Gannett Company is launching a new morning newscast on its USA Today-branded free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, the company announced on Thursday.
The show, “Connecting America,” will air Monday through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern Time on USA Today’s FAST channel and on YouTube.
Connecting America will be hosted by award-winning journalists Alisyn Camerota, Jim Rosenfield and Dave Briggs. Camerota and Briggs previously hosted shows at Fox News and CNN, while Rosenfield has anchored TV news programs in New York, Chicago, Houston and other markets during his career.
Contributors will include Dr. Jeff Gardere, known as “America’s Psychologist”; Amy Kellogg, a former Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent reporting from Milan, Italy; and veteran political analyst Jim McQueeny. USA Today journalists will also provide reporting on topics ranging from politics to entertainment.
The hosts will present the program from an unusual morning show set, one that resembles a diner, which is intended to reflect “true Americana,” the company said in a press release.
“What other place serves up a mix of opinions, ideas, and human connection like a diner?” asked Dianne Doctor, the showrunner for Connecting America. “If America is the melting pot, then the diner is the flavorful stew.”
The show is produced by Cross Country Media, which hired Gannet’s former General Manager of Streaming and Global Partnerships Michael Nagle to handle distribution of the show.
Gannett said the program will emphasize fact-driven, high-quality journalism while incorporating voices from across the country.
The first episode of Connecting America will stream on Monday, August 18. The USA Today FAST channel is available on a number of platforms that offer free streaming channels, including Plex, Philo and The Roku Channel.
