WTVI Helps Citizens Make Election Choices for Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education

WTVI’s studio and production crew are playing a large part in educating Mecklenburg County citizens about candidates for Mayor of Charlotte, Charlotte City Council, and the Board of Education.

By establishing partnerships with the League of Women Voters, the Council on Aging, and the Mecklenburg Citizens for Education, WTVI has produced and is airing these programs:

• WSOC-TV, WTVI, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg League of Women Voters present Vote 2009: Charlotte's Run for Mayor on Tuesday, October 27. The program, hosted by WSOC-TV anchors Erica Bryant and Blair Miller, will provide 25-minute interviews with mayoral candidates Anthony Foxx and John Lassiter. WSOC-TV, WAXN-TV 64 and wsoctv.com will simulcast the one-hour special on October 27, from 7-8 p.m. WTVI will air the program from 8-9 p.m., right after the The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
  
  
• WTVI welcomed more than 50 citizens to its studio on October 22 for the Council on Aging Candidates' Forum with mayoral and Charlotte City Council candidates. Attendees asked questions on local aging issues and ensuring independence, dignity, and quality of life for older adults. This program will air on WTVI’s Public Square beginning October 27.
  
  
• WTVI hosted and filmed the League of Women Voters' Discussion Series for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education election in conjunction with the Mecklenburg Citizens for Education. See one-on-one interviews with the candidates and learn more about their priorities and plans online at: www.wtvi.org/lwvsb.cfm
  
  
• WTVI hosted and filmed the League of Women Voters’ Candidate Debates for Charlotte City Council At-Large, District 6, and District 7. View the debates online at www.wtvi.org/lwvcc.cfm

“The community needs this election information to distinguish between candidates for important local offices,” says Elsie Garner, WTVI’s President and CEO. “We are pleased to provide these resources in simple, unbiased formats, and as always, we enjoy welcoming candidates to our studio to share their views.”

In addition to the air times listed above, the interviews and debates air 24 hours a day on Public Square beginning October 31, 2009 and running until Election Day, November 3.

Visit www.wtvi.org/ for details on the programs.

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer will re-launch with a new look

On December 7, 2009 The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer will re-launch with a new look, a new correspondent and a new program title: PBS NewsHour.

Jim Lehrer, recently shared his thoughts about the upcoming changes in a short question and answer session.

How does the new PBS NewsHour fit into what you and Robert MacNeil originally envisioned?
The goal of “MacNeil Lehrer journalism” has always been to give our audience the news beyond the headlines – more in-depth reporting, thought-provoking analysis, engaging newsmaker interviews and more international news.

We plan to continue that mission, only expand it. Originally, the program was created to supplement the evening network news programs. Now, each week night we will be a key on air and online destination for a deeper dive into the most important news of the day presented in a thoughtful and objective way. Our goal is to be THE source for the best journalism available anywhere, anytime – on line, on air, morning, noon or night.

So, why change? And why change now?
The explosive growth of cable news, the internet and a 24-hour news cycle has led to huge changes in the media industry. Newspapers are going out of business, blogs and talks shows proliferate. Serious news is on the decline. Our change is a coordinated response from The NewsHour and PBS to lead the way in providing Americans with the serious news and information they need. We have both an opportunity and an obligation to respond.

The new program title reflects our expanded mission -- to be the hub of public affairs programming on PBS. In addition to our own reporting, the PBS NewsHour will showcase the best reporting in public television both online and on air.

What will viewers see that’s different?
Our correspondents will be more prominent. Each night one of them will co-anchor the program with me. They will also report more, especially from the field.

Plus, we will introduce a new member of the team who will deliver the daily news headlines on the PBS NewsHour broadcast AND provide online news updates throughout the day. This correspondent is just one example of our attempt to create a seamless connection between the web site and the broadcast.

By taking greater advantage of the Online NewsHour web site, we will be more responsive and more versatile. You know, we’re fortunate to have a really talented team of journalists. They have a wealth of knowledge and skills. Our expanded operation means viewers will be able to see more of what they have to offer.

What are your thoughts on new media and technology?
The NewsHour has been available via podcast and on Facebook and Twitter for some time now. But in the end, technology is just a tool to deliver stories. I don’t care if you get your news on TV or on a pink iPod, it’s the information and the story that matters and it’s important that information comes from a source you can trust.

How does The PBS NewsHour fit into the current media environment?
Ironically, by adamantly adhering to our principles, we’ve become more distinct. Now more than ever, The PBS NewsHour is needed as a trusted, independent source of news and civil discourse.

What do you hope to offer new PBS NewsHour viewers? Web site visitors?
In addition to the work of our own talented team of journalists, The PBS NewsHour will feature reporting from PBS’ many award winning public affairs programs like Frontline and NOVA, as well as reporters from local PBS stations around the country. The PBS NewsHour is also collaborating with other trusted media partners: NPR, Climate Central, Global Post, and Time Magazine just to name a few.

The Online NewsHour will have many new features. I mentioned the video news summary. We’re also going to offer viewers more insight into our editorial thinking. Our daily news blog will include discussion of how we plan to cover the top stories that night on the broadcast. And when our correspondents are out in the field, they’ll post video dispatches online, again, to constantly update viewers on the stories they are following, as they happen.

What are you doing outside of The PBS NewsHour?
I love to write, it’s what got me into the news business. But my writing is not limited to news. I also enjoy fiction and make it a habit to write every morning. My 20th novel is due to be published this coming April.

WTVI helps you evaluate mayoral candidates

WSOC-TV, WTVI, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg League of Women Voters present Vote 2009: Charlotte's Run for Mayor on October 27. The program, hosted by WSOC-TV anchors Erica Bryant and Blair Miller, will provide 25-minute interviews with mayoral candidates Anthony Foxx and John Lassiter. WSOC-TV, WAXN-TV 64 and wsoctv.com will simulcast the one-hour special on Tuesday, October 27, from 7-8 p.m. WTVI will air the program from 8-9 p.m., right after the The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

"For Your Home" benefits cancer research

WTVI is providing the production crew and camera crew for Vicki Payne's "For Your Home" show, to air beginning December 9. The show follows the construction of a house in Fort Mill. Visitors can tour the home from October 17 to Nov. 1, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday. All proceeds from ticket sales and the sale of goods inside the house benefit breast cancer research via the Susan G. Komen Foundation. (Details)

WTVI visits Myers Park Traditional Elementary School to promote reading

On Friday, September 25, Beverly Dorn-Steele "Ms. Beverly," WTVI's Director of Community Engagement, visited Myers Park Traditional Elementary School, in Charlotte. Ms. Beverly and Seemore Goodstuff, WTVI's purple elephant mascot, read stories to the children and discussed the creative costumes the children wore to become their favorite storybook characters. WTVI provides more than 50 hours per week of award-winning children's programs that are safe, non-violent, educational and entertaining. For more information on WTVI's reading curriculums for teachers or the WTVI Kids Club for children, contact Ms. Beverly at bds@wtvi.org.

WTVI’s Campaign for Love & Forgiveness Begins Fourth and Final Year

WTVI will hold the kick-off event for the final year of the Campaign for Love & Forgiveness on September 30, from 6-8 p.m. in the Sykes Auditorium at Queens University. A project of the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, MI, the campaign is a community engagement initiative that helps people discover the transformative power that love and forgiveness can bring.

Through facilitated conversations in six cities, and a robust Web site (http://www.loveandforgive.org/) that offers a thorough curriculum, the campaign has touched thousands of people since its launch in 2006. At least 70 percent of participants have reported that as a result of their participation, they would be more likely to forgive themselves for mistakes and offer forgiveness to others.

Six public television stations receive funding from the Fetzer Institute to develop partnerships with local organizations and host events unique to the communities they serve. In addition to WTVI Charlotte, the stations are KEET Eureka, CA; KPBS San Diego, CA; Maryland Public Television; WGVU Grand Rapids, MI; and WXXI Rochester, NY.

The symbol of WTVI’s local campaign is the Red Bench of Love. WTVI has partnered with local organizations including Mothers of Murdered Offspring (MOM-O). In 2006, as part of the campaign, the MOM-O held a memorial service at Charlotte’s Frazier Park in honor of Jin Joo Byrne, a female missionary slain at a Charlotte apartment complex in 2002. Isabella and Martin Byrne sat on the Red Bench and shared a moment of understanding and forgiveness for the man convicted of killing their daughter. They then traveled to the prison in Raleigh to forgive him in person.

“I’ve seen walls come down and burdens lifted through this project, which is open to anyone,” says Beverly Dorn-Steele, WTVI’s Director of Community Engagement. “I’m eager to see the impact in the Charlotte area this year.”

As a special treat at the kickoff event, all participants may view the “Freedom in Creation” Exhibit at the Max L. Jackson Gallery on the Queens University Campus. The exhibit displays art and peace-building efforts for child victims of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda.

Registration is available at: www.wtvi.org/CampaignforLoveandForgiveness_000.cfm

WTVI's "National Parks" preview draws more than 200 to the Mint Museum

More than 200 people from around the region attended WTVI’s free, special preview screening of Ken Burns’s new documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Thursday, September 17 at the Mint Museum of Art.

Filmed over the course of more than six years in some of nature’s most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska, the narrative traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Burns uses archival photographs, first-person accounts of historical characters, personal memories and analysis from more than 40 interviews, combined with stunning cinematography.

To kick off the evening, WTVI announced four winners of its national parks personal story and photo contest, including Hickory Grove Baptist Christian School chemistry teacher Larry McAfee. McAfee participated in the National Park Service’s Teacher to Ranger to Teacher Program in Badlands National Park this past summer. The winners received gift baskets including the The National Parks: America’s Best Idea companion book by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns.

“We look forward to sharing this amazing educational and cultural masterpiece with the people in our region,” says Beverly Dorn-Steele, WTVI’s Director of Community Engagement.

WTVI will air the six-part, 12-hour series over six nights, from Monday, September 28 to Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 8 p.m. each evening. Printed and online educational materials created around the film are available to support formal and informal classroom settings with lesson plans and hands-on learning activities.

Visit www.wtvi.org for details on the program.