It’s been an exhausting day for network newsroom denizens as they awoke to word of a terror attack in Belgium, and they’ll give it another push when the evening newscasts hit the air Tuesday. ABC’s World News Tonight, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News have all doubled the evening slot to an hour; CBS anchor Scott Pelley also anchored a special report at 4 p.m. ET.
Anchoring from New York, the lead talent will lean heavily on their correspondents for updates on the tragedy, which has killed at least 30 people and injured hundreds more. Those in Brussels include ABC foreign correspondent Alexander Marquardt, CBS correspondents Charlie D’Agata and Allen Pizzey, and NBC newsgatherers Kelly Cobiella and Billy Neely.
Networks are also sending correspondents to Paris, where terror struck on a larger scale in November.
On cable, Fox News Channel chief political news anchor Bret Baier leads coverage from New York, with Shepard Smith in London and Greg Palkot, John Huddy and Mike Tobin in Brussels.
For MSNBC, Brian Williams resumed his live coverage at 5 p.m. ET after working the morning hours. On CNN, Anderson Cooper is driving the live coverage.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted Brussels Airport and Maelbeek train station in the city's center. A suspect is being pursued.
The story hardly ends when the evening newscast credits roll. ABC, for one, has devoted the whole of Tuesday’s Nightline to the attacks, and cable news will of course be in all-hands-on-deck mode.
