TV News Launches Blue Origin Media Coverage Well in Advance of Bezos Blast-Off

Brian Steinberg
·3 min read
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Before Amazon founder Jeff Bezos takes off Tuesday morning on a revolutionary mission to space conducted by his aerospace company, Blue Origin, the media has launched a frenzy of coverage.

Bezos and members of his team made the rounds of the nation’s morning shows Monday, visiting Michael Strahan at ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Hoda Kotb at NBC’s “Today,” Gayle King at CBS’ “CBS This Morning” and correspondent Rachel Crane at CNN’s “New Day.” Neil Cavuto, the veteran Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel anchor, presented an interview on his afternoon Fox Business program that will air again later today on Fox News.

News crews have been granted access to the Blue Origin spacecraft, located in remote Van Horn, Texas, in the days ahead of the mission, but it’s not clear how much access they will have to the live effort on Tuesday. Blue Origin intends to broadcast the mission on its own web site starting at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, with liftoff expected at 9 a.m. Following the launch, a live press conference will be broadcast on the site. The company says it maintains no areas for public viewing in the vicinity of the launch and indicated that the Texas Department of Transportation will close a portion of State Highway 54, which is adjacent to the launch site. No spectators will be allowed on the closed road during the event.

None of those details will keep the media from trying to show the story,

CNN intends to feature live coverage Tuesday, with Crane and new correspondent Kristin Fisher on the ground. Fox Business Network’s Jeff Flock and Fox News Channel’s Jeff Paul will also be present in Van Horn.

ABC News plans to carry the flight as a special report across ABC on Tuesday, with Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos anchoring with Michael Strahan in Texas. They will be joined by Gio Benitez, the network’s transportation correspondent, who is also in Texas, along with expert contributors. ABC News plans to simulcast the event on ABC News Live, its streaming counterpart. NBC News plans to have Craig Melvin anchor its coverage of the launch, stating at 8:55 a.m. ET. He will be joined by correspondents Tom Costello and Stephanie Ruhle, as well as former astronauts Mike Massimino and NASA’s Kathy Lueders. CBS News will feature a special report co-anchored by Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell.

Discovery and The Washington Post will team up to provide live coverage of the much-scrutinized event, with a live show, “Space Launch Live: Blue Origin & Jeff Bezos Go to Space,” anchored by The Washington Post’s Libby Casey and Discovery’s Chris Jacobs from The Post’s Washington, D.C. studios. The program will be broadcast live at 8 a.m. ET on July 20 on cable’s Discovery and Science Channels as well as washingtonpost.com

“We are delighted to be joining forces with The Washington Post to once again cover the next major chapter in space advancement,” said Scott Lewers, executive vice president of multi-platform programming, factual and head of content at Science, in a prepared statement. “With no on-site public viewing areas in the vicinity of the launch site, this broadcast continues Discovery and Science Channel’s mission to bring the world to our viewers.”

More to come…

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