PBS Newsmagazine 'NOW' To Devote September Programs to Katrina's Aftermath

PBS Newsmagazine 'NOW' To Devote September Programs to Katrina's Aftermath

One Hour Special Town Hall Meeting 'Katrina: The Response' to Air on September 16

NEW YORK, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The acclaimed weekly newsmagazine NOW on PBS will devote all if its programs in September to covering Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The coverage, which begins tonight with a report on why New Orleans was virtually defenseless against Hurricane Katrina, will include a special one-hour broadcast on September 16, entitled "Katrina: The Response." That program, which will be taped at WLPB, the PBS station in Baton Rouge, will gather an audience of citizens, experts and officials to concentrate on the rapid response failure and the challenges ahead. The town- hall meeting will be moderated by NOW's host David Brancaccio.

"In the 24-hour coverage of events on the ground, our goal is to provide our audience with an alternative," says Brancaccio. "We're going to be looking analytically at the tough issues: the shortcomings in the emergency response; how our public policy fell short; and the ethical questions raised from the looting and disorder that have followed this disaster. We want to know what the people and the experts closest to this tragedy can tell us about what happened and why."

NOW's special coverage is part of public broadcasting's immediate and long-term plans to respond to these tragic events, which include special programming across the schedule.

"We at PBS, our member stations and talent stand ready to assist this effort in any way we can," says John Wilson, SVP Programming, PBS. "PBS stations are providing programming and online support to best serve local audiences in these terribly challenging times, and we are collectively putting together additional content and fundraising-related activities to support those most affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath."

NOW, which is hosted by David Brancaccio, airs Friday nights at 8:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and is a production of JumpStart Productions, LLC in association with Thirteen/WNET New York.

PRESS CONTACTS: Rick Byrne NOW Ph: 212/560-8406 Email: ByrneR@thirteen.org

Stephanie Aaronson PBS Ph: 703/739-5074 Email: saaronson@pbs.org

Source: NOW on PBS

CONTACT: Rick Byrne of NOW, +1-212-560-8406, or Email: ByrneR@thirteen.org; or Stephanie Aaronson of PBS, +1-703-739-5074, or Email: saaronson@pbs.org

Web site: http://www.pbs.org/now

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