Saddam Story Covers All Networks on Sunday Morning
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – The dramatic capture of Saddam Hussein predictably drew the complete attention of the cable and broadcast networks.
CNN got on the air first with a Reuters report at 5:03 a.m. EST on Sunday, and the network enjoyed the additional edge of having reporter Alphonso Van Marsh embedded with the unit that captured the former Iraqi dictator, although he did not go along on the actual raid. CNN had two reporters stationed in Tikrit, while the other networks immediately sent out correspondents from their Baghdad bureaus.
Van Marsh’s presence enabled CNN to provide viewers with video of the U.S. troops celebrating upon return from their mission.
ABC News faced complications as “World News Tonight” anchor Peter Jennings was actually working at the time — but in Los Angeles, where at 2 a.m. PST he was with a police unit working on a special about Los Angeles police chief William Bratton when Hussein was captured.
Instead of going on the air from the West Coast, ABC decided to ship Jennings back to New York — which was on the verge of being hit by a major snowstorm — in time to host “World News Tonight Sunday” and an 8 p.m. primetime special.
ABC’s Sunday morning coverage was fronted by “Good Morning America” co-host Charlie Gibson, and “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos.
ABC and CBS News went on the air with special reports shortly after CNN, as MSNBC hit the air next at 5:17 a.m., and Fox News at 5:27 a.m. ABC and CBS went into full-time special coverage at 6 a.m. and 6:16 a.m. respectively.
At that hour, not too many viewers noticed who went on when, but a Fox News spokeswoman said the network wanted to confirm the wire reports independently before going on the air. Reuters had picked up the story from an Iranian news agency.
NBC News did not cut in with any special reports, but went live at 5:52 a.m.
Anchors Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw led CBS and NBC’s coverage all Sunday morning past President Bush’s noontime news conference. CBS left the air for football at 12:20 p.m., while MSNBC’s Lester Holt anchored a simulcast edition with NBC from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Shepard Smith led Fox News’ coverage, Holt anchored for MSNBC, and Aaron Brown and Paula Zahn were at CNN’s desk on Sunday morning. Smith also fronted halftime reports on Fox’s NFL coverage.
At ABC, Stephanopoulos hosted two editions, with news cut-ins of “This Week” from 9 a.m.-noon, although New York’s WABC-TV cut away from 10:30-noon to cover the snowstorm. ABC News left the air at 12:30 p.m.
CBS and NBC were scheduled to devote their 7 p.m. newsmagazines “60 Minutes” and “Dateline” entirely to Hussein’s capture, and CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC were set with their regular weeknight primetime schedules. FNC’s Smith was scheduled to host a 9 p.m. special on the capture.
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