Spectrum News will mark the nation’s 250th anniversary with a 90-minute special that takes viewers on a cross-country journey through more than two dozen states, focusing on the people and communities that help define modern America.
The special, “Across America at 250,” premieres June 17 at 8 p.m. local time on Spectrum News channels and the Spectrum News app, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Hosted by Spectrum News 1 anchor Tim Boyum, the program chronicles a more than 6,000-mile trip across the country aimed at examining American identity through local stories rather than traditional historical landmarks.
During the journey, Boyum visits communities in more than 24 states, highlighting people and places that reflect everyday life across the nation. Stops include Wisconsin’s cheese curd industry, tourism and wildlife in Florida’s wetlands, and a mule ride through the Grand Canyon.
The special also examines pivotal moments in American history through personal accounts. Among them is an interview with a first responder who worked at the crash site of United Flight 93 following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.
Several prominent figures also appear in the program. In Atlanta, Boyum speaks with Martin Luther King III about the state of civil rights in America. In Nashville, he interviews singer Lee Greenwood about the origins and legacy of his patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA.” The special also includes a conversation with filmmaker Ken Burns on the nation’s founding principles and how Americans interpret them today.
Rather than focusing exclusively on official celebrations surrounding the country’s semiquincentennial, the program centers on local communities, civic institutions and personal experiences that shape public life, Spectrum News said in a statement.
In addition to the Spectrum News app, the special will also stream on Spectrum News Plus (Spectrum News+), which is available for free on the Xumo Play app.
