NEW YORK — The Nexstar Media Group-owned cable television network focused on news and political analysis born out of the former WGN America is finalizing a plan to expand to 24 hours of programming, Monday through Friday, starting April 24.
It’s a big growth plan ahead of the Upfronts in mid-May for NewsNation, which will launch a new live four-hour weekday programming block with the branding “NewsNation Now.”
This programming will appear between 1pm and 5pm Eastern.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished in just a little over two and half years,” said Sean Compton, the President of Nexstar Networks and a longtime radio and television industry figure. “NewsNation’s growth has been fueled by exceptional talent with stellar reputations for high-quality journalism, and by viewers hungry for unbiased news reporting. Becoming a 24-hour news network Monday through Friday positions us well to keep growing our audience by providing them with consistently meaningful news coverage.”
Each weekday, NewsNation Now will cover the day’s top news headlines with live reports from network correspondents around the country. The program will be anchored by a rotation of journalists from 1-3 pm Eastern, followed by anchor Nichole Berlie from 3-5 pm Eastern. Guest anchors include weekend anchor Natasha Zouves, Chief Washington Correspondent Blake Burman and correspondents Markie Martin, Keleigh Beeson and Brooke Shafer until a permanent anchor is named.
“From the start, our mission has been to inform and enlighten our viewers with balanced news programming and we will continue to do so with this added block,” said Michael Corn, President of News at NewsNation. “Over time, we’ve built trust with our audience and with this expansion, I think we can capitalize on the swiftly evolving broadcast news landscape. Viewer trust is at the center of everything we do, and viewer demand for this expanded block is strong.”
Earlier this month, NewsNation debuted a new state-of-the-art studio in New York and launched Elizabeth Vargas Reports. Earlier this year, the network extended its daytime programming, adding a third hour of NewsNation Live, hosted by anchor Marni Hughes.
As previously announced, also debuting on April 24 is The Hill, a political news and analysis program airing at 5pm Eastern and broadcasting live from Washington.
