The "All-American Presidential Forums On PBS" Moderated By Tavis Smiley Update
THE "ALL-AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL FORUMS ON PBS" MODERATED BY TAVIS SMILEY FEATURING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES TO TAKE PLACE SEPTEMBER 27th IN BALTIMORE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2007
The "All-American Presidential Forums on PBS" Moderated by Tavis Smiley will give Republican Presidential candidates an opportunity to make their case on the issues of concern for people of color. The Forum will take place on September 27th from 9 to 10:30 p.m (EDT), broadcast live on PBS from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Candidates appearing at the Forum include Senator Sam Brownback, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Congressman Duncan Hunter, Ambassador Alan Keyes and Congressman Ron Paul. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Senator John McCain, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Congressman Tom Tancredo and former Senator Fred Thompson have thus far declined the invitation.
The first Forum was held on June 28th at Howard University in Washington, DC featuring all eight Democratic candidates. Both events have historic significance as the first-ever nationally broadcast election events specifically oriented towards voters of color.
Moderator Smiley commented: " No one should be elected President of this country in 2008 if they ignore people of color. If they want to be President of all America, they need to speak to all Americans."
He added, "The candidates who have confirmed will be sending a powerful and unprecedented message to people of color and all Americans of conscience and goodwill that their vote is being competed for and fought over. For those who are choosing not to attend, it is a missed opportunity. We will have four extra lecterns on the stage should they ultimately choose to participate."
Like the Democratic event, the Republicans will field questions from a distinguished panel featuring three journalists of color: Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Juan Williams of National Public Radio and Ray Suarez of PBS/The NewsHour.
The Forum will be simultaneously webcast on PBS.org, and video of both events will be archived for download and viewing on the Website. The Website (pbs.org/tavissmiley) will include additional coverage of the presidential candidates and their positions on key issues of the campaign, including past interviews, backgrounders, viewer polls and a forum blog and election resources. Visitors will be able to submit their own questions for the candidates, read commentary and share their own opinions.
The Forum will also be broadcast on public radio stations nationwide via PRI, Public Radio International.
"The All-American Presidential Forums" are made possible by PBS, The California Endowment and the National Minority Consortia. The program is produced by Tavis Smiley Media Inc. and presented by KCET/Los Angeles.
A roundtable of journalists will appear on the Friday night regular broadcast of "Tavis Smiley" on PBS to share their reactions, analysis and commentary on the Republican "All American Presidential Forum on PBS" Moderated by Tavis Smiley. Visit www.pbs.org/tavissmiley for broadcast times in local areas.
About PBS
PBS is a media enterprise that serves 354 public noncommercial television stations and reaches almost 90 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is a leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of other educational services. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.
About Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is the host of TAVIS SMILEY on PBS and “The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI” and the author/editor of 11 books including the New York Times best-sellers Covenant with Black America and What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing up in America. His latest book, THE COVENANT In Action is in stores now. For more information, visit www.tavistalks.com.
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CONTACTS:
Joel Brokaw, The Brokaw Company; (310) 273-2060
Laurel Lambert, KCET; (323) 953-5246
