CBS News Expands Super Tuesday Coverage

Katie Couric to Anchor Two-Hour Primetime Special, Joined by Bob Schieffer, Jeff Greenfield

By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/29/2008 4:47:00 PM

CBS News will dedicate two hours of primetime to Super Tuesday coverage, the network announced Tuesday. CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric will anchor the special, which will begin at 9 p.m. with analysis from chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer and political correspondent Jeff Greenfield.

The network had planned to dedicate one hour to Super Tuesday, during which an unprecedented 22 states, as well as American Samoa, will hold primaries or caucuses.

Pitched battles in the Republican and Democratic fields have translated into unprecedented viewer interest in the 2008 campaigns on CNN and Fox News Channel, which have made the campaigns their bread and butter.

But during this strike-decimated TV season, the broadcast networks have declined to use political coverage to plug schedule holes, instead opting for reruns of comedies and dramas and more unscripted programming.

ABC News is the exception, mounting back-to-back primetime Democratic and Republican debates earlier this month in New Hampshire. The network is also planning multiple hours of primetime coverage on Super Tuesday.

NBC has largely let its live political coverage live on MSNBC, although NBC is also expected to expand its planned one hour of primetime coverage on Super Tuesday.