There will be live coverage of the inauguration of President Elect Donald Trump across the BBC’s international news services on TV, radio and online on 21 January, 2017.
The 24/7 global news network BBC World News will begin coverage from 01:00 AEDT on 21 January, along with full news and analysis throughout the day on BBC.com, the BBC News app, social media outlets and on BBC World Service radio.
BBC News will also be launching a new weekday TV news show on Tuesday 24 January – 100 Days – as the new administration takes office in Washington, to follow the first three months of the President’s term in the White House.
Katty Kay
image - supplied/ABCTV
On TV
Presented live by the BBC’s Katty Kay from atop the Newseum, the BBC will follow the official proceedings on Inauguration Day, including the swearing in ceremony, the inaugural address, as well as the presidential parade to the White House. Along with following events in Washington D.C the BBC will also be gauging reaction from around the world to a day which marks the transfer of Presidential power from one administration to the next and analysing the significance of this transition to the wider international community.
New weekday TV show charts first 100 days of new Presidency
Following the inauguration, BBC News will be launching 100 Days on Tuesday 24 January on BBC World News, broadcasting Tuesday to Friday at 06:00 AEDT. Presented from Washington by the BBC’s Katty Kay, alongside the BBC’s Christian Fraser in London, the programme will be following the first 100 days of the new President’s administration, with analysis and perspective from around the world.
Digital coverage
For digital audiences, live updates on BBC.com begin on Monday 20 January from 22:00 AEDT and run throughout the evening/morning, with analysis from the BBC’s team across Washington and around the world in the build up to the ceremony, the parade and the entertainment outside the White House. There will be a live stream of the ceremony including the new President’s speech.
Alongside the live coverage on BBC.com, there will be background video and text features providing global audiences with everything they need to know about the day, from background explainers on the inauguration ceremony and its history, to looking at who’ll be attending and performing (and who won’t) and what President Trump says he’ll do once in office. The BBC’s digital coverage will also include text analysis of the new President’s speech from the BBC’s Anthony Zurcher, plus an annotated video of the speech.
Other digital highlights include a new video feature which follows Trump supporters on their journey to Washington and also hears from protesters travelling to the capital for a march the day after. The BBC will look at this culture clash and ask if President Trump has any chance of uniting the nation. An interactive feature will compare how the new President’s inauguration visually compares to President Obama’s in 2008. The venue and the oath are the same but the size and make-up of the crowd may differ. Using images taken from the same spot, this interactive feature on BBC.com will allow audiences to compare the two different inauguration ceremonies side by side.
The BBC will also be hosting special Facebook Lives and Snapchat updates with the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan.
Radio
For BBC World Service radio, BBC Newshour on 21 January at 01:00 AEDT will have live reports from Washington D.C, followed by three hours of continuous coverage of events from 03:00 to 06:00 AEDT. There will be an extended edition of Newshour from 06:00 AEDT, with the BBC’s correspondents in Washington and around the world gauging the national and international reaction.
The main host of the radio coverage from Washington will be the BBC’s Nuala McGovern overlooking proceedings from the roof of the Canadian Embassy. The BBC’s Chloe Tilly will be with the crowds on Pennsylvania Avenue and Aleem Maqbool will be providing commentary from his vantage point near the steps of Congress. In addition Shaimaa Khalil will be in West Virginia reporting on how Middle America is following the inauguration of President Trump.
As well as full coverage on the day, BBC World Service radio will also be broadcasting daily from different venues across America in the week leading up to the inauguration to look at how people are remembering President Obama and looking ahead to the Trump era.