When bombs exploded Tuesday at the Brussels airport and in the city’s subway, killing at least 31 people and wounding many more, it was 3 a.m. in New York and most of America was asleep.

But broadcast and cable news networks sprang into action, using their morning programs to make sure people upon waking became aware of the terrorist attacks, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility.

An Early Morning Flurry of Breaking News

CNN’s Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir began broadcasting live from Brussels at 3:22 a.m. on the explosions at the Zaventem airport and Maelbeek train station.

ABC, CBS and MSNBC started coverage around 4 a.m. followed by NBC News at 5 a.m. On CBS, Norah O’Donnell, Gayle King and Anthony Mason began extended coverage at 6 a.m., then anchored an extended broadcast of CBS This Morning, as well as a special report at 10 a.m.

NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America also all included highlights and special reports as the situation began to unfold.

Josh Elliot, who was scheduled to start Wednesday as the new lead anchor of CBS News’s digital streaming service, also jumped in Tuesday around noon to help anchor coverage of the attacks.

As the day wore on, many networks also reached out to foreign correspondents and people on the ground in Brussels, and have plans to extend coverage well into the evening.

TV news networks were expecting to report on three Western states’ primaries but had to do a major about-face when the breaking news struck. The attack, believed to be the deadliest in Belgium since World War II, also came at a time when many networks had personnel in Cuba, covering President Obama’s historic visit there.

How Networks Highlighted Reports From The Scene

Images were scarce in the early-morning hours, but networks showed repeating clips of people fleeing the wreckage at the airport and train station. AT 7 a.m., ABC’s George Stephanopoulos informed viewers of “terrified passengers running for their lives” against a backdrop of a live video stream and the wail of sirens.

WNYW and cable cousin Fox News Channel aired a live video from Sky News HD, and turned to social media chatter around the hashtag #BrusselsOnFire. Meanwhile, Fox Business Network featured interviews with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and GOP candidates Donald Trump and John Kasich about the attacks and national security.

Much of the coverage came from New York and Washington, but networks also reached out to people close to the scene.

CBS London-based correspondent Charlie D’Agata was “near the airport” in Brussels, and spoke by phone with anchor Anne-Marie Green around 4 a.m. CBS also used Skype to communicate with an eyewitness who described the neighborhood near the bombed subway as the “heart of the European quarter.”

ABC also had correspondent Alexander Marquardt and chief foreign correspondent Terry Moran on the ground in Brussels, along with NBC News’s Kelly Cobiella.

Extended Evening Coverage

The TV news outlets are planning coverage well into the evening, which means some shuffling around of programming to accommodate a busy day.

The CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and ABC’s World News Tonight are all extending their 30-minute programs to one hour to bring the latest about Brussels. ABC News late-night program Nightline will also be entirely devoted to the attacks.

Meanwhile Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of NBC’s Today, filled in as an anchor at MSNBC for Thomas Roberts, who had been dispatched to Europe and was slated to interview Hillary Clinton.

CNN had planned to cover the primaries tonight after Anderson Cooper 360, but instead will focus on a mix of election coverage and the Brussels attacks. Cooper and Wolf Blitzer will anchor after Cooper hosts two hours of AC 360.

Fox News Channel plans to broadcast live versions of The O’Reilly Factor at 8 p.m. and Hannity at 10 p.m., while Bret Baier will anchor the 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. news hours. The network expects to continue live coverage of the attacks until 4 a.m, when an earlier-than-normal edition of Fox & Friends First will begin.

And Fox Business Network will air four hours of live coverage, anchored by Neil Cavuto, starting at 8 p.m.

Plans for Continued Coverage From the Ground

Many U.S. news correspondents are also traveling to the scene.

CNN’s New Day co-host Allisyn Camerota will be broadcasting from Brussels.

At NBC and MSNBC, Bill Neely, Thomas Roberts, Kelly O’Donnell, Gabe Gutierrez, Ayman Mohyeldin, Chris Hayes, Cal Perry, Stephanie Gosk, Erica Hill, Claudio Lavagna, and contributor Chris Dickey will contribute coverage, and many also are making their way to Belgium’s capital.

Read more: Broadcasting & Cable, Variety

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