American Public Television Distributes Live Presidential Forum: First Combined Appearance by Senators McCain and Obama

BOSTON (Sept. 10, 2008) -- American Public Television (APT), a leading provider of programming to the nation’s public television stations, today announced it will distribute VOTE ’08: A PRESIDENTIAL FORUM, a live discussion with presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama.

APT’s CEO and President Cynthia Fenneman believes the timeliness of VOTE ’08 will reinforce viewers’ expectations of their local public television stations as a trusted source for insightful and meaningful discussion about the 2008 general election. “Thanks to the quick work of our colleagues at Thirteen/WNET New York, we are able to provide stations with the opportunity to make this important and newsworthy event available to the wider American public,” said Fenneman.

The commercial-free, two-hour broadcast, produced and presented by Thirteen/WNET in New York, will air on select public television stations across America between September 11 and September 25, 2008 (check local listings for exact date and time). Many major-market stations, including Thirteen/WNET, will air the program live at 8:00 ET on September 11.

In their first combined appearance since the party conventions, Senators McCain and Obama — who will appear separately — will share their views on service and civic engagement in the post-9/11, post-Katrina world. These back-to-back, in-depth conversations will take place before an audience of September 11 family members, military veterans, thought leaders and Columbia University students as part of the “ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum.” New York Governor David Paterson will welcome the audience before the start of the forum.

Rafael Pi Roman will host the public television live broadcast of the ServiceNation forum from Thirteen/WNET’s studios. He will be joined by Martin Savidge, anchor of the upcoming international nightly newscast Worldfocus, debuting on public television October 6. Savidge brings his years of international journalistic experience and will introduce special segments, including a piece about soldiers choosing to commit to volunteer service upon returning from Iraq. During the final 20 minutes of the broadcast, Savidge and Pi Roman will lead a discussion with Adam Gopnik from The New Yorker and Rev. Calvin Butts from The Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York about the significant changes in politics and volunteer service since 9/11.

PBS’s NewsHour Senior Correspondent Judy Woodruff and TIME managing editor Richard Stengel will co-moderate and question McCain and Obama. In addition, viewers may submit questions for the candidates at tinyurl.com/6jmhd5. PBS World, public television’s premier public affairs channel, also will carry the feed live on September 11.

Thirteen/WNET
Thirteen/WNET is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Wide Angle and Charlie Rose to audiences nationwide, and serving the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions and broadcasts, cutting-edge Web sites, and innovative educational and cultural projects. More info at: www.thirteen.org .

American Public Television:
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. In 2006, APT launched Create – the TV channel featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as Worldfocus, Rick Steves’ Europe, Globe Trekker, John McLaughlin’s One on One, America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Doc Martin, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia’s Family Table, Foreign Exchange, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, Scully/The World Show, The Big Comfy Couch, Celine Dion: A New Day, European Journal, Monarchy With David Starkey, Spain...on the road Again, and other prominent public-affairs programs, documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

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