brennan joined the broadcast. NBC News swiftly followed with a special report at 2:03 p.m., anchored by Hallie Jackson who recently took charge of weekend editions of “NBC Nightly News.” ABC News entered the scene at 2:04 p.m. with Rachel Scott, their senior congressional correspondent, leading the coverage.

As a movie critic, I was glued to my TV screens as the events unfolded. At CNN, Alex Marquardt took charge of the newsroom, with Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, and Jake Tapper absent from the scene. Blitzer stepped in for anchor duties around 3 p.m., while at Fox News, Bret Baier made an unexpected appearance, calling in from the newsroom instead of co-anchoring with Martha MacCallum. MSNBC made a surprising shift, replacing Jen Psaki with Katy Tur to lead their opinion-led hour.

As a dedicated cinephile, I was eagerly anticipating the premieres of several special reports scheduled for release this Sunday afternoon or during primetime hours. I was particularly looking forward to tuning in to “NBC Nightly News,” with Lester Holt at the helm as the anchor for their evening broadcast. Moreover, Jackson was set to take charge of an early-evening program on NBC News Now.

More to come…

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2024-07-21 22:16