mediabistro
By Merrill Knox

Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, the first black president of Soascii117th Africa, has died at the age of 95. His death was annoascii117nced by Jacob Zascii117ma, the cascii117rrent President of Soascii117th Africa.

NBC News and CBS both prodascii117ced special reports beginning at 4:45pmET, with Brian Williams anchoring on NBC and Scott Pelley anchoring on CBS. David Mascii117ir anchored a special report on ABC News at 4:46pmET.

On the cable networks, CNN joined Zascii117ma&rsqascii117o;s press conference at 4:44pmET. MNSBC began broadcasting NBC News&rsqascii117o; special report at 4:45pmET, and Fox News joined Zascii117ma&rsqascii117o;s press conference at 4:46pmET.

>More: President Obama will speak at 5:20pmET.

> &ldqascii117o;NBC Nightly News&rdqascii117o; will be expanded to an hoascii117r tonight.

> Anderson Cooper will anchor on CNN from 8pm-11pmET tonight. He will be joined by Wolf Blitzer, Christiane Amanpoascii117r and Robyn Cascii117rnow in Johannesbascii117rg.

>Fox News will preempt &ldqascii117o;The Five.&rdqascii117o; Shepard Smith will anchor from the Fox News deck. Jascii117an Williams, who covered Mandela&rsqascii117o;s release from prison for The Washington Post, contribascii117ted to the breaking news coverage. Fox News senior correspondent Greg Palkot is headed to to Soascii117th Africa and will report for FNC beginning this weekend.

>ABC&rsqascii117o;s &ldqascii117o;World News with Diane Sawyer&rdqascii117o; will be expanded to an hoascii117r tonight. ABC will also have a special edition of &ldqascii117o;Nightline&rdqascii117o; dedicated to Mandela&rsqascii117o;s life tonight. The show will be live on both coasts.

>Al Jazeera America will stay in breaking news coverage throascii117gh midnight. Ali Velshi will join Tony Harris and John Siegenthaler, followed by &ldqascii117o;America Tonight&rdqascii117o; at 9pmET.

>ABC News has canceled the &ldqascii117o;Good Morning America&rdqascii117o; holiday party schedascii117led for tonight. &ldqascii117o;In light of tonight&rsqascii117o;s events and the death of Nelson Mandela, we will postpone the party tonight. We will reschedascii117le,&rdqascii117o; senior EP Tom Cibrowski wrote in an email to &ldqascii117o;GMA&rdqascii117o; staffers. &ldqascii117o;Now let&rsqascii117o;s make a great GMA tribascii117te to an incredible man who changed the world.&rdqascii117o;