Fox News is airing an extensive four-hour special called “Army 250 Parade.” CNN will carry the proceedings. And MSNBC is sticking with its usual liberal opinion shows.
President Trump’s military parade in Washington, celebrating the Army’s 250 birthday and his own 79th, has the hallmarks of a made-for-TV event. The White House has hired an outside production company, Event Strategies Inc., which was responsible for some of Mr. Trump’s Wrestlemania-style campaign rallies, and cameras will be rolling as 28 Abrams tanks and 6,700 soldiers process down Constitution Avenue. (Paratroopers will swoop in from above.)
Cable news channels plan to cover the event along familiar lines. And America’s three biggest television networks do not plan to carry the event live on their affiliates. Each had prior programming commitments that evening, although ABC, CBS and NBC say that coverage will be available digitally via their 24-hour streaming channels.
At the time that Mr. Trump is scheduled to give remarks, CBS will be broadcasting a rerun of the comic procedural “Elspeth,” NBC is set to air an episode of a game show called “Password,” and ABC plans to carry the championship game of the UFL, a minor football league.
The festivities are set to kick off at 6 p.m. Eastern and conclude roughly four hours later, after a country music concert and fireworks.
Fox News has a full day of programming planned around the event, with appearances from several on-air personalities, including a few co-hosts of “Fox & Friends.” (A former “Friend,” Pete Hegseth, is now the defense secretary and has been closely involved in the parade.)
The Trump-friendly network Newsmax said it would cover the full parade and that Mr. Hegseth was among the guests expected to appear.
Those seeking some political counterprogramming can tune into MSNBC. A spokesman said the liberal-leaning channel “will cover news as it happens,” and at least one anchor, Ali Velshi, will be reporting from Washington. But the channel will otherwise go ahead with its usual Saturday opinion shows.
C-SPAN will also carry the full breadth of the proceedings.
One challenge for network news producers is the prospect of skirmishes breaking out along the parade route or elsewhere in Washington. Some protesters plan to travel to the capital to demonstrate against the Trump administration, and the president has already said “they’re going to be met with very big force.” He did not distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and people who might commit violence or vandalism.
Authorities around the country are bracing for a day of protest on Saturday, as part of a “No Kings” movement, organized by progressive groups, intended to demonstrate against authoritarian tendencies in the federal government. Those groups decided not to hold an event in Washington during the military parade.
Executives at NewsNation, a relatively new 24-hour cable news channel, say they plan to juggle coverage of the parade, Mr. Trump’s planned remarks about the military, and the “No Kings” protests in major cities. The channel plans to cover the parade with a four-hour special called “Tribute to America.”
The Trump administration’s production team plans to provide a live feed of Saturday’s events using numerous cameras along the parade’s route. Independent news channels will rely on a pair of cameras near Mr. Trump’s reviewing stand, along with any correspondents who rove amid the crowds.
A spokeswoman for the production company, Event Strategies, did not respond to an inquiry. A White House official promised that the parade “will be a showstopping event that all Americans will remember for generations.”
Luke Broadwater contributed reporting from Washington.
Michael M. Grynbaum writes about the intersection of media, politics and culture. He has been a media correspondent at The Times since 2016.
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