WJLP, KJWP Offer OTA Debate To Candidates

PMCM TV, owner operator of MeTV affiliates WJLP New York/New Jersey and KJWP Wilmington, Del./Philadelphia, are offering each of the remaining Republican and Democrat presidential contenders an hour of primetime over the next two weeks to reach voters in four key primary races including New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut.

Robert Mc Allan, president-CEO of PMCM, said: “As longtime broadcasters, we take our public service commitment seriously and, in our minds, nothing is more serious than the upcoming primary elections in the markets we serve”.

Mc Allan went on to say his company is disappointed that the majority of long-form exposure given the candidates from both parties has been in the debates presented solely over cable and satellite, leaving nearly 1.5 million over-the-air households in the New York and Philadelphia markets literally in the dark as to a more detailed accounting regarding the policy positions taken by the candidates. “We aim to rectify that by offering each candidate up to an hour of prime time to run concurrently on both our stations prior to the upcoming primaries in four of the states under our coverage umbrella”.

The offer, according to Mc Allan, “is simple and straightforward”: Candidates may select either an hour or half-hour format. The programs will air in the 8 p.m. time slot on both stations starting on April 6, running through April 15 in anticipation of the primary in New York on April 19. The programs will be rebroadcast on both stations on Sunday, April 24, starting at 9 a.m. leading up to the primary contests in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut.

The programs will be hosted by Larry Mendte, PMCM’s director of public affairs and commentator, accompanied by a reporter from a major daily newspaper in each market. The programs will be taped in real time and will air regardless of participation of other candidates.

WJLP is licensed to New Jersey, broadcasting from 4 Times Square in New York City. KJWP is licensed to Wilmington, Del., broadcasting from the main television antenna farm in the heart of Philadelphia. Together, the two stations reach 10.5 million TV households in all or part of five states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. Viewers can also access the station’s programming in more than 9 million cable and satellite households.