Former “Live PD” host Dan Abrams is joining NewsNation with his own nightly primetime show, as the former WGN America undergoes a major expansion of hours. Additionally, “GMA Weekend” host Adrienne Bankert is joining the cable channel to anchor a new three-hour weekday morning news show called “Morning in America.”
Both shows launch on Sept. 27. “Dan Abrams Live” will air weeknights from 8 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET. “Morning in America” will air weekdays from 7 a.m. ET to 10 a.m. ET.
The Nexstar Media-owned cable channel is adding 26 hours of news, analysis and talk to its weekly schedule. NewsNation launched in September 2020 with 19 weekly hours of original programming. One year out from that rebranding, it will be at 55 hours.
“Dan Abrams is the epitome of the pure, common sense approach to journalism envisioned when NewsNation launched last September,” NewsNation’s president of news, Michael Corn, said in a statement on Monday. “He brings unparalleled expertise to our primetime line-up and emphasizes our ongoing commitment to help engaged viewers gain a better understanding of the day’s most controversial and complicated news stories. He has a fresh, no-holds barred approach to covering and analyzing the news, and his credibility is unquestioned.”
“Joining NewsNation is a welcome, natural fit for me,” Abrams added. “Too much of cable news is polluted by partisanship with shows focused on indoctrinating viewers, unabashedly cheering for one side or another. We are committed to presenting independent-minded analysis and opinion on politics, media, and the most important stories of the day, exposing hypocrisy on all sides so viewers can make up their own minds. Always fact based, sometimes surprising, but never agenda driven — you might call it a cable news show for the rest of us.”
In addition to his TV work, Abrams is the chief legal affairs analyst for NBC News. He founded website Mediaite.
“I’m excited to bring a relatability to morning news that connects with the audience like never before,” Bankert said of her upcoming gig. “This show will be a conversation, putting stories in context and getting behind the headlines. And we are going to have fun. Even if people wake up on the so-called ‘wrong side of the bed,’ I want them to turn on the TV and be not only more informed, but feel better, even happier watching us. I believe we are called to a higher standard at NewsNation — to offer a variety of viewpoints across America and give dignity to every voice. That’s what you’ll find on ‘Morning in America’ five days a week.”
“Adrienne was always a bright light at ABC and GMA Weekend,” Corn, who also came over from ABC News, said of his new morning show anchor. “She has the rare combination of journalistic chops and positivity that viewers will find refreshing and a welcome start to the day.”
NewsNation is currently available weeknights from 6 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET, with encore presentations until 3 a.m. ET, Monday through Friday. On weekends the network airs original newscasts from 7 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET.