How To Watch Midterms Coverage As Broadcast News Nets Take Over Primetime, Reflecting High Stakes Of Elections

Broadcast networks are devoting their primetime hours to coverage of next week’s midterm results, underscoring the stakes and interest in this year’s election. But the night is also a bit of a prelude to 2024, as all of the news divisions and cable news outlets hope that audiences will return for another momentous presidential election.

Related Story

Jake Tapper To Return To Daytime Show After Midterm Stint In Primetime

Related Story

Midterms 2022: Dr. Oz Concedes To Fetterman; Ron Johnson Defeats Mandela Barnes In Wisconsin; Control Of Congress Still Undecided – Update

Related Story

California Proposition Results: Voters Pass Protections For Abortion Rights And Give Boost To Arts Funding; Reject Tax On Millionaires And Defeat Sports Betting Measures

The biggest questions Tuesday — whether Democrats retain control of Congress, and whether Donald Trump-backed election deniers win key statewide posts — will have an impact on the next cycle. And speculation of who will enter the field in 2024, and whether President Joe Biden will run for reelection, will be rampant once there’s a clearer picture of who wins and loses.

More from Deadline

• Jake Tapper To Return To Daytime Show After Midterm Stint In Primetime

• Midterms 2022: Dr. Oz Concedes To Fetterman; Ron Johnson Defeats Mandela Barnes In Wisconsin; Control Of Congress Still Undecided - Update

• California Proposition Results: Voters Pass Protections For Abortion Rights And Give Boost To Arts Funding; Reject Tax On Millionaires And Defeat Sports Betting Measures

RELATED: 2022 Midterms: Races For U.S. Congress, States, L.A. Mayor, Ballot Measures & More

The networks vowed in 2020 not to get ahead of themselves in characterizing a candidate’s lead as predictive of the outcome, given the disparity in partisan makeup of mail-in and election-day votes. That didn’t stop Trump from falsely declaring himself the winner in the wee hours of election night in 2020, even as huge chunks of mail-in votes remained outstanding. This cycle, the networks say that they will use the same caution, especially when it comes to declaring control of Congress. And news executives say that is especially the case given how close many of the polls are, and that one of the states, Georgia, may end up in a runoff.

Here’s a rundown of the broadcast and cable news networks’ plans (check back as more are added), with the broadcasters turning to full network coverage by 8 p.m., preempting their lucrative primetime schedules. Fox and The CW will remain in original programming.

ABC

ABC News will begin full network coverage starting with World News Tonight anchor David Muir at 7 p.m. that includes panelists, deep dives into the data and analytics, a “ballot watch” desk monitoring storylines related to election integrity and legal (in partnership with the Brennan Center at the NYU School of Law), and correspondents reporting from 13 states.

ABC News Live will provide dedicated coverage beginning in the morning and continuing at 7 p.m. led by Muir, with Prime anchor Linsey Davis. Kyra Phillips will also anchor updates throughout the night for the streaming service and local affiliates.

CBS

CBS News’ America Decides: Campaign ‘22 election special anchored by CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell, Gayle King, John Dickerson and Margaret Brennan in New York begins at 5 p.m. ET on streaming and broadcast television from 8-11 p.m. ET/PT, and again from 11-11:35 p.m. ET for select CBS affiliates. It continues from 12:37-2 a.m. ET live across all time zones. Coverage includes an Election Data Desk.

The CBS News Streaming Network’s coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET, with its 13 local channels providing live local election coverage throughout the day and evening. The network and streaming coverage will for the first time feature live reports and analysis from political reporters at CBS Stations nationwide.

NBC

NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell will anchor network coverage from New York beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Before that, streaming site NBC News Now’s Decision 2022 coverage kicks off at 6 p.m. ET with Hallie Jackson and Tom Llamas, picking up the network simulcast at 8. Peacock will also simulcast coverage of siblings NBC and MSNBC (see below for the latter’s plan).

PBS

PBS NewsHour begins coverage at 8 p.m. ET anchored by managing editor Judy Woodruff who will be joined by David Brooks, Gary Abernathy, Perry Bacon Jr., Amy Walter, Marc Short and Faiz Shakir. Additional reporting will come from NewsHour correspondents and PBS station reporters nationwide.

CNN

Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper will start coverage at 4 p.m. ET, and they will be joined by Dana Bash, who will lead analysis with Abby Phillip and Chris Wallace. Kasie Hunt will track Senate races, and Boris Sanchez will cover gubernatorial races. John King will provide analysis and reporting on House races from the CNN Magic Wall. Pamela Brown will give updates on voting across the country, and David Chalian will provide analysis on exit polls. Additional reporting will come from correspondents across the country, and Gloria Borger, David Axelrod, Van Jones, David Urban, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Scott Jennings also will provide analysis. Later, Don Lemon, Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Poppy Harlow, Alisyn Camerota and Kaitlan Collins will lead continuing coverage.

CNBC

The network’s The News with Shepard Smith will cover the midterms beginning at at 7 p.m. ET with reporters in key states.

Fox News Channel

Fox News Channel’s coverage of Democracy 2022: Election Night begins at 6 p.m. ET co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, joined by Bill Hemmer, Harris Faulkner and Shannon Bream. Dana Perino, Brit Hume, Juan Williams, Trey Gowdy, Karl Rove, Kellyanne Conway and Josh Kraushaar will also contribute along with more than 20 correspondents around the country. Overnight coverage will begin at 1 a.m. ET anchored by Trace Gallagher.

Fox Business Network will simulcast Fox News’ live coverage beginning at 6 p.m., with FBN’s Stuart Varney, Maria Bartiromo, Charles Payne and Larry Kudlow to provide real-time analysis on FNC.

MSNBC

Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid will lead the Decision 2022 election coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET, joined by Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner, Lawrence O’Donnell, Ari Melber and Stephanie Ruhle. Steve Kornacki will be at the Big Board. Panelists include Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend, former Sen. Claire McCaskill, David Plouffe, Michael Steele and Carlos Curbelo.

Coverage will continue at 2 a.m. ET with Ali Velshi, Jonathan Capehart, Alicia Menendez and Ayman Mohyeldin.

NewsNation

Chris Cuomo and Leland Vittert will lead coverage, starting at 6 PM ET, with analysis from George Will, Chris Stirewalt and others. The network has teamed with DecisionDesk HQ, led by Scott Tranter, to call races throughout the evening.

Patrick Hipes contributed to this report.

Best of Deadline

• Movies With Lowest Budgets To Earn $1 Million, From ‘Clerks’ And ‘The Blair Witch Project' To ‘Eraserhead’ & More - Photo Gallery

• Shelley Duvall Career In Film Gallery: From ‘The Shining’, ‘Three Women’, ‘Annie Hall’ & More

• Jerry Lee Lewis: A Career In Photos Gallery

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.