The NewsHour Travels to Pittsburgh for Pennsylvania Primary

The NewsHour Travels to Pittsburgh for Pennsylvania Primary

Jim Lehrer to anchor the broadcast from WQED Pittsburgh for the week of April 21

Program to look at national issues through local lens

WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer will originate from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the week of April 21, the week of the Pennsylvania primary -- a delegate-rich contest which may help decide the Democratic nominee for President.

Anchored by Jim Lehrer from the studios of public television station WQED -- America's first community-supported public television station -- The NewsHour will take an in-depth look at the Pennsylvania electorate as well as critical national issues seen through a Pittsburgh lens.

The NewsHour will also explore several challenges facing Pittsburgh, which are also faced by large urban areas across the nation. These may include the political impact of Pittsburgh's transformation from an "old" economy to a "new" economy; infrastructure issues faced by a large, older city; the growth of healthcare -- a major provider of jobs; the challenge to attract and keep a young, well-educated workforce; and the many environmental challenges and opportunities facing Pittsburgh. The NewsHour will also look at Pittsburgh's rich civic and cultural scene which has thrived as a result of Pittsburgh's long and unique legacy of philanthropy.

NewsHour Senior Correspondents Gwen Ifill, Ray Suarez, Judy Woodruff and Jeffrey Brown will also contribute to this coverage. While in Pittsburgh, The NewsHour will partner with WQED to conduct a series of community and station-related events.

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is seen five nights a week on more than 315 PBS stations across the country (check local listings) and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, in association with WETA, Washington, DC and Thirteen/WNET in New York. Corporate funding for The NewsHour is provided by the new AT&T, Chevron, and Pacific Life, along with major funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, the National Science Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.

WQED Pittsburgh, honored with the 2007 and 2006 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Station Excellence and 12 other Emmy Awards, was founded in 1954 as the nation's first community-supported broadcaster. WQED creates, produces and distributes quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within its community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED-DT; The WQED Neighborhood Channel; WQED-HD; WQEX-TV (A Shop NBC affiliate); WQED-FM89.3/Pittsburgh; WQEJ-FM89.7/Johnstown; a publishing division that includes PITTSBURGH magazine; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (http://www.wqed.org/); and the WQED Education Department.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: WQED

CONTACT: Anne Bell, +1-703-998-2175, +1-703-998-2175, or Rob Flynn,
+1-703-998-2174, rflynn@newshour.org, both of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; or
Rosemary Martinelli, +1-412-622-6433, rmartinelli@wqed.org, of WQED

Web Site:

http://www.wqed.org/

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