PBS
and impreMedia to Live Stream Spanish Language Version of Sotomayor
Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
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 Opinión'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 Opinión in Los Angeles and El Diario La Prensa
in New York. For more information, visit: http://www.impremedia.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.
Contact
information:
Kevin Dando, PBS, 703-739-5073, kdando@pbs.org
Soizic
Sacrez, impreMedia, 212-807-4611, soizic.sacrez@impremedia.com
