ABC-7 Listens: Coverage plans for Trump, O’Rourke rallies

ABC-7 has planned complete coverage of rallies Monday for both President Donald Trump and Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

This isn’t the first time El Paso has hosted a president, but every time we do it’s an exciting challenge.

We at ABC-7 also have to coordinate the best coverage possible and it means all hands on deck.

This time, because the event falls outside of local news time, we had to request permission from the network in order to displace programming.

ABC-7 General Manager Kevin Lovell said ABC did not hesitate to grant us authorization recognizing a presidential visit is a significant local event.

It is rare for us to move the entire programming lineup, so here is the rundown.

ABC-7 at 4 p.m., coverage starts as the doors open at the El Paso County Coliseum, where the president will speak. 5:30 p.m. “World News Tonight with David Muir.” ABC-7 at 6 p.m. will be a one-hour show. 7 p.m. Trump’s speech will be broadcast on air and online at www.kvia.com in its entirety. 8 p.m. “The Bachelor” will air at normal time. ABC-7 at 10 p.m. will air around regularly scheduled time, depending on the length of the president’s speech. “The Good Doctor,” which this week happened to be a rerun, will air after “Nightline.”

The O’Rourke rally will be broadcast on the El Paso/Las Cruces CW.