Oregon Public Broadcasting Gubernatorial Debate: Oregon's Children, Everyone's Future

The two major candidates for Governor of Oregon will debate public policy issues specifically related to children and families in a live broadcast on the stations of Oregon Public Broadcasting Radio on Thursday, September 28 at 1pm. The debate, sponsored by OPB, Stand for Children, Children First for Oregon and the Children's Institute, will also air live on KLCC in Eugene and Jefferson Public Radio in Southern Oregon, thus assuring statewide coverage. OPB TV will broadcast the debate on Thursday, September 28 at 9pm and Sunday, October 1 at 1pm.

OPB's Christy George will moderate the exchange between Governor Ted Kulongoski, the Democratic nominee, and Ron Saxton, the Republican nominee. Subjects discussed will likely include child health and welfare, early childhood education as well as K-12 education, and state budget priorities for children and families.

After the program, people can watch the debate, find out how the minor party candidates answer the questions posed to Saxton and Kulongoski and discuss the issues online at the OPB Web site. There will also be links to background information specifically tailored to the debate subjects by the partner organizations.

USDA Awards Oregon Public Broadcasting $138,000 Grant to Provide Digital Broadcasting Services to Rural Residents

Oregon Public Broadcasting was awarded a $138,106 Rural Utility Service (RUS) grant by the Department of Agriculture to provide digital broadcasting services to Baker City and the Baker Valley and also support a pilot project using digital technology to improve educational services in the Baker City schools.

OPB currently operates an analog translator (K48DC) serving Baker City and will build a companion digital translator on channel 20. In addition, OPB will install datacasting equipment to receive needed educational content to all seven K-12 schools in rural Baker City, Oregon. The necessary components of this project should be in place with training and testing completed before the beginning of the 2007 school year.

This partnership with educators in Baker City and the RUS will assure digital services will thrive for years to come in the community and help deliver new and specialized content and training to students and teachers.

In addition to bringing digital television, including high-definition television, to the Baker City area, OPB will connect the area to a wide variety of resources including a considerable library of Oregon-specific content, connectivity to television facilities and resources within the State Capitol in Salem, the Oregon Health Sciences University medical facilities, the Portland Public Schools (the state's largest school district), and most of Oregon's public two- and four-year colleges in the Willamette Valley.

Up until 2002, OPB received support from state government to help operate its rural statewide television network. However, due to revenue shortfalls, that funding was eliminated, putting OPB's ability to maintain services to rural Oregon in serious jeopardy. This project will demonstrate the merit and efficacy of content delivery via DTV broadcasts to the rural regions of the state and be invaluable for building a rationale to request the restoration of the government funds necessary to replace and update the equipment needed to operate a new DTV statewide translator system (more than 40 need to be converted) to provide new and continuing services to rural Oregonians.