PBS Election 06 Offers Comprehensive Look at Candidates and Iues; Acclaimed News, Public Affairs, Documentaries and Digital Coverage Enhanced by Cro-Platform Partnership with NPR

PBS NewsHour, PBS Newshour weekend, Frontline, washington week, Independent Lens Among Those Contributing

Election Specials and Programming

PASADENA, CA; January 18, 2016 -- PBS announced at the Television Critics Association Press Tour today its plans for PBS Election 2016, a comprehensive schedule of news, public affairs, documentary and corresponding digital programming. At the center of this multi-platform initiative is a new strategic partnership with NPR that allows for sharing of news content between the two organizations. As one of the country's most trusted news sources and a leader in developing content for digital platforms, PBS brings to this year's election coverage a mix of investigative reports, educational opportunities and stories of interest on the local and national levels.

In this election year, PBS promises viewers extensive, in-depth and thoughtful coverage across all platforms, said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. Our roster of signature programs, specials and online offerings will deliver fully integrated news and analysis from multiple perspectives.

The new partnership between PBS and NPR will enable the two organizations to share digital, video, and audio content in new ways. As part of this collaboration, PBS will launch a new, designated elections-focused digital destination on PBS.org in February that will include content from NPR, as well as from PBS signature news and public affairs programs and local PBS station newsrooms across the country. Likewise, NPR will integrate PBS content into its popular Politics section on NPR.org. PBS and NPR will cross-promote both sites and engage audiences through social media tools.

We have an anxious country seeking to pick a new president. There are few tasks more important this election year than giving the country the news coverage, information and conversation to help make sound choices. NPR and PBS share that mission of producing trusted, thoughtful public service journalism to inform the American public, said Michael Oreskes, NPR Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director. Partnering with PBS and working with our member stations, we will provide a forum for a national conversation about politics that goes from the local grassroots perspective our on-the-ground reporters provide, to analysis and context.

PBS Election 2016 includes a mix of new and returning series, and specials that will follow the election trail from the primary debates to election night and beyond. Coverage will highlight all major political events, including primaries, conventions and election night returns.

PBS NEWSHOUR will produce PBS NEWSHOUR DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY DEBATE, moderated by Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 11, 2016 from 9 - 11 p.m. ET. In addition to thorough coverage of the campaign on the nightly broadcast, online at www.pbs.org/newshour, and on its social platforms, NEWSHOURs election-focused special programming of the early primary season will include primetime coverage of the Iowa Caucuses, New Hampshire Primary and Super Tuesday. In partnership with NPR, NEWSHOUR also will provide full coverage in July 2016 of the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention, a first-time collaboration for the two organizations.

PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND will feature remote broadcasts from Philadelphia and Cleveland on the weekends leading up to the Democratic and Republican Conventions. In addition, the program will provide regular, in-depth reporting, called Every Vote Counts: Examining the People, Places and Issues the Candidates Overlook, throughout the 2016 campaign.

FRONTLINE's acclaimed series The Choice returns this fall with a two-hour film investigating what has shaped the two major-party presidential candidates, where they came from, how they lead and why they want to take on one of the most difficult jobs imaginable. Produced by Michael Kirk ( United States of Secrets, League of Denial ), The Choice 2016 will investigate formative moments in the candidates' lives, providing in-depth reporting and powerful new insights about the candidates. Additionally, in the run-up to the 2016 election, FRONTLINE, PBS NEWSHOUR and APM's Marketplace will team up to investigate the American economy - from the forces that have shaped it to the lives of the people living in it. The collaboration - sparked by Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal's travels and radio reporting, and funded jointly by PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting - will produce 10 videos to be broadcast on PBS NEWSHOUR and shared on FRONTLINE, PBS NEWSHOUR and Marketplace websites and social channels.

WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL features the PBS NEWSHOUR anchor alongside Washington's top journalists, analyzing key election news stories and their effect on the lives of all Americans. This election season, WASHINGTON WEEK will originate from key election locations with a series of live road shows along the campaign trail, including from the site of the PBS NEWSHOUR DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY DEBATE in Milwaukee (Feb. 12); from Cleveland, the host city of the Republican National Convention (July 15); and the following week from Philadelphia, host city of the Democratic National Convention (July 22). In September, WASHINGTON WEEK will originate from the battleground state of Colorado with a live-audience program from the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE launches The Presidents, an all-new digital portal showcasing hundreds of assets from the Peabody Award-winning collection of films about our nation's most important leaders. Films in the collection include the upcoming Murder of a President (February 2 on PBS) and biographies of John F. Kenn

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