Disney spent more than a year coming up with 24 hours of coverage for the 4th of July
Stephanie Ramos will join Walt Disney Co. and ABC News help deliver more than just fireworks during a weekend many TV companies dedicate to celebrating the Fourth of July.
During a special Saturday broadcast of “Good Morning America” on ABC, Ramos, an ABC News national correspondent who served many years in the country’s military reserves, will tear down a wall live from Fort Campbell, a U.S. military base near Nashville. “She’s a tough guy,” said Simone Swink, president of ABC News and responsible for Disney News’ morning and evening programs.
Ramos’ wall clambering makes Swink “a little nervous,” but it will be one of several different spectacles: shows on ABC, Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, National Geographic, Freeform, FX and ABC News Live that start Friday night and run all day Saturday. Viewers may think they are simply witnessing hours of programming in the moment, largely fueled by ABC News staffers spreading across the country. What they may not know is that the programming has been part of a year-long project that will in many ways expand the company’s expertise in providing live programming at a time when Disney is increasingly reliant on such things to fuel its economy.
“The first meeting I had about this was in April of last year,” said Seni Tienabaso, vice president of ABC News Live.
Disney kicks off the event with coverage Friday evening at 10 p.m., with “World News Tonight” host and editor-in-chief David Muir offering a rare look at the Statue of Liberty. Muir will lead coverage of the event, which will extend overnight into Saturday morning and afternoon, then conclude with special primetime programming. MrBeast, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Brandi Carlile and Nick Jonas are among those scheduled to perform,
Disney has replenished its programming pipeline with a broader range of rights to sports and specials, banking on the greater power of live events in the streaming era to win a larger audience and the advertising dollars that will hopefully follow. Over the course of eight weeks in early 2027, Disney’s TV and streaming facilities will show the College Football Playoffs, the Oscars, the Grammys and Super Bowl LXI – the first time ABC will show the Big Game since 2006.
Other media companies are also testing these waters. CNN has brought together Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen to host a July 4 broadcast that will likely showcase the work they do for the Warner Bros. franchise. Discovery outlet on New Year’s Eve. Fox News Channel will cover the U.S. 250th anniversary from various locations around the country on Fox News, Fox Business Network. Including Fox News Digital and Fox Weather. NBC News and CBS News will also carry primetime specials on Saturday evening. MS NOW held a live event in Philadelphia earlier this week that featured Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki and Ali Velshi, as well as guests such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Staff from across Disney have been working to set up a series of events that will take place over the next 24 hours. Linsey Davis, Lara Spencer and Sam Champion will perform during the overnight hours from across the US, followed by a special “Nightline” broadcast. The evening will be filled with footage of visits “GMA” has made to all 50 states in recent weeks. There will be an early morning special on Saturday, hosted by Muir; the “GMA” special; and ESPN’s annual coverage of, among other things, the “Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.” Ryan Seacrest will host Nashville’s live “Star-Spangled Bash” between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m
For ABC News producers Swink and Tienabaso, the ambitious effort involves unorthodox schedules. Both will work late into the night on Friday and have to be back in the control room early on Saturday. Tienabaso expects to work Saturday from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m
“There’s a lot more live than recorded,” he says. “We manage every live shot, every piece of tape.” he says. “With all the people spreading out across the country,” he adds, a correspondent will undoubtedly signal “Hey, I got the goods,” which could make for an exciting live moment. “That’s one of the nice things about it,” he adds.
“With all the feeds and live shots,” Swink explains, “we want to be able to tear apart our overview.”
The project is led by Debra OConnell, chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, and Almin Karamehmedovic, president of ABC News, who have engaged employees across the company to “collaborate and tell more stories,” Swink said. If Disney’s messaging comes out on July 4, similar calls could happen in the future.
