TV ONE TO OFFER LIVE NIGHTLY COVERAGE OF DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
-- Network for African American adults will offer live convention floor coverage co-hosted by XM Radio and WOL-AM radio host Joe Madison and CN8 Anchor Arthur Fennell followed by TV One Live: DNC Afterparty anchored by veteran journalist Jacque Reid and co-hosted by Rev. Marcia and Michael Eric Dyson --
Beverly Hills, CA -- TV One will offer live, nightly primetime coverage of the Democratic convention in Denver Monday, August 25 - Thursday, August 28, followed by TV One Live: DNC Afterparty, a smart, irreverent and engaging hour that includes a uniquely African American cultural perspective on the events of the day. The post-convention show will range from commentary by a diverse group of outspoken panelists, to coverage of the day's social, cultural and political events, to stories from the convention floor - and from the bus stops and diners aroundDenver.
The primetime Democratic convention coverage, which will offer a straightforward look at events as they unfold on the convention floor, will be co-hosted by award-winning industry veterans Joe Madison, XM Satellite and WOL-AM radio talk show host, and Arthur Fennell, principal anchor and managing editor for CN8 news. The convention coverage will also feature interviews with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other key leaders and speakers throughout the week.
TV One Live: DNC Afterparty will be anchored by veteran television and radio news reporter and anchor Jacque Reid, who now serves as news correspondent on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and co-hosted by well-known commentators, the husband and wife team of Rev. Marcia and Michael Eric Dyson.
TV One commentator Roland Martin will serve as chief political analyst and provide daily commentary and a wrap up of the day's events. Regular contributors to the post-convention show will include Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and author Hill Harper, comedienne Sheryl Underwood, Sister2Sister magazine publisher Jamie Foster Brown, TV One chef and culinary expert G. Garvin, and style and fashion expert Paul Wharton Huggy Lowdown, The Celebrity Snitch from the Tom Joyner Morning Show, will also phone in celebrity gossip and reports from around the convention's official and unofficial events.
"The nomination of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's candidate for President of the United States is a historic event in the lives of African Americans, so it is important for TV One to be there for our audience," said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers. "While viewers can get coverage of the convention from any number of networks, we plan to cover the convention from a uniquely African American perspective. Our post-convention show, in particular, will be a celebration of this historic occasion, but in a format that will combine compelling commentary from well-known African Americans with a range of viewpoints - combined with a witty and entertaining look at the day's events.
"In addition to platform disagreements, and what Senator Obama's running mate is likely to say in his or her acceptance speech, we'll talk about the parties, the fashion, the food and the people, as well as the funny and off-beat moments that happen on the convention floor," Rodgers added.
Since Thursday, August 28, the date on which Senator Obama is scheduled to make his acceptance speech, also marks the 45th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington, TV One plans special programming all day to commemorate the anniversary. Among the programming TV One will air during the day will be two documentaries about Dr. King: MLK: A Dream Deferred, which compares the state of race relations in America forty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. against the words and dreams that the legendary civil rights leader wrote and spoke many years ago; and MLK: The Making of a Holiday, which chronicles the life and accomplishments of Dr. King and the quest by many politicians and celebrities to honor his birthday as a national holiday.
TV One will also air all three of its one-hour specials based on Tavis Smiley's 2008 "State of the Black Union" symposium held earlier this year in New Orleans; and Lessons from Little Rock: A National Report Card, a documentary hosted by Hill Harper that explores the state of public education for African Americans fifty years after the Little Rock Nine first integrated an all-white high school in Arkansas in 1957 with government troops by their side.
Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) serves more than 43.7 million households (Nielsen July 2008 estimate), offering a broad range of lifestyle and entertainment-oriented original programming, classic series, movies, fashion and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers. TV One's investors include Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK; www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners; Comcast Corporation [NASDAQ: CMCSA and CMCSK; www.comcast.com], the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.
|