CHICAGO (July 23, 2018) — In anticipation of the midterm elections, Graham Media Group is committed to deliver more in-depth political coverage. With journalists covering gubernatorial and U.S. Senate and House races in Michigan, Florida, Texas and Virginia, Graham Media Group’s stations are positioned to report on local races that have national impact.
“There’s so much focus on the White House but governors and state legislators do much of the important public policy work in this country. It is our responsibility at the local level to cover local, state and federal elections actively and comprehensively across all platforms,” said Emily Barr, president and CEO.
Each station has committed to reporting the issues and the candidates expansively in the months leading up to the midterm elections.
KPRC (Houston, TX)
· KPRC will once again partner with the League of Women Voters on Election Day for an all-day voter phone bank to field calls in English and Spanish from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
· Click2Houston has created an Election Day Voting Guide, Special Coverage section on the home page and AP Interactive Delegate Tracker & Election Maps.
· Supersized in-depth reporting and analysis in newscasts and webcasts.
WDIV (Detroit, MI):
· Hosted the Republican Gubernatorial Debate with Michigan Republican Party on June 28 and the Democratic Gubernatorial Debate with the Michigan Democratic Party on July 19. Will also host a debate of the six Democratic candidates running to fill former U.S. Rep. John Conyers’ seat in Congress. The Democratic nominee will not face a Republican challenger in November’s general election.
· WDIV launched Your Soapbox, a citizen engagement project that delves into the policy, election and civility issues facing our community.
· 4 Minute Debates: Short head-to-head debates about ballot issues and policy.
· The station’s Sunday morning political talker “Flashpoint” will go into the primary election having hosted in-depth interviews with all three Democratic candidates and the four Republican candidates for governor, as well as the two Republicans vying to unseat Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow in November.
WKMG (Orlando, FL)
· The station dedicated 10 episodes of their Sunday “The Weekly” program to a variety of races and candidates including Florida governor, U.S. congressional seats and local mayoral, sheriff and school chair races.
· WKMG will host two voter registration event days from 6 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. to help viewers register to vote. There will be volunteers from the local election boards on hand to answer questions and sign people up on the spot. WKMG will also do a digital Q&A throughout Election Day to help our viewers better understand the process.
· On ClickOrlando.com, an online voter’s guide was created and regularly updated with new sample ballots, registration information for voters.
KSAT (San Antonio, TX):
· San Antonio is a hot spot for the border immigration battle and KSAT is tracking the political ramifications of the border story and how it plays into the election.
· Even before the primary, the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz (R) and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) is the most expensive in the nation and KSAT is covering the race with diligence as well as the U.S. congressional district 23 race between U.S. Rep Will Hurd (R) and Gina Ortiz Jones (D).
· The station is utilizing CNN RunningMate for additional coverage of races and political hot topics.
WJXT (Jacksonville, FL):
· In partnership with Jacksonville University, WJXT is hosting a Republican debate on August 8 and Democratic forum for the gubernatorial primary races on August 9.
· On “This Week in Jacksonville,” WJXT has been interviewing candidates in the statewide races for governor and attorney general.
· News4Jax.com is compiling a special voter’s guide section complete with a candidates’ questionnaire on virtually every state and local office in the DMA.
· WJXT is producing a one-hour election special the night before the general election in November.
WSLS (Roanoke, VA)
· Live streamed the highly contested U.S. Senate race between the incumbent and former V.P. candidate Tim Kaine and Republican challenger Corey Steward. On September 26, WSLS will air and stream the Chuck Todd moderated debate between the two candidates.
· WSLS.com is producing a special 2018 election page. This page will contain information on all races, candidate bios, and voter information to assist viewers with getting to the polls.
For nearly three decades, Graham Media Group has given candidates in high-interest races free airtime to speak directly and uninterrupted to candidates and that tradition will continue this fall after the primaries.
“Voting is important but educated voting is key and that’s where local media plays a huge role,” Barr added.