ARLINGTON, Va., July 12, 2009 - PBS today announced an agreement with impreMedia, the No. 1 Hispanic News and Information Company in the U.S. in Online and Print, to live stream PBS' NewsHour feed of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Senate confirmation hearings, translated to Spanish, on impreMedia's Web site (http://www.impre.com/sotomayor). If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court justice and the third woman to serve on the high court.
"As public media PBS and our member stations have a strong commitment to ensuring that citizens have the information they need to fully participate in our democracy," said John Boland, PBS Chief Content Officer. "We are pleased to partner with impreMedia in utilizing new media platforms to reach the broadest possible audience, including Hispanic Americans who will have particular interest in these hearings."
PBS will provide full coverage of the Senate Confirmation Hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor expected to begin July 13, 2009 at 10 am ET. NewsHour Senior Correspondent Judy Woodruff will anchor live coverage from the hearing room in the Hart Senate Office Building, with analysis from Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal. PBS will provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the days when Sotomayor is scheduled to testify before the committee.
"The live Spanish transmission of the Supreme Court hearings is a critical outreach to the millions of Americans who strongly prefer to receive their news and information in Spanish," says Arturo Duran, CEO of impreMedia Digital. "It also reflects the deep transformation of American society, which may soon have, for the first time in its history, a Supreme Court Justice who grew up speaking Spanish."
Monday's hearing is expected to include statements from each of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and possibly Sotomayor's opening statement. Over the course of several days, the hearings will continue with questions and answers with Judge Sotomayor followed by testimony from other witnesses. The NewsHour's coverage will begin with the Committee members' statements on Monday and will continue through the conclusion of Judge Sotomayor's appearances before the committee. ImpreMedia plans to provide analysis by Pedro Rojas, La Opinion's Editor in Chief, and their political analyst, Pilar Marrero. They will be making comments before, during or after the PBS coverage.
Live streaming video of the hearings is also available online at newshour.pbs.org, and is provided in conjunction with NPR and PBS. In addition to the video of the hearings, the Online NewsHour has a profile of Sonia Sotomayor and a wealth of information about the Supreme Court, the justices and its history at the Supreme Court Watch site -- http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/law/supreme_court/index.html.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is seen five nights a week on more than 315 PBS stations across the country (check local listings) and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, in association with WETA, Washington, DC and Thirteen/WNET in New York. Corporate funding for The NewsHour is provided by Chevron and Intel along with major funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.
About impreMedia:
ImpreMedia is the No. 1 Hispanic News and Information Company in the U.S. in Online and Print. ImpreMedia's multi-platform offerings range from Online to Video, Mobile and Print and encompass 27 properties, including the portal http://www.impre.com and its McClatchy partners. 35% of all U.S. Hispanic adults use an impreMedia product. The company is also the nation's largest Hispanic newspaper publisher with newspapers in the top 7 U.S. Hispanic markets, reaching 16 markets total that represent 63% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Its leading publications include La Opinion in Los Angeles and El Diario La Prensa in New York. For more information, visit: http://www.impre.com.
ImpreMedia portals and publications websites are: www.impre.com, www.imprerewards.com, www.lavibra.com, www.impreautos.com, www.laopinion.com, www.eldiariony.com, www.hoynyc.com, www.laraza.com, www.laprensafl.com, www.elmensajero.com, www.rumbonet.com, www.vistamagazine.com, and www.contigola.com.
About PBS
PBS, with its 357 member stations, offers all Americans - from every walk of life - the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 115 million people on-air and online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.
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CONTACT:
Kevin Dando, PBS, 703/739-5073, kdando@pbs.org
Soizic Sacrez, impreMedia, 212-807-4611, soizic.sacrez@impremedia.com
www.pbs.org/pressroom