Programming Roundup: MLK Jr. Memorial Dedication Postponed

Updated 8:00 p.m. ET.

With Hurricane Irene threatening the East Coast, the planned Aug. 28 dedication ceremony of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial has been indefinitely postponed. The last event to take place for the MLK Memorial will be the National Prayer Service at the Basilica on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. Friday events will continue as planned.

Below is the original planned programming.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., will have its dedication ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 28 (weather permitting), commemorating the date of the March on Washington and King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Networks have planned both specials and live coverage leading up to the event.

CNN will air Freedom’s Foot Soldiers: A Conversation with T.J. Holmes, in which Holmes interviews King’s friends, on Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. After the ceremony on Aug. 28, at 8 p.m. CNN will air the documentary MLK: Words That Changed A Nation with Soledad O’Brien, reflecting on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ’60s.

C-SPAN, along with coverage of the pre-dedication events, will the cover the dedication ceremony live at 11 a.m. on Aug. 28. Alex Witt will anchor live coverage for MSNBC and Roland Martin will anchor for TV One.

MSNBC will also broadcast live from the site of the memorial at the National Mall on Aug. 26 at 2 p.m. with Tamron Hall hosting NewsNation, followed by MSNBC Live at 6 with new MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton.

TV One will also cover all of the pre-dedication events, including the Civil Rights Pioneers Luncheon, The Message in the Music concert of civil rights era music, The Women Who Dare to Dream Luncheon and The Celebration Dream Gala. TV One will also feature live and taped interviews with civil rights leaders leading up to the dedication ceremony.

Full programming schedule below:

Friday, Aug. 26
12 p.m.: Women Who Dare to Dream Luncheon Honoring Women Civil Rights Leaders (C-SPAN)
2 p.m.: NewsNation (MSNBC) with Tamron Hall live from Washington, D.C.
6 p.m.: MSNBC Live at 6 (MSNBC) with Rev. Al Sharpton

Saturday, Aug. 27
7:30 p.m.: Freedom’s Foot Soldiers: A Conversation with T.J. Holmes (CNN)

Sunday, Aug. 28
6 a.m.: CNN Newsroom with T.J. Holmes from Washington, D.C. (CNN)
9 a.m.-1 p.m.: State of the Union special with Candy Crowley (CNN)
9 a.m.: MSNBC live coverage with Alex Witt, Maria Schiavocampo, Eugene Robinson and Rev. Al Sharpton
9 a.m.: Live coverage from Washington, D.C. with Roland Martin, Joe Madison and Art Fennell (TV One)
11 a.m.: Live coverage (C-SPAN)
8 p.m. and 11 p.m.: MLK: Words That Changed a Nation (CNN)