Where to Watch the 2016 Republican National Convention

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Primary season is over, and the time has come for America’s major political parties to formally nominate their candidates for president (some third parties have already named their nominees). The Republicans will kick things off in Cleveland with their national convention beginning July 18 and running over four days. Donald Trump is currently the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party, and Trump has announced that Indiana Governor Mike Pence will be his vice-presidential running mate. Numerous news (and some not-so-news) outlets will have coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Here are some places to watch (updated 7/18/16):

ABC
George Stephanopoulos will lead ABC News  coverage of the Republican National Convention July 18-21 for one hour in primetime each night.

Other ABC News coverage:

  • This Week With George Stephanopoulos kicks off ABC’s convention coverage live from Cleveland on July 17
  • Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts anchor Good Morning America from Cleveland July 18-21
  • David Muir anchors World News Tonight from Cleveland July 17-21
  • Dan Harris and Byron Pitts lead Nightline coverage from Cleveland July 18-21

The ABC News political team including Muir, Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, This Week with George Stephanopoulos co-anchor Martha Raddatz, World News Tonight Saturday Anchor and Senior National Correspondent Cecilia Vega, ‘World News Tonight’ Sunday Anchor and Correspondent Tom Llamas, Senior Foreign Correspondent Terry Moran and Special Correspondent and Senior Strategic Advisor Matthew Dowd will join Stephanopoulos in primetime and for special reports. ABC News Political Analyst Cokie Roberts, Political Contributor Kristen Soltis Anderson, Fusion Anchor Alicia Menendez and Contributors Donna Brazile and Bill Kristol will provide analysis on the race and all the latest developments. 

Plus, Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross, Senior Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Correspondent Linsey Davis and ‘Good Morning America’ Weekend News Anchor Ron Claiborne will report on the election from Cleveland for ABC News.

C-SPAN
As it has been doing since 1984, C-SPAN will feature gavel-to-gavel coverage of both conventions, starting with the Republican National Convention July 18-21. Coverage begins at 1pm ET with the day session on July 18.

CBS
CBS News coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention will air July 18-21 at 10pm ET. For both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this year, CBS says that “rather than positioning its anchors and reporters in faraway skyboxes, CBS News journalists will broadcast from, or near the floor, of both convention halls with reporters deployed both inside and outside the venues to ensure coverage from where news occurs.” CBS News’ political team will contribute to the coverage, including CBS News Correspondents Nancy Cordes, Major Garrett, Julianna Goldman, Jeff Pegues and DeMarco Morgan; and Josh Elliott, Vladimir Duthiers and Elaine Quijano of CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 digital news service offered on connected TVs, desktop and mobile devices. CBS News Contributor Bob Schieffer; CBS News Contributor and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan; CBS News Political Analyst and Slate magazine’s chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie; and CBS News Contributor and chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine Mark Leibovich, will also appear on CBS News broadcasts and platforms and CBSN’s live streaming coverage.

Other CBS News coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention:

  • John Dickerson hosts a live edition of Face the Nation from the floor of the convention hall in Cleveland on July 17 (check local listings)
  • 60 Minutes will cover the convention and candidate-related news on July 17
  • CBS This Morning broadcasts live each day (7-9am ET) from the floor of the convention hall, with co-hosts Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell
  • Scott Pelley anchors a special, one-hour edition of CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley July 17 at 6pm ET, and anchors the program live from Cleveland July 18-21 at 6:30pm ET

Also airing on CBS, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will broadcast two weeks of live shows during each convention. The show airs live at 11:35pm ET July 18-21 during the 2016 Republican National Convention, with Colbert hosting from New York, where he and his guests will react to the day’s events in Cleveland. Each week of live shows will be specially themed. For the Republican Convention, the theme is “The 2016 Trumpublican Donational Conventrump Starring Donald Trump as the Republican Party* *May Contain Traces of Republican.”

Big news for Daily Show fans: Colbert will be reuniting with former TDS host Jon Stewart as Stewart helps Colbert kick off the convention specials on July 18, as Vulture reports. Colbert will also be re-teaming with another former Daily Show cohort when John Oliver guests on the July 27 special during the DNC.

CNBC
CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla, Kelly Evans, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, John Harwood and Eamon Javers will all be on the ground in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention. On July 20 and 21, Carl Quintanilla will co-anchor “Squawk on the Street” (9am ET) and “Squawk Alley” (11am ET) and Kelly Evans will co-anchor “Closing Bell” (3pm ET) from Cleveland. Michelle Caruso-Cabrera will co-anchor “Power Lunch” (1pm ET) from Cleveland July 18-21. Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood will be reporting on the latest news from inside the convention and CNBC Washington Reporter Eamon Javers will be reporting on the latest news happening outside of the convention hall. CNBC will also broadcast live specials titled “Your Money, Your Vote: Republican National Convention” on July 20 and 21 at 10pm ET. The broadcasts will be anchored by Carl Quintanilla, Kelly Evans and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera with reporting and analysis from John Harwood and include speeches from the convention.

CNN
CNN kicks off its coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention on July 16 with New Day WeekendSmerconish and CNN Newsroom. July 17 will include 18 hours of special programming from Cleveland, including special Sunday editions of The Situation RoomErin Burnett OutFrontAC360 and CNN Tonight With Don Lemon.

Beginning Monday, July 18, CNN will offer 24 hours of live programming from the convention hall in Cleveland, with a special weekday hour of Inside Politics With John King airing daily at 12pm ET. Each night, CNN special programming continues with America’s Choice 2016 anchored by Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, Dana Bash and Chris Cuomo. Late-night coverage will be anchored by Don Lemon. Convention coverage will also be live-streamed on CNNgo.

CNN en Español
CNN en Español’s morning program Café CNN (6am ET) will broadcast live from the convention, with Maria Alejandra Requena anchoring from the RNC. Directo USA (6pm ET) will broadcast live on location, with senior political anchor Juan Carlos López, Ione Molinares, Gustavo Valdés and María Santana contributing to reporting from the conventions.

CNN International
CNN International will offer extensive live coverage from the Republican National Convention starting Monday, July 18. Broadcasting live from the convention halls, Christiane Amanpour will anchor her daily show, Amanpour, live at 2pm ET, followed by special editions of State of the Race with Kate Bolduan at 2:30pm ET and The World Right Now with Hala Gorani at 3pm ET.

Comedy Central
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah will be the only late-night show originating from on location at both conventions, producing a special week of shows in each city. The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Presents The 2016 Republican National Convention: Submission Accomplished will originate from The Breen Center for the Performing Arts in Cleveland July 19-22 at 11pm ET. The show will air live on the final night of the convention, July 21, to provide late night’s first take on Donald Trump’s acceptance speech. Kicking things off on July 18 will be a special hosted by Noah, a clip-based special with a look back at the primary season. The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: The Road to ‘The Road’ debuts July 18 at 11pm ET.

FOX (broadcast)
FOX News Channel’s Shepard Smith anchors FOX’s live convention coverage on the broadcast network, from July 18-21 beginning at 10pm ET each night.

FOX Business Network
FBN will cover the Republican convention with the following shows originating from Cleveland: Mornings With MariaCavuto: Coast-to-CoastIntelligence Report With Trish ReganCountdown to the Closing Bell and Lou Dobbs Tonight.

FOX News Channel
Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly will co-anchor primetime editions of America’s Election Headquarters live from Cleveland starting July 17 and running through July 21, at 10pm ET. They will be joined by a rotating team of commentators and hosts, including Chris Wallace, Brit Hume, Juan Williams and Dana Perino. Analysis will also be provided by Karl Rove, Joe Trippi and Stephen Hayes. Additionally, Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum, along with Carl Cameron, will lead coverage from the convention floor as events unfold.

FNC’s signature primetime line-up will telecast live from the Quicken Loans Arena all week starting with On the Record with Greta Van Susteren (7pm ET) from the arena floor while The Kelly File (9pm ET) and a special two-hour Hannity (11pm-1am/ET) will be presented from the arena sky box. Additionally, Bill O’Reilly will host The O’Reilly Factor (8pm ET) live from Cleveland on Wednesday and Thursday.

HBO
Real Time With Bill Maher will air live half-hour editions during both conventions. Coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention will air July 20 and 21 at 11pm ET (tape-delayed PT). Host Bill Maher will give a rapid response to that evening’s events, and each show will also feature three in-studio panel guests. The specials will also be streamed live (even to non-HBO subscribers) on the Real Time YouTube channel. Real Time‘s regularly scheduled programming will continue to air on Fridays at 10pm ET.

Maher’s panelists during the Republican convention will be: On July 20, filmmaker Michael Moore; political correspondent Joy Reid; and advice columnist Dan Savage. On July 21, economic equality advocate Heather McGhee; California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom; and economist Robert Reich.

Link TV/KCET
California’s KCET public television service and the Link TV national satellite service will cover both conventions, beginning with the RNC starting July 18. Among the highlights, a convention special from The Laura Flanders Show will air on Link TV July 22 at 9pm ET, highlighting interviews directly from the floor of the convention. Additional hourlong telecasts of Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! will focus on convention coverage, airing each weekday during the convention at 12pm ET.

MSNBC
Evening coverage of the convention begins each night at 5pm ET with Chuck Todd anchoring MTP Daily from live locations outside the convention halls, followed by Chris Hayes leading the 6pm ET hour. Then, at 7pm ET, Brian Williams and Rachel Maddow anchor MSNBC’s primetime coverage live from New York, with Chris Matthews live inside the convention hall. Matthews will also anchor late-night coverage and analysis until 2am ET.

Other MSNBC coverage:

  • Many weekend broadcasts, including AM Joy, originate live from Cleveland ahead of the convention, and Sunday nights feature special primetime previews led by Chuck Todd at 5pm ET, Chris Hayes and 6pm, Chris Matthews at 7pm and Rachel Maddow, Brian Williams and Chris Matthews from 8-10pm.
  • Morning Joe will have special broadcasts live from Cleveland July 18-21 at 6am ET
  • MSNBC daytime coverage (9am-5pm ET) is live from Cleveland with anchors Stephanie Ruhle, José Díaz-Balart, Tamron Hall, Andrea Mitchell, Craig Melvin, Chris Jansing, Thomas Roberts, Kate Snow, and Steve Kornacki

NBC
Lester Holt leads NBC News’ primetime coverage of the Republican convention July 18-21 at 10pm ET. Holt is joined by Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd, anchoring live inside the convention hall.

Other NBC News coverage:

  • On the Sunday before the convention (July 17), Chuck Todd moderates a special edition of  Meet the Press live from Cleveland
  • Lester Holt anchors NBC Nightly News live from Cleveland beginning the Sunday night leading into each convention, through Thursday
  • On Monday and Tuesday, Savannah Guthrie co-anchors a split edition of TODAY live from Cleveland. Matt Lauer joins Guthrie live at the convention site on Wednesday and Thursday of each week

PBS
PBS NewsHour will join with NPR to co-produce and broadcast joint, live primetime coverage of both conventions this year. The 2016 Republican National Convention coverage will air on PBS and NPR stations and across PBS NewsHour, PBS, NPR and member stations’ digital sites. Primetime coverage starts on local PBS and NPR stations at 8pm ET July 18-21, and is scheduled through 11pm. Coverage will be co-anchored by Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff. At both conventions, NPR host Rachel Martin will serve as the podium reporter with NPR’s Sue Davis as the floor reporter. At the RNC convention, Lisa Desjardins will join Davis on the convention floor, with additional reporting outside the convention hall by John Yang. At the DNC convention, Yang will join Davis on the convention floor. In addition to guest interviews to be announced, Ifill and Woodruff will be joined by NPR’s Mara Liasson, Ron Elving and Domenico Montanaro, among others, and NewsHour regular contributors including syndicated columnist Mark Shields, New York Times columnist David Brooks and Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter.

Washington Week with Gwen Ifill will host live-audience special editions at 8pm ET from Cleveland on July 15 and Philadelphia on July 22, in advance of the Republican and Democratic national political conventions in each city including a second half hour, Washington Week EXTRA.

TV One
TV One’s News One Now, hosted by Roland S. Martin, will broadcast live from the RNC July 19-22 at 7am ET.

5 Comments

  1. Trump has really connected with what is needed for America. I could have done without the comments of the NPR/PBS news leftist thinkers and pro current status of the direction our country is headed without the Trump courage to state the truth & set the plan to correct our direction; without it the USA will lose it’s sovereignty & constitution to the global elites plans.

  2. Having voted for every Democratic president since Lyndon B. Johnson was re-elected after completing the term he inherited following President Kennedy’s death, I will of course be voting for Hillary Clinton. However, I will tweet this very thorough alphabetical list of news outlets on Twitter. As one of those who will vote for Hillary Clinton, I plan to watch/listen, for the most part, to portions of the RNC convention coverage. My venue of choice is PBS/NPR to stay aware of this year’s RNC convention way of thinking and operating.

  3. I don’t have cable or streaming. So I think the full convention should be aired on Channel 2,4,7, or 9. There are still many people who who can’t afford the technology of today but will be voting. Don’t think this is fair to them. A one hour news report is not enough.

    • It will on tv I don’t have cable either but they are going to be live on broadcast tv channel PBS

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