Decades TV Network to Broadcast Every Presidential Inaugural Speech Since 1961

DECADES Network, the multicast TV network from Weigel Broadcasting Co. and CBS Television Stations, marks the January 20, 2017 Presidential Inauguration with a historic look back at inauguration speeches spanning from President KENNEDY through President Obama. From the steps of the Capitol, viewers will relieve the televised speeches as every modern President addressed the nation for the first time as Commander-in-Chief.

Hosted by award-winning journalist Bill Kurtis, Inauguration Day THROUGH THE DECADES is a historic and unique programming event presented by DECADES, beginning on Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 am/ET and continuing through Saturday, January 21 at 10:00 am/ET. It begins with a special half-hour THROUGH THE DECADES look at the day ahead featuring each President from Harry Truman through Barack Obama. THROUGH THE DECADES is followed by 14 inauguration speeches beginning with President KENNEDY in 1961 and continuing with each successive President in sequence. This special programming event will be rebroadcast continuously each day. A complete program schedule is attached.

"Inauguration Day Though the Decades offers a remarkable opportunity to watch democracy in action as we peacefully transfer leadership every four years. We'll watch inaugural speeches most of us have never seen before and be able to study the effect of broadcast television as it has shaped politics in America. The DECADES TV Network is making history by letting us relive history in an unprecedented television commitment," said Bill Kurtis, Host, Through the Decades.

The transition of power from one President to the next is a hallmark of American Democracy. On January 20, 1949 President Harry S. Truman spoke to the country of the 'false philosophy' of communism and for the first time, a Presidential Inauguration was seen on the new medium of television. Twelve years later, President John F. KENNEDY spoke to America on TV, challenging the nation to 'ask not what their country could do for them'. Each President since has addressed the captive television audience, telling the country and the world what to expect in the next administration.

Tapping the resources of the CBS News Archives, DECADES will mark Inauguration Day by featuring the televised speeches of each President of the modern era. Viewers will see Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama and hear the historic inauguration speeches from each one, just as they happened on Inauguration Day. To find out where to watch DECADES, viewers can visit Decades.com.

"The airing of each of these historical inauguration events is an example of the compelling way in which DECADES presents our shared history," said Neal Sabin, Vice Chairman of Weigel Broadcasting Co. "We feel viewers will find it meaningful to compare and contrast the various speeches delivered by our former Presidents."

From the middle of the last century, each era and each President has faced different challenges and offered different styles of leadership to America and the world. These Inauguration speeches communicated their initial visions. These first moments would begin to define each Presidency. The DECADES Network programming offers viewers a unique opportunity to relive, remember and relate to the events and eras across the decades. Inauguration Day Through The Decades, is the kind of monumental and thoughtful look back through time that defines the scope and ambition of DECADES for its viewers.

In May of 2015, the DECADES Network launched on the digital sub-channels of the CBS Television Stations and other broadcast groups. The network is currently available in 55% of the country. DECADES features a schedule that is different each day, exploring a variety of years, trends, events or themes. Programming includes the original one-hour daily series Through the Decades, hosted by award-winning journalist Bill Kurtis, as well as documentaries, popular TV shows and films chosen to immerse viewers in that day's DECADES context. Programmed as multiple blocks, the schedule repeats twice each weekday, giving viewers in all time zones multiple opportunities to tune in.

To see a complete program schedule and to find out where you can watch DECADES, please visit www.decades.com.

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