CHICAGO \u2014 The whole world was watching Chicago for the unveiling Thursday of the Obama Presidential Center, an ambitious and groundbreaking monument to a historic political legacy, and the city that shaped it.<\/p>\n
The livestreamed three-hour dedication ceremony, which began at 11 a.m., included musical performances by Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder, among others, along with speeches by former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.<\/p>\n
An array of national news networks also captured the grand opening ceremony in real time, but MS NOW went all in, broadcasting from a remote pop-up studio on the roof of the new Chicago Public Library branch embedded on the sprawling South Side campus.<\/p>\n
MS NOW, the left-leaning cable news network formerly known as MSNBC before Comcast spun it off in January, staked out its turf in Jackson Park and on the air, with three remote studio shows Thursday and a primetime special slated for Friday,<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great opportunity for us to showcase our reporting and bring the audience what they want to see, which is coverage of the 44th president,\u201d said Jesse Rodriguez, MS NOW\u2019s vice president of booking and editorial. \u201cWe want to cover this big.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez was one of 69 MS NOW staffers who flew into Chicago in waves over the past week in preparation for the remote broadcasts. A handful had to drive in from Wisconsin Wednesday after their flights were diverted by weather.<\/p>\n
Alicia Menendez, who shifted this week from evenings to middays as part of a programming realignment on MS NOW, kicked off the remote broadcast at 10 a.m., interviewing a steady stream of early guests who took a seat alongside the host, perched by the ledge of the library.<\/p>\n
The backdrop featured the \u201cObamalisk,\u201d as the main building has been dubbed, and an outdoor stage set to welcome hundreds of invited guests, including world leaders, A-list celebrities and every living former president and first lady, except for the current occupant of the White House.<\/p>\n
The alfresco MS NOW rooftop studio included a makeshift control room, makeup table, a towering jib camera and several monitors to keep tabs on the broadcast.<\/p>\n
Distractions were plentiful, including windy conditions, helicopters flying overhead and musical sound checks from the stage below, but Menendez understood the significance of her assignment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is such a privilege to be able to sit here in such close proximity to what will be a historic moment in our country, to try to reconcile the Obama legacy with what has transpired in the period since his presidency ended,\u201d Menendez said. \u201cBeing in proximity to these dignitaries and these artists and to see this coalescing around the concept of hope. It\u2019s pretty moving.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to MS NOW, several Chicago TV stations also had cameras lined up along the library roof to file reports.<\/p>\n
Other cable news networks had reporters on the ground Thursday, but only MS NOW did the full remote studio broadcasts.<\/p>\n
CNN\u2019s Sara Sidner covered the grand opening on-site, while co-anchor Wolf Blitzer remained in the network\u2019s Washington studio, with additional reporting on the ground in Chicago.<\/p>\n
Fox News didn\u2019t drop any anchors in Chicago, but correspondent Garrett Tenney filed reports for the network from the grand opening.<\/p>\n
Chicago-based NewsNation anchored coverage from its studios on West Bradley Place, with correspondent Mills Hayes reporting live from the Jackson Park campus.<\/p>\n
After the three-hour event, which culminated in stirring speeches by the Obamas and an all-star musical finale, much of the crowd and the media dissipated. But MS NOW stuck around to do two more rooftop remotes with \u201cThe Weeknight\u201d at 6 p.m. and Jen Psaki\u2019s wrap-up show at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n
Luke Russert, who just started as co-host of \u201cThe Weeknight\u201d this week, replacing Menendez in the evening lineup, made the trip to Chicago for the remote broadcast Thursday during a whirlwind debut at MS NOW.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like going to the Super Bowl your first week,\u201d Russert said.<\/p>\n