ABC News' Press Room

INSIDE THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF A 25-YEAR-OLD MURDER MYSTERY ON “20/20,” AIRING FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 10 PM ET ON ABC

Coordinator — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:03:04 -0400

The question of who murdered a Fayetteville, North Carolina military wife and two of her young daughters in their own home, leaving only one toddler alive, seemed to be answered with a conviction of a soldier who was a husband and a father himself. Yet years later that verdict was overturned and the original suspect, Tim Hennis, was acquitted. Then, after two decades of freedom, dramatic new evidence points back to Hennis. Elizabeth Vargas reports on a murder mystery that played out over 25 years... and came to a surprise ending in a North Carolina courtroom last year. “20/20” airs on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (OAD: 9/19/10)

“20/20” is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and Chris Cuomo. David Sloan is executive producer.

ABC News Plans Special Coverage of Hurricane Irene Throughout the Weekend

Coordinator — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:41:34 -0400

Diane Sawyer Anchors a Special Edition of “World News” on Sunday

George Stephanopoulos and Robin Robert Anchor a Special Edition of “Good Morning America” on Sunday from 7-11am ET

“This Week with Christiane Amanpour” Delivers Latest News on Hurricane Sunday Morning

ABC News is providing viewers with comprehensive coverage of Hurricane Irene as the storm makes its way toward the U.S. mainland – delivering the information people need to prepare appropriately and make well informed decisions heading into the weekend.

“World News with Diane Sawyer” will lead with storm coverage tonight with updates from the ABC News team in the field up and down the East Coast and the latest on the path of Hurricane Irene from ABC News Weather Editor Sam Champion. Sawyer will also anchor a special edition of the program on Sunday.

Hurricane Irene battered the Bahamas and ABC’s Linsey Davis has been covering the storm from Nassau since Wednesday morning for “Good Morning America,” “World News with Diane Sawyer,” and “Nightline.”

Throughout the weekend, additional reporting will be provided by ABC’s John Berman from Long Island and ABC’s David Kerley from Cape Cod as forecasts continue to show that Hurricane Irene is headed for some of the East coast’s biggest cities.

ABC News weather editor Sam Champion continues to track the storm from the ABC News weather center in New York for all broadcasts and platforms (WATCH Sam’s 3D-View of the Storm’s Path).

Tonight’s “20/20” will lead with the latest report on the impending landfall and the preparations and fears up the East Coast. ABC’s Matt Gutman will report from the Outer Banks of North Carolina as people board up their homes and try to beat the hurricane.

Then on tonight’s “Nightline,” the entire program will be dedicated to the Hurricane and updated for the west coast version of the show.

On Sunday, George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts will anchor a special edition of “Good Morning America” from Times Square from 7:00am-11:00am ET with the latest developments. “GMA” weekend anchors Dan Harris and Bianna Golodryga also report.

“This Week with Christiane Amanpour” will then bring viewers the latest on the storm and the government’s response from its studio at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. ABC’s Senior Political Correspondent Jake Tapper substitute anchors.

ABC News Radio will provide live updates throughout the weekend with Aaron Katersky reporting from New York City and Steven Portnoy in Morehead City, North Carolina.

ABCNews.com will have up to the minute coverage as the storm progresses including the latest dispatches from all over the east coast, livestreaming video from various locations, an updated real-time storm tracker, and everything you need to stay safe including flood and evacuation zone mapping.

For the latest on ABC News coverage plans throughout the week – follow @ABCNewsPR on Twitter.

“GMA” Sunday Posts Largest Overall Audience Since May and Best Demo Performance Since June

Coordinator — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:05:12 -0400

“GMA” Sunday Grows +33% in Total Viewers and +16% Among A25-54 Year-to-Year

“GMA” Sunday Narrows Total Viewing Gap by -83% with “Today” and Demo Gap by -50%
Year-to-Year

ABC News’ “Good Morning America Sunday” averaged 3.046 million Total Viewers and a 0.8 rating /6 share /1.028 million in Adults 25-54 on August 21, 2011. The ABC program was up over the prior week in both Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 (2.655 million and 1.025 million, respectively on 8/14/11), drawing in largest overall audience since May and best news demo performance since June – since 5/1/11 and 6/12/11, respectively. In addition, “GMA-Sunday” stood as the only network newscast on Sunday to grow week to week (NBC was down -3% and -10%, respectively; CBS was down -7% and -4%, respectively).

For the 5th week in a row, “GMA Sunday” built on its year-ago numbers in both Total Viewers (+33%) and Adults 25-54 (+16%). The ABC morning newscast grew the most year to year in both Nielsen measures (NBC: +2% and +3%, respectively; CBS: -1% and flat, respectively). Further, “GMA Sunday” increased its streak of year-to-year Total Viewer growth to 11 weeks, and to 23 of the last 24 weeks.

“GMA-Sunday” substantially decreased its weekly margins with NBC’s “Today-Sunday” in both Total Viewers (-83% - 96,000 vs. 578,000) and Adults 25-54 (-50% - 136,000 vs. 274,000). In fact, since debuting in its current format in September 2004, “GMA-Sunday” turned in its smallest weekly margin ever in Total Viewers versus a regular telecast of NBC’s “Sunday Today.”

“GMA Sunday” narrowed its gaps with CBS’ “Sunday Morning” by double-digits in Total Viewers (-35% - 1.266 million vs. 1.960 million) and Adults 25-54 (-13% - 381,000 vs. 437,000), scoring its smallest Total Viewer gap ever with the CBS program.

Season to date, “GMA” is up the most among the network morning news programs in both Total Viewers (+10%) and Adults 25-54 (+2%) versus its year-ago averages (NBC’s “Today” is up by +5% and by +1%, respectively; CBS’ “Early Show” is up by +4% and is down by -7%, respectively). “GMA-Sunday” is currently enjoying its strongest numbers ever in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 since debuting in 2004.

Sunday 8/21/11 Total Viewers Adults 25-54 Households

ABC 3,046,000 0.8/ 6; 1,028,000 2.2/ 8

NBC 3,142,000 0.9/ 7; 1,164,000 2.2/ 8

CBS 4,312,000 1.1/ 6; 1,409,000 3.0/ 9

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and HHLDs Live + SD 8/21/11, 08/14/11, & 8/22/10. Live+7 (where available) & Live+SD for STD 10/11 (9/20/11-8/21/11) & STD 09/10 (9/21/09-8/22/10).

Dan Harris, Bianna Golodryga, and Ron Claiborne are the anchors of “Good Morning America” Saturday and Sunday. James Goldston is the senior executive producer and Tom Cibrowski is the executive producer of ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

ABC News Continues its Coverage of Hurricane Irene as the Storms Heads Towards U.S. Mainland

Coordinator — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:57:26 -0400

Latest on ABC News Coverage Plans Available on Twitter Throughout the Week @ABCNewsPR

ABC News is providing viewers with comprehensive coverage of Hurricane Irene as the storm makes its way toward the U.S. mainland – delivering the information people need to prepare appropriately and make well informed decisions heading into the weekend.

Hurricane Irene battered the Bahamas overnight and ABC’s Linsey Davis has been covering the storm from Nassau since Wednesday morning for “Good Morning America,” “World News with Diane Sawyer,” and “Nightline” (WATCH Thursday’s "GMA" Report).

North Carolina is on track to be right in the bull’s-eye of Hurricane Irene and ABC’s Matt Gutman is reporting from the Outer Banks of the state as people board up their homes and try to beat the hurricane (WATCH Thursday’s “GMA” Report).

Forecasts are show that Hurricane Irene is headed for some of the East coast’s biggest cities and the storm is only getting more powerful as it moves up the coast. ABC News weather editor Sam Champion continues to track the storm from the ABC News weather center in New York for all broadcasts and platforms (WATCH Sam’s 3D-View of the Storm’s Path). Thursday night on “World News with Diane Sawyer,” Dan Harris will report on what the major East coast cities are doing to prepare for the massive storm.

For the latest on ABC News coverage plans throughout the week – follow @ABCNewsPR on Twitter.

Ratings Report for ABC News’ Nightline For Week of August 15

Coordinator — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:32:24 -0400

“Nightline” Ranks No. 1 Across All Target Demos

Season to Date, “Nightline” Ranks First in Late-Night Among Total Viewers and Adults 25-54

Season to Date, “Nightline” is Drawing its Largest Overall Audience in 8 Years

For the week of August 15, 2011, ABC’s “Nightline” ranked No. 1 across all key target demos: Total Viewers (3.672 million), Adults 25-54 (1.410 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.083 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. “Nightline” has taken the top spot in overall viewers and in the key adult news demo for the 3rd time in the last 4 weeks. In addition, the ABC latenight program was up week to week in all three demos: Total Viewers (+7%), Adults 25-54 (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+12%).

Similarly, “Nightline” scored increases from the year-ago week across the target demos: Total Viewers (+16%), Adults 25-54 (+3%) and Adults 18-49 (+1%), growing its overall audience for the 9th week in a row. In fact, “Nightline” increased its Total Viewer count year to year in 25 of the last 27 weeks.

Season to date, “Nightline” ranks first in late-night among Total Viewers and Adults 25-54. This is the first time ever that “Nightline” has been in first place at this point in the season in Adults 25-54 since at least the 1993-94 season, when “Letterman” began on CBS. In addition, “Nightline” is up by +6% in Total Viewers and by +4% in Adults 25-54 compared to the same point last year, standing as the only program to grow year to year in Adults 25-54 versus “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Show.” Season to date, “Nightline” is drawing its largest overall audience in 8 years – since the 2002-03 season.

ABC News’ “Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Bill Weir. John Donvan and Juju Chang are correspondents. Jeanmarie Condon is the Executive Producer. The program airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network.

(Week of August 15, 2011)

TOTAL VIEWERS A25-54(000)/ Rtg A18-49(000)/ Rtg

ABC “Nightline” 3,672,000 1,410,000/ 1.1 1,083,000/ 0.8

CBS “Late Show” 2,668,000 1,150,000/ 0.9 897,000/ 0.7

NBC “Tonight Show” 3,077,000 1,310,000/ 1.1 1,047,000/ 0.8

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 08/15/11, 8/8/11 & 8/16/10. 2010-2011 Broadcast Season (9/20/10 – 8/21/11) and 2009-2010 Broadcast Season (9/21/09 – 8/22/10).

Ratings Report: ABC News Programming For the Week of August 15 – August 19, 2011

Coordinator — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:06:55 -0400

“GMA” Narrows Year-to-Year Total Viewer Gap with NBC’s “Today” by -41% and Demo Gap by -28%

“GMA” Posts Smallest Weekly Demo Gap with “Today” in Over a Year

“GMA” is Attracting its Largest Audience in 4 Years – Since the 2006/07 Season

“GMA” Continues to Grow in Total Viewers Year-to-Year and Season-to-Date: Marking 32 Consecutive Weeks of Year-to-Year Growth in Total Viewers

ABC News’ “Good Morning America” averaged 4.333 million Total Viewers and a 1.4/11/1.687 million in Adults 25-54 for the week of August 15, 2011. Growing week to week in Adults 25-54 (+2%), “GMA” hit a 5-week high in the key adult news demo – since w/o 7/11/11.

For the 17th consecutive week, “GMA” built on its year-ago numbers in both Total Viewers (+14%) and Adults 25-54 (+10%). The ABC morning newscast grew its overall audience the most year to year, while qualifying as the only program to increase in the key adult news demo (NBC: +3% and -2%, respectively; CBS: +1% and -2%, respectively). Further, “GMA” stretched its run of year-to-year Total Viewer growth to 32 weeks, and was up in 45 of 48 weeks overall this season.

Season to date, “GMA” is up the most among the network morning news programs in both Total Viewers (+10%) and Adults 25-54 (+3%) versus its year-ago averages (NBC’s “Today” is up by +2% and by +2%, respectively; CBS’ “Early Show” is up by +1% and is flat, respectively), attracting its largest audience in 4 years – since the 2006-2007 season.

“GMA” cut its weekly margins with NBC’s “Today” in Total Viewers (-12% 569,000 vs. 650,000) and Adults 25-54 (-16% - 489,000 vs. 580,000) for the 2nd week in a row. In fact, “GMA” turned in its smallest news demo gap with the NBC program in over 1 year – since w/o 7/5/10.

“GMA” narrowed its year-ago margins with NBC’s “Today” in Total Viewers (-41% - 569,000 vs. 966,000) and Adults 25-54 (-28% - 489,000 vs. 682,000), cutting its gaps in both measures for the 3rd straight week. Further, “GMA” shrank its year-earlier Total Viewer gap with “Today” for the last 10 weeks and in 43 of 48 weeks of the season to date. “GMA” also cut its Total Viewer gap season to date by double-digits (-31%), posting its smallest Total Viewer gap with the NBC program in 4 years – since the 2006-07 season.

“GMA” outperformed CBS’ “Early Show” by 92% in Total Viewers (4.333 million vs. 2.261 million) and by 93% in Adults 25-54 (1.687 million vs. 872,000).

Emmy Award-winning “GMA,” featuring the anchor team of Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Sam Champion, Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott, airs live Mon.-Fri. (7:00-9:00 a.m., ET) on ABC. James Goldston is senior executive producer and Tom Cibrowski is executive producer.

Week of 8/15/11 Total Viewers Adults 25-54 Households

ABC 4,333,000 1.4/11; 1,687,000 3.2/13

NBC 4,902,000 1.7/14; 2,176,000 3.6/14

CBS 2,261,000 0.7/ 6; 872,000 1.7/ 7

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and HHLDs Live + SD weeks of 8/15/11, 08/8/11, & 8/16/10. Live+7 (where available) & Live+SD for STD 10/11 (9/20/11-8/21/11) & STD 09/10 (9/21/09-8/22/10).

TEENS IN TROUBLE: CHRIS CUOMO REPORTS ON “20/20” AIRING FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 AT 10:00 PM ET ON ABC

Coordinator — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:47:20 -0400

They started out like any kids, full of hope and dreams – but now they are homeless and in terrible danger of slipping between the cracks. These kids are not living under a bridge, but under the radar -- part of a new under-reported type of homelessness -- surfing from couch to couch, from the beds of friends to the beds of strangers. For over two years, Chris Cuomo and his team have chronicled the terrors and triumphs of four such teenagers, all surviving largely on their own. Chris Cuomo updates his eye-opening report that originally aired in January on “20/20,” FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

These children are part of a huge, largely unrecognized national problem. Among industrialized nations, the United States has the largest number of homeless women and children. Among those youth are nearly two million homeless teens. ABC News “20/20” headed to the northwest to find this new generation of teens in trouble in an area of the country that has the highest percentage of homelessness, including a town where one third of its youth are without homes.

George, who ended up living in a tree for a few weeks in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park said: “I felt safer, because on the ground a lot of people could tamper with you. The only bad thing that could happen in a tree is if you fell out.”

Dakota, who often slept at her friend’s house since she says her mom left her in a parking lot when she was just 16, told Cuomo: “I look at my friend and be like why just I couldn't be born in her family… she’s got parents who, like, love her and support her in anything she’ll do.”

What kind of future do these kids have on the horizon? Tune in to find out.

“20/20” is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and Chris Cuomo. David Sloan is executive producer.

In First Six Months, Weekend Editions of “ABC World News” See Audience Growth with David Muir as Sole Anchor

Coordinator — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:29:22 -0400

Ratings Report for “World News with David Muir”
David Muir’s First 6 Months as Sole Weekend Anchor

“ABC World News with David Muir” Cuts Total Viewing and Demo Gaps with “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” by Double Digits on Both Saturday and Sunday

In First Six Months Since Debut, Sunday Edition of “World News with David Muir” Sees Largest Total Viewer Growth Compared to Competition

Since debuting with David Muir as the sole anchor, the weekend editions of “ABC World News” have grown both the overall and key demo audiences. The weekend broadcasts have also cut gaps among both Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 with the weekend editions of “NBC Nightly News” by double digits. David Muir, who previously anchored the Saturday newscast, was named the sole anchor of the weekend editions of “World News” in February 2011. The weekend broadcasts were renamed “World News with David Muir” and debuted the weekend of February 19.

Over the past six months, Muir has not only been a lead correspondent on several major stories, he has also anchored the weekend editions of ‘World News’ from the scene. In February, Muir anchored from Cairo, Egypt during the revolution in Tahrir Square. In March, Muir anchored the broadcast from Japan in the hours after the earthquake and tsunami. Last month, Muir was the first American anchor and correspondent to report from Mogadishu, Somalia on the famine. His team came under fire while on a convoy traveling through Mogadishu reporting on the fight to get aid to the refugees in desperate need. Last week, Muir returned to Joplin, Missouri where he first traveled with Diane Sawyer three months ago in the hours after the tornado. Muir returned to find the survivors he profiled three months ago and joined the children as they headed back to school.

“World News with David Muir” Weekend Averages (2/19 – 8/21/11):
In the six months since David Muir was named sole anchor of the weekend newscasts, “ABC World News with David Muir” is attracting an average weekend audience of 4.65 million Total Viewers and a 0.9 rating/3 share/1.17 million among Adults 25-54, according to Nielsen Media Research.

“ABC World News with David Muir” is up by 9% in Total Viewers and by 3% in Adults 25-54 to date compared to the ABC program’s weekend average performance during the same time last year (4.28 million and 1.13 million, respectively). In addition, “World News Weekend” is up the most in Total Viewers versus NBC’s (flat) and CBS’ (+4%) year-to-year performances. Versus its performance during the first half of the 2010-11 season, the weekend edition of “World News” is up by 1% in the key Adult news demo.

On average the weekend editions of “ABC World News” narrowed the margins with “NBC Nightly News Weekend” by double-digits in both Total Viewers (-32% - 823,000 vs. 1.22 million) and Adults 25-54 (-27% - 310,000 vs. 424,000) compared to the margins during the same time last year.

The weekend editions of “ABC World News” beat the “CBS Evening News Weekend” by 1.31 million viewers and by 311,000 Adults 25-54. “World News’” built on its Total Viewers advantage over the CBS weekend average by 24% versus a year-ago (1.06 million).

“World News with David Muir” Saturday Edition (2/19 – 8/21/11):
In the 6 months since debuting, the Saturday edition of “ABC World News with David Muir” has averaged 4.45 million Total Viewers and a 0.8 rating/3 share/ 1.04 million among Adults 25-54, according to Nielsen Media Research. On average, the Saturday edition of “World News” improved on its numbers compared to its year-ago performance in both Total Viewers (+8%) and Adults 25-54 (+2%).

The Saturday edition of “ABC World News with David Muir” cut its margins with “NBC Nightly News Saturday” by double-digits in both Total Viewers (-33% - 709,000 vs. 1.07 million) and Adults 25-54 (-24% - 259,000 vs. 341,000) compared to its margins the same time last year.

The Saturday edition of “ABC World News with David Muir” outperformed the “CBS Evening News Saturday” by 1.32 million viewers and by 274,000 Adults 25-54. “World News” built on its advantage over the CBS program by 7% in Total Viewers versus its year-ago lead (1.24 million).

“World News with David Muir” Sunday Edition (2/20 – 8/21/11):
Since taking over the anchor chair on the Sunday edition of “ABC World News,” the Muir-led newscast has averaged 4.88 million Total Viewers and a 1.1 rating/4 share/ 1.32 million among Adults 25-54, according to Nielsen Media Research. On average the Sunday edition of “World News” saw increases versus the same 6 months last year in both Total Viewers (+9%) and Adults 25-54 (+3%), standing as the only Sunday evening network newscast to grow its overall audience (NBC and CBS are both down by -1%).

Since debuting with anchor David Muir in February, the Sunday edition of “ABC World News” is up by 6% in Total Viewers and by 15% in Adults 25-54 to date compared to the ABC program’s performance in the first half of the 2010-2011 season (4.59 million and 1.15 million, respectively).

The Sunday edition of “ABC World News with David Muir” decreased its margins with “NBC Nightly News Sunday” by double-digits in both Total Viewers (-32% - 916,000 vs. 1.36 million) and Adults 25-54 (-30% - 346,000 vs. 495,000) compared to its margins the same time last year.

The Sunday edition of “ABC World News” outperformed the “CBS Evening News Sunday” by 1.22 million viewers and by 323,000 Adults 25-54. “World News’” increased its Total Viewer advantage over the CBS program by 54% compared to its year-ago margin (789,000).

EVENING NEWS SATURDAY/SUNDAY (2/19 – 8/21/11)

	Total Viewers	Adults 25-54

ABC	4,648,000	0.9/3; 1,170,000
NBC	5,471,000	1.2/4; 1,480,000
CBS	3,341,000	0.7/3; 859,000

EVENING NEWS Saturday (2/19 – 8/21/11)

	Total Viewers	Adults 25-54

ABC	4,454,000	0.8/3; 1,042,000
NBC	5,163,000	1.0/4; 1,301,000
CBS	3,130,000	0.6/3; 768,000

EVENING NEWS SUNDAY (2/20 – 8/21/11)

	Total Viewers	Adults 25-54

ABC	4,879,000	1.1/4; 1,322,000
NBC	5,795,000	1.3/4; 1,668,000
CBS	3,664,000	0.8/3; 999,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Most Current Program Ratings), 2/20 – 8/21/11 vs. 2/21 – 8/22/10 and 9/20/10 – 2/10/11.

ABC News to Honor the Ten Year Anniversary of 9/11 with Special Coverage Across All Broadcasts and Platforms

Coordinator — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:11:39 -0400

Special Coverage to Begin Across All Broadcasts on Monday, September 5

“9/11: America Remembers Ten Years Later -- A Special Edition of Good Morning America” Anchored by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos to Air Sunday, September 11 from 8:00-11:00 AM/ET

ABC News to Air “Remembrance and Renewal: 10 Years After the 9/11 Attacks” a Special Edition of “20/20” on Sunday at 10:00 PM/ET

ABC News will cover the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks across all broadcasts and platforms by looking at how the terrorist attacks changed the course of American history and the impact it had on the lives of all Americans. ABC News will honor those who lost their lives that day and explore the impact the event had on many families as well as recognize the brave men and women who have served in the two wars that followed 9/11 and the first responders who risked their lives in an effort to save others.

ABC News Broadcasts
During the week of September 5, 2011, all ABC News broadcasts will air special coverage to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11, including “World News with Diane Sawyer,” “Good Morning America,” “Nightline” and “20/20.”

“9/11: America Remembers Ten Years Later -- A Special Edition of Good Morning America”
Beginning at 8:00 AM/ET on Sunday, September 11, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will anchor three hours of live special coverage, “9/11: America Remembers Ten Years Later -- A Special Edition of Good Morning America,” on the ABC Television Network with “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts live from the World Trade Center site in New York. They will be joined by “World News” weekend anchor David Muir, Katie Couric, and “This Week” anchor Christiane Amanpour to take an in-depth look at the event that has defined a generation.

ABC News comprehensive coverage will include live reports from the sites of terrorist attacks on 9/11/01 -- “20/20” anchor Chris Cuomo will report from the World Trade Center site in New York, Senior Foreign Affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz will be at the Pentagon and “Good Morning America” news anchor Josh Elliott will report from the site of the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In addition, ABC News Chief Investigative correspondent Brian Ross and Senior Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas will address the ongoing war against terror as well as the extraordinary security measures in place around the country ten years later. “Nightline” co-anchor Cynthia McFadden will file a report on the lives of the children George Bush was speaking to in Florida when he first received word of the attacks that morning.

Plus, Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper will be covering the President’s visits to each of the three sites and ABC News will broadcast special live coverage of each visit throughout the day.

Special Edition of “20/20” -- "Remembrance and Renewal: 10 Years After the 9/11 Attacks"
A special edition of “20/20,” “Remembrance and Renewal: 10 Years After the Attacks” to air on Sunday, September 11 at 10:00 PM/ET, will revisit some of the most moving stories of Americans who lived through one of the biggest historical events in our journey as a nation. With reporting from Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Chris Cuomo, Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff, ABC News will return to those whose lives were forever changed that day, re-examine the images that became instantly iconic, and remind Americans of the patriotic fervor that swept the country in the weeks and months that followed.

ABCNews.com will live-stream ABC News coverage starting at 8:00 AM/ET and will carry a separate live-stream of the name reading ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York. In addition to a special September 11 homepage featuring original stories, blogs, videos and slideshows, ABC News Digital in partnership with Yahoo! News, is producing several original online videos with contributions from Diane Sawyer, Cynthia McFadden, and Brian Ross. ABCNews.com will also feature a wealth of web interactives including a map to highlight readers’ memories of September 11, 2001.

ABC News Radio will provide live coverage anchored by Cheri Preston from 8:06 AM/ET through 10:58 AM/ET of various ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Radio will provide coverage from Ground Zero in Manhattan, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. ABC News Radio's Aaron Katersky reports from Ground Zero in New York, Ann Compton reports from the White House, Steven Portnoy reports from Shanksville, PA, and Vic Ratner reports from the Pentagon.

ABC NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service, will provide live reports from T.J. Winick from Ground Zero for over 200 ABC affiliates and its roster of global clients including the BBC, Bloomberg, NHK Japan, CTV Canada, Al Jazeera, APTN, and Univision.

The morning of the attacks Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson covered the breaking news live on “Good Morning America” from Times Square before turning coverage over to Peter Jennings at ABC News Headquarters. Jennings anchored live coverage for nearly 17 straight hours that day. ABC News was honored for its coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 with both Peabody and Columbia DuPont awards.

"ABC World News" the #1 Newscast on Monday and Friday; Advances on "NBC Nightly News" Both Week-to-Week and Year-to-Year

Coordinator — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:08:10 -0400

“ABC World News” Cuts Weekly Total Viewing Gap with “NBC Nightly News” to Smallest Margin in Nearly 2 Years -- Narrows Demo Gap to Smallest Margin in 10 Months

Year-to-Year, “ABC World News” Grows Total Viewing Audience for 26 Consecutive Weeks

During the week of August 15, 2011, “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” averaged 7.27 million Total Viewers and a 1.6 rating/6 share/1.96 million among Adults 25-54, according to Nielsen Media Research. “World News” grew from the prior week for the 2nd week running in the key adult news demo (+2%). “World News” improved on its year-ago performance in both Total Viewers (+13%) and Adults 25-54 (+13%), extending its year-over-year growth in its overall audience to 26 weeks in a row.

On Monday (8/15/11) and Friday (8/19/11), “ABC World News” was the No. 1 evening newscast in Total Viewers, topping “NBC Nightly News” by 196,000 Total Viewers (8.086 million vs. 7.890 million) and by 3,000 Total Viewers (6.921 million vs. 6.918 million), respectively.

For the 2nd week in a row, “ABC World News” cut the weekly gaps with “NBC Nightly News” in both Total Viewers (-35% - 288,000 vs. 443,000) and Adults 25-54 (-33% - 210,000 vs. 315,000). The ABC newscast scored its smallest Total Viewer margin with NBC in nearly 2 years – since w/o 9/7/09. In addition, “World News” saw its closest Adults 25-54 margin in nearly 10 months (since w/o 10/25/10) and 2nd narrowest overall this season.

Also for the 2nd straight week, “ABC World News” narrowed the gaps with “NBC Nightly News” from the year-ago week in both overall viewers (-69% - 288,000 vs. 914,000) and in the key adults news demo (-49% - 210,000 vs. 408,000).

“ABC World News” outperformed “CBS Evening News” by 1.64 million viewers and by 301,000 Adults 25-54.

Season to date, “World News” is up the most among its network evening news competition compared to its year-ago average in Total Viewers (+3%) – NBC and CBS are both up by +2%.

“ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” airs at 6:30 p.m., (ET) on the ABC Television Network. Jon Banner is the executive producer of the broadcast.

EVENING NEWS (Week of August 15, 2011)

	Total Viewers	Adults 25-54	Households

ABC	7,266,000	1.6/6; 1,958,000	4.8/10
NBC	7,554,000	1.7/7; 2,168,000	5.0/10
CBS	5,622,000	1.3/5; 1,657,000	3.8/ 8

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 08/15/11, 8/8/11 & 8/16/10. 2010-2011 Broadcast Season (9/20/10 – 8/21/11) and 2009-2010 Broadcast Season (9/21/09 – 8/22/10).