Thirteen Presents Exclusive Town Hall Meeting With Governor Paterson on New York State's Fiscal Crisis Today

Thirteen Presents Exclusive Town Hall Meeting With Governor Paterson on New York State's Fiscal Crisis Today

The Fiscal Crisis and NY State: A New York Voices Town Hall Meeting Airs On Thirteen And Public Television Outlets Throughout New York State Beginning November 6

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New York State is facing its worst financial crisis in decades and Governor David Paterson has called an emergency legislative session for later this month to cut the current budget by up to $2 billion. What can New Yorkers expect? Higher taxes? Cuts in programs? A federal bailout?

Thirteen, New York's flagship public television station, will help shed light on these pressing economic issues with The Fiscal Crisis and NY State: A New York Voices Town Hall Meeting. In this exclusive dialogue between New Yorkers and Governor Paterson, host Rafael Pi Roman will direct questions submitted through Thirteen.org and by audience members directly to the Governor. The Fiscal Crisis and NY State will air on Thirteen Thursday, November 6 at 8 p.m. and on public television stations throughout the state (check local listings). The complete program will be available for streaming online at Thirteen.org following Thirteen's broadcast.

"This innovative town hall meeting is part of our mission to deliver relevant, intelligent content that informs the public," said Neal Shapiro, President and Chief Executive Officer of WNET.ORG, parent company of Thirteen and WLIW21. "We're proud to have worked with Governor Paterson's office to provide a forum for New Yorkers to dialogue directly with Albany about the complex and critical issues affecting the lives of everyone in the state."

Thirteen proposed a public forum with Governor Paterson and the two agreed on this format last week -- with Thirteen retaining editorial control of the event and broadcast. The audience of 200 was invited by Democratic and Republican legislative and city executive offices and civic organizations in Westchester and Rockland counties. The event takes place today, November 5 at 4:30 p.m. at the Westchester Community Center in White Plains, New York. Thirteen will also air the Governor's second town hall meeting on the state's fiscal crisis, expected to take place the week of November 10 in an upstate location.

The Fiscal Crisis and NY State is the latest of several local specials produced by Thirteen to address the state's deepening economic woes and evolving political environment. Thirteen is also New York's source for the nation's most-trusted news and public affairs programming*, including The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Washington Week with Gwen Ifill, Worldfocus and numerous others. Thirteen provides reliable, high-quality content that presents diverse voices, addresses complex subjects and examines the issues important to viewers.

The Fiscal Crisis and NY State is produced by Thirteen for WNET.ORG. Executive Producer is John Denatale; Director is Bob Morris; Producer is Jim Epstein.

About WNET.ORG

New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content. The parent of Thirteen, WLIW21 and Creative News Group, WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Worldfocus, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack,Wild Chronicles, Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET.ORG pursues a single, overarching goal -- to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.

*Source: 2008 Roper Poll

Source: Thirteen/WNET New York

CONTACT: Deirdre Branley, +1-212-560-3130, branley@thirteen.org, or
Gloria Park, +1-212-560-2063, branley@thirteen.org, both of Thirteen

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