Miss California contestants pose at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo African Adventure Exhibit. Image via Miss California

Fresno will be front and center this weekend as Nexstar Broadcasting prepares its first-ever statewide broadcast of the Miss California coronation event.

The July 1 broadcast will air from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the KSEE 47 CBS affiliate and other stations throughout California, said Matthew Rosenfeld, vice president and general manager for Nexstar, who also oversees the KSEE 24 NBC station.

It will feature the crowning of the next Miss California, who will go on to compete in the Miss America pageant.

The competition officially begins Tuesday at the William Saroyan Theatre and continues through Thursday, concluding with the Friday coronation of Miss California Teen and Miss California on Saturday.

Rosenfeld said he was inspired to broadcast the event after previously serving as a judge for the event, which awards hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to the contestants.

“It produces really impressive young ladies — smart, driven, polished young women who are really impressive,” Rosenfeld said. “And it’s not just beauty.”

The pageant will also air on television stations in San Francisco, San Diego, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach and Palm Springs — potentially reaching up to 4.1 million homes, Rosenfeld said.

Beginning last week, contestants took part in an itinerary of trips to Fresno City Hall, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Fresno Rotary Club, the California Armenian Home and other local spots. Rosenfeld said those visits will also be shown as part of the television broadcast.

“Viewers are going to see a 3-hour commercial for everything awesome about living in Fresno,” Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said his team is partnering with Reggie Rush of Live Light, Inc. of Fresno to produce the show inside the William Saroyan Theatre.