JERRY M. GOWE
Local media have decided to launch a special Utah election project to draw citizens back into the political process.
Oct. 21-25, KBYU TV-Channel 11 will broadcast a special five-part series on elections this year in Utah, said Mark Phillips, election producer for KBYU.
Phillips said the series will contain five debates between political candidates.
“Dr. Magleby of the BYU Political Science department will be a moderator for the debates, including those for three congressional districts and the race for governor and attorney general,” Phillips said.
KBYU radio will air the political debates at a later time, and Phillips said a political guide has been developed and sent to high schools and other public places so that the public can decide who wins the debates based on selective criteria.
“You’ll be able to decide in your own mind who won,” Phillips said.
The goal is to have each local high school trim a series of questions down to one question to be asked from each school, Phillips said.
The election coverage has been an annual event in which KBYU participates, Phillips said. KBYU will also continue its tradition of covering the exit polls on election night.
Also involved in the debates, KUED TV-Channel 7 and KUER-FM 90 are teaming up to produce “Utah Election ’96: The Democracy Project” in an effort to put citizens and candidates at the center of Utah’s electoral process.
According to a press release from KUED, the old-style American town forums will return in a series of election year programs that bring candidates and members of the public face to face to discuss the complex issues challenging society.
According to the news release, in an eight-part series of hour-long programs airing on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., “The Democracy Project” will challenge candidates to go beyond the soundbites and discuss in-depth the critical issues shaping the state’s future.
“Many Americans today express frustration at campaign `soundbite’ rhetoric, racehorse polls, and an electoral process that puts pundits first and leaves ordinary citizens feeling like they have little impact,” says KUED General Manager Fred Esplin.
Mary Dickson, director of creative services with KUED, said that after seeing a lot of frustration in the public today with standby rhetoric and the whole electoral process, KUED decided to sponsor the project to help inform voters.
“You have ordinary people as voters feeling as though they don’t have much of an impact. We want to draw people back into the political process. That’s why we put together what we call the citizens’ panel,” Dickson said.
KUED used a Dan Jones poll to secure a cross section of Utah that adequately represents the state.
The citizens’ panel is comprised of eight Utahns who represent a range of ages, income levels, religious and political ideologies.
“We wanted a citizen panel that represented Utah so that people watching the show could feel like that was them,” Dickson said.
Dickson said the format will consist of meetings taped in the KUED station made to appear like the old American town forum. Doug Fabrizio, a local expert, acts as the moderator throughout the episodes.
Dickson also said the first program was meant to introduce viewers and listeners to the panel and the format of the shows. The remaining five programs will look at races for governor, attorney general and the three congressional districts.
“We’re focusing on the local scene. That’s why it’s called ‘Utah Election ’96,'” Dickson said.
Public Broadcasting Service is also sponsoring a number of special programs to focus on the democracy project for national issues, Dickson said.
KUED and KUER-FM 90 will simultaneously broadcast the following programs Tuesdays at 7 p.m.:
-Oct. 1 — State Attorney General’s race
-Oct. 8 — Utah Governor’s race
-Oct. 15 — First Congressional debate moderated at Weber State University
-Oct. 22 — Third Congressional debate taped at Snow College
-Oct. 29 — Second Congressional debate
Dickson said BYU students may be particularly interested in the Third Congressional debate to be broadcast Oct. 22. Students are invited to attend the actual taping of that debate Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Crane Theater at Snow College.
“Students in the audience will be the ones who can ask questions if they choose to,” Dickson said.
