Comcast Digital Cable Helps Change the Face of Local Politics With Unprecedented Access to 2007 Philadelphia Mayoral Candidates

Comcast Digital Cable Helps Change the Face of Local Politics With Unprecedented Access to 2007 Philadelphia Mayoral Candidates

Comcast Cable Eastern Division and CN8, The Comcast Network Present 'Candidates ON DEMAND' Exclusive Interviews Spotlighting Candidates in the 2007 Philadelphia Mayoral Race

BENSALEM, Pa., May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Comcast Cable and CN8, The Comcast Network cast their votes for political awareness and education, providing Philadelphia-area customers with "Candidates ON DEMAND" in support of the hotly-contested 2007 Philadelphia Mayoral race. Available starting May 1 and through Election Day, May 15, Candidates ON DEMAND pairs CN8 interview segments and Comcast's popular ON DEMAND technology to deliver in-depth candidate interviews available 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Invitations were extended to all certified candidates, and most Mayoral contenders accepted the opportunity to conduct tapings, including U.S. Congressman Bob Brady; PA State Rep. Dwight Evans; U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah; Businessman Tom Knox; Former City Councilman Michael Nutter; Greater NE Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President, Al Taubenberger; and Queena Bass.

Comcast's Eastern Division first utilized the Candidates ON DEMAND platform in 2005, and since then has offered more than 500 candidate interviews supporting more than 350 gubernatorial, senate, house, mayoral and other local political races. Candidates On Demand was first developed in 2004 and used for the notable Colorado Senate race.

"As more and more customers embrace the Digital platform, Candidates ON DEMAND has become a powerful vehicle for delivering unbiased political information to help citizens get the information they need, when and how they want it, to make an informed vote," said Michael Doyle, president, Comcast Cable Eastern Division and founder, CN8, The Comcast Network. "Digital Cable and ON DEMAND are truly revolutionizing the political landscape. With the vast majority of our customers now Digital, we are able to harness the power of this interactive medium to deliver an important public service into the home that traditionally would not be accessible, and to deliver an important opportunity for political candidates to reach voters with substantial views, previously limited to 10-second sound bites or political ads."

Seventy-five percent of Comcast customers in the City of Philadelphia use Digital Cable, and ON DEMAND has become an integral part of their lifestyles, with the average customer accessing ON DEMAND more than 20 times per month. In the Philadelphia market alone there are more than 25 million video on demand orders in a typical month, and the Eastern Division projects it will surpass three-quarters of a billion video on demand views in 2007.

Candidates ON DEMAND was produced entirely by CN8, The Comcast Network and interviews were conducted and produced by "Comcast Newsmakers" host Jen Boyett. Each interview is five-minutes in length, and features in-depth candidate discussions on a range of issues, policies and platforms relevant to Philadelphians. The segments will be available ON DEMAND and online at www.CN8.tv from Tuesday, May 1 through Election Day, Tuesday, May 15, free of charge to all Comcast Digital Cable customers in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. The interviews can be accessed through the ON DEMAND menu in the "Get Local" category by selecting "Candidates On Demand." Interviews are organized by the name of each candidate.

Customers who do not yet receive Digital Cable with ON DEMAND can call 1-800-COMCAST to learn about opportunities to go Digital for as little as one dollar.

About Comcast Cable

Comcast's Eastern Division currently serves more than 5.4 million customers along the New York to DC corridor, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and North Carolina. The Eastern Division also founded and manages CN8, The Comcast Network, one of the nation's largest and most honored regional 24-hour diversified television networks, seen by more than nine million homes on the East Coast. The Eastern Division is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Corporation (http://www.comcast.com/) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 12.1 million high-speed Internet customers, and 3.0 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

About CN8, The Comcast Network

CN8, The Comcast Network provides more than 9 million Comcast cable viewers with a unique brand of live, interactive television delivered over its own fiber-optic network to 12 states and 20 television markets stretching from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. CN8 was founded in 1996 and has quickly grown to become the nation's leading regional cable network, airing more than 90 hours a week of original programming from its six studios in the Baltimore, Boston, Delaware, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. areas. CN8 provides in-depth coverage and analysis of special events and important news that broadcast networks often ignore. Since its inception, CN8 has delivered on its mission to continually reshape and revolutionize regional television and its relevance to local, regional and national viewers. CN8's programming and hosts have been honored by the industry with more than 343 regional Emmy Award nominations.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Comcast Cable

CONTACT: Jeff Alexander of Comcast Cable, +1-610-650-3065

Web site:

http://www.comcast.com/
http://www.cn8.tv/

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