Press Releases

WBZ-TV to Broadcast Live Fourth of July Coverage

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Boston – June 25, 2008 – WBZ-TV, in conjunction with the CBS Television Network, The Boston Pops, and Boston 4 Productions, will broadcast the nation's premier Fourth of July celebration. Additionally, WBZ-TV and CBS have signed a new five year contract with Boston 4 Productions to bring local and national viewers this spectacular event in the future.

This year's coverage of Boston's Independence Day celebration begins with live reports from the Charles River Esplanade during WBZ-TV's 5:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m. newscasts. As the excitement and crowds build, WBZ-TV News at Noon, 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. will also be filled with the latest preparations and updates from the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade.

At 7:00 p.m., WBZ-TV will air a one-hour pre-show special, hosted by Paula Ebben and David Wade, bringing viewers the local flavor with behind-the-scenes preparations and excitement from the crowd on the Esplanade. This year celebrates the 35th anniversary of the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular." WBZ-TV will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments over the years as we celebrate this Boston signature event.

From 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., WBZ-TV will air the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular," hosted by Lisa Hughes and Jack Williams. The treasured concert stars Maestro Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops. Also the winner of the first-ever Boston Pops musical theater competition for Massachusetts high school students called, "Boston Pops High School Sing-Off: A Best of Broadway Challenge," will also join the Boston Pops on stage. Before the national show begins at 10:00p.m., there will be a special performance by the national program's headlining stars: Craig Ferguson, host of CBS Network's "The Late Late Show," music superstars Rascal Flatts, and The Boston Pops. WBZ-TV will be front-and-center giving viewers the best seat in the house and an exclusive look at the performers, fireworks pirotechnicians, and holiday revelers.

Boston is then joined by CBS Network and a national audience at 10:00 p.m. as Craig Ferguson hosts the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" national entertainment special. This year will mark the 35th anniversary of the event and will be Craig Ferguson's second consecutive year as host. During this hour, music superstar Rascal Flatts will again take the stage with The Boston Pops. The concert will also feature its traditional piece, the Boston Pops rendition of the "1812 Overture." The hour culminates with the traditional explosive fireworks display, which will broadcast uninterrupted, commercial-free courtesy of Liberty Mutual Group.

Check out wbztv.com for special stories and features on the Fourth of July Celebration as well as create your own fireworks game!

The Boston Pops Esplanade Concerts began in 1929 with famed conductor Arthur Fiedler and members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Each year, the concert is one of the most popular events held in Boston and the live audience averages more than 500,000 spectators.
The Boston Pops, "America's Orchestra," performs in front of nearly 900,000 people annually in Boston, across the country and around the world, and reaches millions more through its recordings and television broadcasts.

Rascal Flatts has sold over 17 million albums, scored nine number one singles and 17 top 10 hits, and each of their five albums are multi-platinum sellers. They are the reigning CMT, ACM and CMA Vocal Group of The Year with multiple consecutive wins at each. They were recently honored as the 2008 Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot® Humanitarian Award recipients due, in part, to their dedication to raising funds for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville where, in the past three years, they have donated $2.2 million, as well as for their work on the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet board. Known for their dynamic performances and high-tech stage productions, Rascal Flatts recently wrapped their "Still Feels Good Tour," ranked as the best-selling country tour for the first quarter of 2008, according to Pollstar. Since 2006, the vocal group has performed for two million fans in 156 cities. The band is currently headlining their "Bob That Head Tour," which kicked off last weekend, in promotion of their latest album, Still Feels Good.

Craig Ferguson joined the late-night television arena as host of "The Late Late Show" in January 2005, following a career that encompassed film, television and the stage. The Scottish-born actor, writer, director and producer brings a fresh approach to late-night television, which has quickly evolved into appointment viewing for America's nightly insomniacs and for which he has received an Emmy nomination. Each weeknight, Ferguson, a gifted conversationalist, goes one-on-one with guests from the worlds of film, television, sports, news and publishing. Additionally, "The Late Late Show" continues to spotlight eclectic, edgy musical acts and rising stand-up comedians. "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" is broadcast weeknights (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) following broadcasts of the "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS. (On the Web: www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate.)

Boston 4 Productions (www.july4th.org) has produced this annual event for the past 35 years for which approximately 500,000 people pack Boston's Charles River Esplanade. In addition, more than seven million people across the country and the globe join "America's Orchestra" through the annual televised broadcast, sponsored by Liberty Mutual Group.

The "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" broadcast and live event will be produced by Boston 4 Productions and White Cherry Entertainment, in collaboration with IMG Media. Boston 4 Productions' David G. Mugar is executive producer. Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will produce the national telecast; Michael Mathis of IMG Media and Sheryl Boursik of WBZ-TV will produce the local telecast seen on WBZ-TV Boston. Glenn Weiss will direct both the local and Network broadcasts.

Boston's WBZ-TV is owned and operated by CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)