In response to schedule changes at the Democratic National Convention, PBS NEWSHOUR expands its convention coverage both online and on air. LIVE broadcast coverage co-anchored by award-winning political journalists Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill will now begin an hour earlier than originally scheduled, at 7 pm ET, and continue until the conclusion of the proceedings at approximately 11:00 p.m., ET.
5 pm ET – DNC gavels into session to conduct business, PBS NEWSHOUR coverage begins online with our livestream at www.pbs.org/newshour
6 pm ET – PBS NEWSHOUR’s regular broadcast airs live from the skybox in the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC
7 pm ET – Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill co-anchor PBS’s LIVE special coverage of the DNC Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena
NewsHour Correspondent Hari Sreenivasan extends the coverage online via the NewsHour’s interactive digital map center and “NewsHour All Hours” – a 24-hour livestream, powered by Ustream, Inc., on up to six different channels that offers viewers an “all-access pass” to the convention.
Additionally, the PBS NewsHour will post hundreds of images capturing the convention on a free Flickr stream that can be used by anyone, with attribution.
Coverage both on-air and online will be interspersed with analysis, interviews and commentary, including:
· Shields & Brooks – Political analysis from NewsHour regulars, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.
· Reports from the Convention Floor – Senior Correspondent Ray Suarez will have live dispatches from the convention floor throughout the evening broadcasts.
· Political Analysis – NewsHour Political Editor Christina Bellantoni offers perspective and analysis on key developments at the convention, with occasional appearances by Nathan Gonzales from the Rothenberg Political Report.
· Historians – Presidential historians Richard Norton Smith and Michael Beschloss will provide historical context of the candidates’ acceptance speeches on the final night of each convention.
· Listen to Me – The PBS NewsHour showcases the voices of American voters through its year-long “Listen to Me” project asking them for the most important issues driving their choice concerns and top issues driving them to the polls.
· The Daily Buzz – Political Editor Christina Bellantoni reports on how the politics of the convention are being viewed online and what’s buzzing on Twitter before the convention each day.
· Spanish Language – PBS NewsHour convention coverage will include SAP translation of the broadcast and one of the six livestream channels is also in Spanish.
· Digital Map Center – The Map Center shows electoral map data and other demographics. The Map Center will enable home viewers to follow along with the broadcast in real-time, on a tablet or other secondary device, and is fully embeddable on any site for free.
PBS NEWSHOUR’s 24-hour livestream coverage features six channels, powered by Ustream, that include:
· NewsHour Super Channel – A streaming version of NewsHour’s extensive broadcast coverage
· DNC Feed – The official broadcast feed from the DNC
· Sky Cam – A view of the convention floor from the PBS NEWSHOUR skybox in the Time Warner Cable Arena
· En Español – NewsHour broadcast coverage translated into Spanish
· HatCam – Created just for the conventions, PBS NEWSHOUR livestream coverage features a camera mounted on a helmet worn by a NewsHour reporter who roams the convention area – on the floor, in the halls, behind the scenes – literally providing viewers an all-access pass to the conventions.
· Newsroom – A live shot of the PBS NEWSHOUR newsroom.
The livestream coverage includes web only features such as:
· The Political Checklist – Each morning, Political Editor Christina Bellantoni will debrief co-anchors Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill about the nightly convention agenda as well as their take on political news and events.
· Newsmaker Interview – Each day, Hari Sreenivasan will host a live newsmaker interview with key leaders and figures in attendance at the convention.
· Share Your Views– As part of NewsHour’s partnership with Ustream, viewers can provide their perspective and engage in discussion while watching coverage online by sharing their views on Ustream’s social streaming chat room.
· The Doubleheader – Mark Shields and David Brooks join Hari Sreenivasan for a daily online discussion about the sport of politics – and the politics of sport.
· Roaming Reporter – Hari Sreenivasan will roam the convention site, the delegation hotels and locales around Tampa and Charlotte seeking out and interviewing delegates, party leaders and voters.
· Breakfast Panel Discussion – at 9:30 am on Wed., Sept. 5 – Gwen Ifill hosts a discussion with some of the newest generation of Democratic leaders, including: Kasim Reed, Mayor or Atlanta, GA; R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN & DNC Vice Chair; Marilyn Strickland, Mayor of Tacoma, WA; Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California; and Alejandra Salinas, National President of College Democrats of America.
PBS NEWSHOUR is seen by over 5 million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced in association with WETA Washington, D.C., and WNET in New York. Major funding for the PBS NEWSHOUR is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers. www.pbs.org/newshour
For more information on PBS Election 2012, including programming from PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK, FRONTLINE and NEED TO KNOW, visit pbs.org/election2012.
