There are many opinions on how to broadcast a presidential impeachment trial. To be sure, the stakes are high when the highest office in the land is given this level of scrutiny.
How should it sound on your radio?
There are often factors that are out of our control. For example, sometimes the coverage is scheduled with a start time of 11:00 a.m. Sometimes, it’s been noon. Sometimes, the proceedings are scheduled for the weekend. They can last a few hours or go deep into the night. That means your favorite program may be preempted during times we’re in “special coverage.”
Faced with these moving parts, the WNIJ news team is committed to the public service of carrying balanced coverage. That means perspectives from both sides of the aisle and the White House are given airtime. We also believe in addition to live testimony, daily analysis is a vital component of understanding the day’s proceedings. That’s why we'll continue to carry live testimony as it begins each day, and conclude live testimony with the start of our afternoon news magazine All Things Considered weekdays at 3 p.m. and on weekends at 4 p.m.
We will offer alive video stream for the entirety of the proceedings.
This is a fluid situation and we believe we should pivot when needed and carry significant procedural action as it occurs. We will continue to monitor the trial schedule as it becomes available.
Traditionally, WNIJ has aired the Illinois Governor’s annual State of the State address in its entirety. It is possible that impeachment trial coverage will be scheduled simultaneously this Wednesday at noon. If that occurs, we will continue to carry live impeachment trial coverage and will make the State of the State address available at wnij.org soon after it is delivered. On air, we will provide elements from the speech during newscasts on All Things Considered on Wednesday and Morning Edition on Thursday.
- Jenna Dooley is the News Director at WNIJ
