PBS Announces Journalists for Republican Forum
The "All-American Presidential Forums On PBS" moderated by Tavis Smiley
featuring Republican Candidates to take place September 27th in Baltimore
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 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 to people of color. The Forum will take place on September 27th from 9 to10:30 p.m. (EDT), broadcast live on PBS from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. An announcement regarding confirmed participants will be issued later this month, but all the major candidates are expected to participate.
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: "Many don't remember that only a few generations ago, most African Americans considered themselves to be Republican, the party of Lincoln. This forum represents one of the most significant outreaches to people of color by the Republicans in our nation's history. The fact that the candidates are showing up expresses their understanding that the thin margin between victory and defeat will be decided by reaching out to every voter. For people of color, it sends a powerful and unprecedented message that his or her vote is being competed for and fought over."
Like the Democratic event, the Republicans will field questions from three distinguished journalists of color: Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Juan Williams of NPR and Fox News, and Ray Suarez of PBS.
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 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.
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
