Monday, August 25, 2008

No ticket to Denver? You can still see wall-to-wall coverage of the Democratic convention -- if you've got cable, where the news stations will start bright and early and go past midnight. Major broadcast networks will kick in at 10 p.m. for an hour. Tonight's events feature a speech from Michelle Obama and a tribute to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Here is a sampling of what's on tap:

Early risers: At 6 a.m., "Fox & Friends" on Fox News Channel airs its live broadcast from Denver, as will the rest of the day's news shows; C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" starts interviews and analysis at 7 a.m.; "Good Morning America" hosts Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts report on site.

Before the gavel: On CNN at noon, John Roberts moderates a panel discussion about the role of the economy in the election; Fox News Channel hosts "The Live Desk With Martha MacCallum and Trace Gallagher" at 1 p.m. The convention is gaveled open at 3 p.m.

Early events: MSNBC has an on-site "Hardball With Chris Matthews" at 5 p.m.; Channel 5 offers live reports on its 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts; "World News With Charles Gibson" is live at 6 p.m.; Telemundo has anchor Pedro Sevcec reporting live at 6:30 p.m.

Prime-time coverage: Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are on "Decision 2008" on MSNBC all night; "It's Your Call With Lynn Doyle" at 8 p.m. on CN8 devotes three hours to the convention; Fox News Channel's "O'Reilly Factor" kicks off at 8 p.m.

At 10 p.m., the major broadcast networks check in, as Katie Couric anchors on Channel 9; Gibson, Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos report for "ABC News Vote 08" on Channel 7; on Channel 4, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian William hosts the coverage.

Headliner: Michelle Obama, likely after 10 p.m.

O ther speakers: Former president Jimmy Carter; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.); Barack Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson; Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.); Miami Mayor Manny Diaz; longtime Obama friend Jerry Kellman.

Also, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.; former congressman Lee Hamilton (Ind.); Illinois state leaders Alexi Giannoulis, Dan Hynes and Lisa Madigan; Illinois SEIU President Tom Balanoff; National Education Association President Reg Weaver; United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten; NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan; Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle; and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

Look out for: The debut of Luke Russert, son of the late "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, with special reports on youth issues on NBC.

Gavel down:11 p.m.

Late night: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) appears on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" at 11:35 p.m.; a Denver-based "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m. is anchored by Terry Moran; TV One throws a "DNC Afterparty" at 11 p.m. with commentary on the day's social and political events; CNN has a special midnight edition of "Larry King Live."

-- Emily Yahr