• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 8 hours ago

Hot on the heels of its live-streaming support of President Trump’s UFC event on the White House Lawn, Paramount is partnering with the patriotic prez to air his “Presidential 1776 Award” show on CBS.

Paramount+ is the live-streaming home of this Sunday’s “Ultimate Fighter” card of no-holds-barred, ultimate-fighting matchups emanating live from the White House.

Sixteen days later, on June 30, Paramount-owned CBS will give 90 minutes of Tuesday-night prime time to the finale of Trump’s “Presidential 1776 Award,” a competition that tests the civics knowledge of young Americans.

The special will be available to stream the next day on Paramount+.

Produced and staged under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education, Trump’s first-ever “Presidential 1776 Award” drew more than 8,000 high-school applicants from all 50 states, according to the Education Department.

Starting with an online qualifying exam, the aspirants vying for a top prize of a $100,000 college scholarship (and other scholarships totaling $250,000) were further winnowed down in two rounds of regional competitions -- the first during the week of February 22-28 and the second on May 2.

The Round Two regionals were held at five presidential libraries -- the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas and the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.

The final round of 25 finalists was held Tuesday in Washington. The identity of the winner has not been disclosed by the Education Department, likely with the hope of keeping the winner’s identity under wraps until the 90-minute special on June 30. Mario Lopez will host the show.

The news that the “Presidential 1776 Award” telecast will be on CBS came in two press announcements released simultaneously from the network and the Department of Education on May 28.

Prepared quotes were included in both from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Susan Zirinsky, whose production company, See It Now Studios, is overseeing the production of the telecast for Paramount.

“As America approaches its 250th birthday, the Presidential 1776 Award is helping inspire a new generation of informed and engaged citizens who understand our Constitution, our history and the responsibilities of freedom,” said the statement from McMahon.

“This competition celebrates America’s young people. Their passion for understanding the Constitution, our founding principles and defining moments in history assure all of us that they cherish the principles of democracy -- our country is in good hands with the next generation,” said the statement from Zirinsky.

Considered a legend of TV news, Zirinsky, 74, worked at CBS News starting at age 20 in 1972. In 2019, she left CBS after serving as CBS News president for two years.

She then started her company, See It Now, which is a name taken from the title of an old CBS News show of the 1950s hosted by Edward R. Murrow. Paramount subsequently bought See It Now Studios and now owns it.

The outside producer of “Presidential 1776 Award” is New Jersey-based Alongi Media, with Phil Alongi and Gideon Hayes as executive producers.