ABC News Plans Two ‘Soul of a Nation’ Primetime Specials

Donna Brazile has joined ABC News as a contributor, after a stint as a regular for Fox News.

Donna Brazile, former interim head of the Democratic National Convention, has exited Fox News for a contributor role at ABC News, an individual with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap.Brazile served as interim DNC chairwoman in 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. She’s had a wide-ranging career in television throughout her time as a political operative.

At this point, The View has become more synonymous with on-air fighting than UFC, WWE, and reruns of The Jerry Springer Show. Every day, it seems that Meghan McCain and Joy Behar go at it, leaving Whoopi Goldberg feeling exhausted.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDonna Brazile, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee and a veteran political operator, has joined ABC News as a contributor, a move that is likely to limit her appearances on Fox News Channel, where she has been appearing regularly since March of 2019.Brazile made a recent appeared on ABC News’ “This Week,” identified as a contributor, and a spokesperson for the Walt Disney unit confirmed she had joined its roster in previous weeks.

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Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWho will Greg Gutfeld yell at now?Juan Williams, the resident liberal member of the popular Fox News panel show, “The Five,” is leaving the program for which he has worked since 2011.“COVID taught me a lot of lessons. As the show goes back to the New York studio, I’ll be staying in DC.

Antonio Ferme editorABC News is launching its first LGBTQ+ issue-focused podcast, which will be hosted by award-winning journalist and columnist LZ Granderson, Variety has learned.“Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson” will debut on Jun. 1, in conjunction with the start of Pride month.Granderson, who is an ABC News contributor and ESPN Radio host, will lead inspiring, provocative and often hilarious conversations on the podcast, drawing from his own lived experience as a gay, Black father.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeABC Owned Television Stations has partnered with Participant Media to produce the special “Our America: A Year of Activism,” which will stream beginning May 25 and feature three roundtable discussions of activism following the murder a year ago of George Floyd.Prominent artists, activists and journalists featured in the discussions include Fred Hampton Jr., filmmaker Steve James, Ai-jen Poo, April Reign, ESPN senior writer Jesse Washington, Jimmie

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Channel said it would make its lineup of primetime opinion programs available on its Fox Nation streaming-video service just one day after they air on cable, a significant distribution element that underscores the allure of streaming for the entire media sector.Starting Wednesday, June 2, episodes of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “Hannity” and “The Ingraham Angle” will all be made available the day after they air for on-demand viewing.

It’s been one year since George Floyd’s death at the hands of police on the streets of Minneapolis — and America and the world were horrified by the cellphone video. Cities exploded with protests that would last throughout the summer and feed a renewed national focus on justice, equality and race in general.

Mike Tyson remains a revered figure in the annals of boxing, and a new two-part ABC News documentary will chronicle his rise, fall and eventual comeback.

BET will honor the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death with a series of three news specials reflecting on his life and the turbulent last year in American society.The three-night event will kick off on the formal anniversary, Tuesday, May 25, with the “Bars and Ballads for George Floyd” event featuring Jon Batiste, Nas, former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, singer and activist Anthony Hamilton, Civil Rights leader and Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, actor Michael K.

EXCLUSIVE: Producer and cable scion Edward Walson is launching news and debate app Erupt, aimed at the 18-34 year old demo.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News filed a motion Tuesday to dismiss a massive $1.6 billion lawsuit from by voting-technology firm Dominion Voting Systems, citing concerns about freedom of speech and introducing a new development to the closely-watched case.In the motion, Fox News said Dominion failed to identify “any actionable defamation” by Fox News and did not stipulate facts that Fox News presented the items Dominion challenges “with actual malice.”“The freedoms of speech and press

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe people who run one of the nation’s best-known broadcast networks think they’ve come up with a way to slow the flow of ad dollars from traditional TV to streaming-video rivals.CBS plans sometime in the second half of 2021 to start making available new technology that will let advertisers buy commercials that are sent only to a particular subset of the network’s viewing audience.

Last year, a renewal decision came down to the wire on legal drama For Life, which was the last ABC to snag a pickup in June, at the height of the protests following the death of George Floyd.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Channel has defied its many critics for a quarter century, surviving shocking internal scandals and weathering myriad controversies with its primetime hosts to become a profit-generating juggernaut for Rupert Murdoch. But there is no question that its traditional linear revenue base is shrinking, which is why Fox Corp.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Channel, which has been reworking large parts of its programming schedule in the aftermath of the 2020 election, said it would launch new weekend programs hosted by conservative firebrand Dan Bongino and former South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy.Gowdy will host a 7 p.m. program on Sundays while Bongino will lead a 10 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFrylock, Meatwad and Master Shake are getting a new look from Hollywood.WarnerMedia’s Adult Swim plans to turn three of its most venerable properties into films that will debut first in a 90-day window via video-on-demand and Blu-ray and DVD before debuting on the streaming-video hub HBO Max and the outlet’s namesake cable outlet.  ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “Metalocalypse” and “The Venture Bros.” are three of the network’s best-known series.“Leveraging the power

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorRobin Roberts worked from home for a good part of the pandemic while hosting America’s most-watched morning-news program.