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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Colleen Wright
April 23, 2002
Marketing Communications Account Executive
Telephone: (410) 581-4293
E-mail: colleenwright@mpt.org
MPT. This is bigger than television.
Frontline/World debuts on Maryland Public Television
New series promotes understanding of global trends and world events
OWINGS MILLS, MD: Frontline will expand its acclaimed series
this spring with a new program examining international affairs, Frontline/World.
Four episodes of Frontline/World will be produced, with the first
installment premiering on Thursday, May 23 at 9:00 p.m. The limited series
will continue through early 2003.
"Current events underscore the need to engage and inform viewers
on an ongoing basis about issues beyond the borders," said PBS president
Pat Mitchell. "We think that television -particularly public television
- plays a vital role in giving Americans the facts and perspectives they
need to understand our interrelated world. PBS is happy to broaden this
excellent series." The one-hour magazine-format program will offer
a forum for reporting on global issues and will build, in part, on the
mentoring partnership that has paired Frontline producers with
younger journalists - many of them from other countries - at the University
of California's Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Frontline/World will be co-produced by WGBH Boston and KQED San
Francisco.
"Even before September 11, we felt we needed to be doing more international
stories," says executive producer David Fanning. "The additional
hours for Frontline will offer us the flexibility to respond to
national and international events with timely reporting."
"Frontline/World is the right program at the right time for
KQED to pool our resources with public television colleagues," noted
John Boland, executive vice president and COO of KQED San Francisco. "With
the Bay Area's diversity and important international ties to the Pacific
Rim, it's more important than ever to tap into this region's perspective.
We look forward to forging this partnership with PBS and WGBH."
The Frontline/World Web site at http://www.pbs.org/cgi-registry/golocal?station=MPT&site=/frontlineworld
will extend the broadcast with original reporting, streaming video and
interactive features that will help the visitor connect with international
issues. The site will make a particular effort to tie international stories
to American audiences and to spark a moderated online dialogue.
Stephen Talbot, a former producer with KQED and veteran of Frontline
and the Center for Investigative Reporting, will helm Frontline/World
as series editor. David Fanning is the executive producer. KQED executive-in-charge
for Frontline/World is Sue Ellen McCann. WGBH executive-in-charge
for Frontline/World is Sharon Tiller.
Major funding for Frontline/World is provided by PBS and the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by ABB, Ltd.,
The John D.and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Wallace Alexander
GerbodeFoundation.
Maryland Public Television is a not-for-profit, state-licensed public
television station which serves the citizens and communities of Maryland
and beyond through a variety of broadcast and nonbroadcast activities.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see accompanying list for Frontline program
descriptions for May 2, May 9 and May 16.
Frontline May 2002 Listings
"Terror and Tehran"
Thursday, May 2, 9:00 p.m.
President Bush says Iran is part of an 'axis of evil' - states that are
developing weapons of mass destruction and supporting terrorism - and
many Americans would agree. They haven't forgotten the Iranian hostage
crisis of 1979 or Iran's support for Lebanese groups like Hezbollah during
the 1980s, when U.S. embassies and military bases in the Middle East were
attacked, killing hundreds. But times have changed and the playing field
has shifted, creating a dilemma for U.S. policymakers. Iran helped in
the war against the Taliban and seems willing to help bring down a common
enemy - Saddam Hussein - but it's also developing nuclear weapons and
is bent on Israel's destruction. As the war on terrorism advances, how
will America handle Iran? And will U.S. actions help or hinder Iranian
moderates in their struggle for reform against Iran's hard-line religious
leaders? Frontline goes inside today's Iran to seehow the game will be
played.
"Muslims"
Thursday, May 9, 9:00 p.m.
The events of September 11 left many Americans questioning how such atrocities
could be perpetrated in the name of religion: specifically, the religion
of Islam. Yet even as U.S. opinion polls reflect a collective sense of
mistrust toward a religion few Americans know much about, Islam continues
to be the fastest growing religion in the United States today. What is
Islam? What do Muslims believe in? And how does their faith shape their
lives, their identities, and their political ideologies? Frontline explores
these and other questions in "Muslims," a special two-hour report
that examines the fundamental tenets of Islam and the causes behind its
current worldwide resurgence. Through interviews with dozens of ordinary
Muslims from such diverse countries as Iran, Malaysia, Turkey, and the
United States, Frontline illuminates the perspectives, conflicts, and
tensions that are shaping today's Muslim world.
"Gunning For Saddam"
Thursday, May 16, 9:00 p.m.
As Americans are confronted by acts of bioterrorism, powerful forces in
the nation's capital believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is to blame
for many terrorist acts during the last decade. Many are lobbying to mobilize
a military operation to oust Hussein when the next phase of the war on
terrorism kicks in. Proponents of the plan, including former Clinton administration
CIA director James Woolsey, contend Hussein was involved in the first
World Trade Center bombing, the attempted assassination of President George
H.W. Bush in 1993, and the ongoing state sponsorship of terrorist activities.
Foes of this plan argue that attacking Hussein will destabilize other
nations in the region, most prominently Saudi Arabia, and no doubt destroy
the carefully crafted coalition presently hunting for Osama bin Laden
in Afghanistan. Frontline investigates America's other enemy, Saddam Hussein.
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