Tegna, Weather Ch. Join On Eclipse Coverage

Tegna said today it will collaborate with The Weather Channel digital properties to provide special nationwide content of the Great American Total Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21. Tegna is also partnering with Facebook to provide a live stream of the eclipse on Facebook Live.

WBIR, Tegna’s NBC affiliate in Knoxville, Tenn., will also be featured on Facebook Live during the company’s #EclipseLive special. Tegna says that with its national footprint of 46 television stations in 38 markets, it is “uniquely positioned to provide complete minute-by-minute coverage of this once-in-a-lifetime event, from Oregon to South Carolina.”

The solar eclipse will pass through several Tegna communities:

• KGW, Portland, Ore. — Peak eclipse at 1:18 p.m. ET
• KTVB, Boise, Idaho — Peak eclipse at 1:33 p.m. ET
• KUSA, Denver — Peak eclipse at 1:47 p.m. ET
• KSDK, St. Louis — Peak eclipse at 2:18 p.m. ET
• WBIR, Knoxville, Tenn. — Peak eclipse at 2:34 p.m. (ET
• WLTX, Columbia, S.C. — Peak eclipse at 2:43 p.m. ET

As part of the collaboration with The Weather Channel for its “Chasing Eclipse 2017” live stream, special coverage from Tegna’s solar eclipse communities will be featured on weather.com, on The Weather Channel app and across social media.

The “Chasing Eclipse 2017” live stream will integrate live local eclipse content from Tegna. Viewers can access the live stream beginning at noon ET on August 21 at http://features.weather.com/eclipse.

“We are thrilled to be working with The Weather Channel to bring Tegna’s compelling and unique eclipse content to a worldwide audience across platforms,” said Ellen Crooke, Tegna VP of news. “The eclipse will directly pass through several Tegna communities, from Oregon to South Carolina, and we will be there every step of the way, offering our audiences insightful, meaningful and innovative coverage of this once-in-a-lifetime event like no other local broadcaster can.”

All Tegna stations, regardless if they are in the direct path of the eclipse, will have dedicated and enhanced coverage on-air, on their website and mobile apps. Content includes interactive guides to the eclipse, information on how to take the best pictures, a ZIP code finder to see how close you are to the path, information about local events, the science and history behind the eclipse and more.

In addition, Tegna will offer a continuous live stream of the eclipse from coast to coast on station’s Facebook feeds.

Tegna’s eclipse markets will also provide live, wall-to-wall coverage and analysis across platforms on Aug. 21. In addition to sharing content across Tegna’s markets and covering the impact the eclipse will have on tourism, traffic, cell service and other emergency responses, highlights of local coverage will include:

• KGW will be the first Tegna market in the path of the eclipse. KGW will be the only local crew on a plane in the Pacific Ocean to get exclusive views of the eclipse as it first appears. The station will be live beginning at 4:30 am (local time) and on-air for at least eight hours.

• KTVB will produce a two-hour television special from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (local time) from Weiser, Idaho, where thousands are expected to gather to catch Idaho’s first view of the eclipse. KTVB, the Western Idaho Fair and the Idaho Lottery are also teaming up to throw a party, Total Eclipse of the Fair, and special broadcast at the Western Idaho Fair grandstand stage.

• KSDK will be live in Carbondale, Ill., at a NASA official viewing location. This is where the eclipse will occur for the longest duration, two minutes and 40 seconds. It will be one of more than a half dozen locations where KSDK will have live coverage. KSDK is also partnering with local organizations to create unique, shareable content across their digital and social platforms. In addition, KSDK is teaming with Tegna’s KUSA in Denver to have special coverage of a flight from Denver to St. Louis during the eclipse.

• WBIR coverage will be included on the #EclipseLive Facebook Live stream at 2 p.m. ET. WBIR’s live coverage will begin at noon ET and run until the evening news.

• WUSA Washington will be hosting the Great Eclipse 2017 Watch Party at a local aviation museum. WUSA meteorologists and anchors will be on hand to answer questions, hand out ISO-certified eyewear and compete in science-related trivia with viewers.