Networks Plan Special Reports for Obama Statement on Egypt

As the cable news networks continue to cover the revelry in the streets of Cairo, following the announcement that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president, the broadcast networks are preparing special reports for their networks as Pres. Obama plans to address the situation at 1:30pmET now scheduled for 3pmET. Brian Williams, who has been going back and forth today on MSNBC and NBC, and who put up “Nightly News” best ratings in six years during coverage from Cairo last week, will anchor coverage for NBC. Diane Sawyer will anchor for ABC alongside Christiane Amanpour who also spent last week in Cairo. Katie Couric, who also reported from Cairo last week, will anchor CBS’ special report.

The cable news channels continue live, uninteruppted coverage of the revelry in Tahrir Square. Including live reports on MSNBC from NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, who speaks Arabic, and has been translating what he’s hearing from the crowds.

Earlier today, NBC News president Steve Capus, in Chicago for an event honoring the late Tim Russert and attending a taping of “Morning Joe,” told TVNewser’s Alissa Krinsky, “It helps enormously to have somebody with the experience of a guy like Richard Engel, who actually used to live in Cairo. And we’ve had a Cairo bureau for decades, and the depth of that experience really comes into play when something like this happens.”

> Update: Pres. Obama spoke from 3:06pm – 3:12pm. He took no questions.

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