By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Deadline.com2ND UPDATE, July 21st: That long wait may soon be over for the international media mob in front of St. Mary’s Hospital in west London now that the Duchess of Cambridge is reported there “in the early stages of labor” with the Royal Baby. UK and international broadcasters including crews from ABC, NBC and Fox have been mobilized for weeks for the infant’s arrival, Kate Middleton’s first with Prince William aka the Duke of Cambridge. Kensington Palace formally alerted media by email at 7:30 AM Monday (London time) that the Duchess of Cambrudge is in labor. She travelled by car from the palace to St Mary’s with her husband. The BBC says there will likely be no more news until the official announcement of the birth. But expect endless on-air speculation about the baby’s unknown gender until then. If it is a girl, the child will make history, becoming the first female firstborn of a future monarch to take precedence over a younger brother.
CNN began minute-by-minute coverage while Fox News Channel has stuck with scheduled programming. ABC broke into coverage with a brief special report after it’s been running a Royal Baby section on its website. The network sent reps from Good Morning America including weekend anchor Bianna Golodryga. NBC sent over talent. CBS, however, was relying on its London-based crew but that may change today. British and international TV news divisions have been on tenterhooks as they await the Royal Baby’s arrival since it will be a viewership bonanza for them. When the baby is born, the royal family, the Middletons, and heads of the Commonwealth nations will be informed first. After that, an official notice will be sent via messenger and police escort, framed, and set on an easel for display in the forecourt of Buckingham palace. The @Clarencehouse Twitter feed will also run an announcement and there will be the customary celebratory gun salutes in Green Park and at the Tower of London, providing fodder for global TV coverage.
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