California goes "multimedia" for first
gubernatorial candidate forum

posted May 12, 1998

In this land where politics and technology seem to intersect everywhere you turn, it should surprise no one that the state's first major candidates' forum will be a multimedia affair.

Tomorrow, four candidates for Governor - Democrats Gray Davis, Jane Harman and Al Checchi, and Republican Dan Lungren - will take part in a public forum sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. This forum is the only major public exchange between these candidates scheduled to take place prior to the June 2nd election, and will be broadcast live on many TV, cable and radio stations across the state. The LA Times is also "webcasting" the event, providing a live audio and video feed from their web site. This edition of CVF-NEWS provides background information on tomorrow's event, a list of stations planning to air the event, and details about what will be available on the Internet and what you'll need to view or hear the debate online tomorrow.

ABOUT THE MAY 13TH GOVERNOR'S FORUM

WHAT:	Gubernatorial Candidates Forum Topics that are expected to be covered in the forum include competency tests for teachers; gun control and crime; tax credits for education, child care and first-time home buyers; Propositions 223 (school 5% spending cap); 226 (union donations), and 227 (bilingual education).
WHEN:	May 13th, 1998 -- 10:30 a.m. - Noon (Pacific Time)
WHO:	Gubernatorial candidates: Dan Lungren, Al Checchi, Gray Davis and Jane Harman Moderators: Janet Clayton, editor of The Times' editorial pages, and LA Times political columnist George Skelton. In the audience: 300 invited guests--including mayors, educators and business leaders from around the state--will attend the forum and have an opportunity to question the candidates.
WHERE:	Harry Chandler Auditorium, Times Mirror Square in downtown L.A.

STATIONS PLANNING TO AIR THE GOVERNOR'S FORUM

Below is a list of the TV, radio and cable stations that plan to air the forum tomorrow, either live or tape-delayed:

LIVE TV, CABLE AND RADIO BROADCASTS:

BayTV Cable Channel, San Francisco
KVEC TV, San Luis Obispo
Orange County News Channel
Century Cable System, Los Angeles
Cal State Northridge, closed-circuit system
California Channel (statewide cable channel)
KTLA TV, Los Angeles
KXTV TV, Sacramento
KCRA TV, Sacramento
KGTV all-news cable, San Diego
KPBS FM, San Diego
KPCC FM, Pasadena
KQED FM, San Francisco
KNX 1070 AM, Los Angeles
KKTO 90.5 FM, Sacramento

TAPE-DELAYED TV, CABLE AND RADIO BROADCASTS:

KCET TV, Los Angeles (May 13, 7 p.m.)
CSPAN, nationwide viewing (May 13 in the evening & weekend of May 16)
KCBS TV, Los Angeles (May 13, 2 - 4 p.m.)
KCRW FM, Santa Monica (May 13, 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.
KXJZ 88.9 FM, Sacramento (May 13, 7 p.m.)
KPBS FM, San Diego (May 13, 5 p.m.)

PLEASE NOTE:

There may be additional broadcasts of the Governor's Forum -- check with your local stations to find out if and when they plan to air the event. For the record, the California Voter Foundation applauds those stations that have demonstrated their commitment to informing the voters of California by agreeing to air this event. However, we are disappointed that such a small number of stations have made this commitment and hope that concerned voters who will not have broadcast access to this important forum make a point of asking their local stations to broadcast such events in the future. Kudos of course to the Los Angeles Times for hosting this important event.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE INTERNET

Even if your local station isn't carrying the Governor's Forum, you can still tune in via the Internet! The Los Angeles Times has set up a special section of its web site -- at http://www.latimes.com/gov -- where you can find more details about the event and download the RealPlayer software you'll need if you want to watch or listen to the debate online. It's very easy to download this software, and it's free. Visit the Times' site and follow the links and instructions. After the forum, the L.A. Times is planning to publish text, audio and video transcripts of the event on their web site.

Meanwhile, over at the Democracy Network -- http://www.dnet.org/CA -- the 13 other gubernatorial candidates who were not invited to participate in the L.A. Times' Forum will still get a chance to offer their own answers to the same questions asked of Harman, Checchi, Davis, and Lungren. The folks at DNet are promising to make those responses available on their web site within two hours of the conclusion of the event.

For more information about the June 2nd Primary Election, visit the California Voter Foundation's new California Online Voter Guide, available on the Internet at:

http://www.calvoter.org

-- Kim Alexander, President, California Voter Foundation