WJCT Public Broadcasting Partners with Jacksonville Media Outlets for City’s Mayoral Race Coverage
January 19, 2011
A Series of Debates Will Broadcast in March on WJCT-TV
(Jacksonville, FL, January 19, 2011) WJCT Public Broadcasting, First Coast News NBC- 12/ABC-25, CBS 47 Action News and Fox30 Action News, WOKV –AM/FM, Jacksonville Business Journal, and The Florida Times-Union, and civic organizations, including the League of Women Voters, JCCI, Inc., and Downtown Vision, Inc., are partnering to provide voters with a comprehensive look at the 2011 mayor’s race. A series of on-air debates as well as online content will offer First Coast citizens an in-depth view of the major candidates and where they stand on issues such as the economy, taxes, public health and safety, downtown development, and the environment. This partnership is comprised of traditional media coverage and online information through the website http://www.thinkvotejacksonville.org.
Three televised debates between the major mayoral candidates are being planned to be held tentatively on the evenings of March 3, 7, and 17 at the WJCT Studios. These debates will feature different formats and topics each night, such as a town hall meeting, formal debate, and informal discussion period. Each debate will be hosted by a representative of the broadcast partners, and will also include a panel of journalists to ask questions of the candidates.
In addition to the on-air content, the website, http://www.thinkvotejacksonville.org, will serve as a clearinghouse of information on the race, providing residents with a one-stop place for them to go to for research on the candidates’ positions. The website will include questions on issues facing the city, along with responses from the candidates and charts and statistics that illustrate the problems. Candidates will be asked to submit white papers on issues of importance, where they provide detailed descriptions of their plans, and they will also be invited to blog about their campaign platforms and the race itself.
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for the First Coast. For more information on WJCT’s in-depth programming content, log on to WJCT Online at wjct.org.