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ETV Holds Auditions for High School Students To Be Part of Live "Ready to Vote" Program

For Immediate Release
September 9, 2008

Columbia, SC… The dramatic rise in the number of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 during this year's primaries has been much talked about by the media. Whether using their X-Boxes to register to vote or checking out a candidate's Facebook or MySpace page, it seems that this highly-prized group is becoming more and more politically engaged--and they are ready to speak up.

ETV wants to hear what they have to say, and is looking for high school students who are passionate about politics to be a part of its upcoming program, "The Big Picture Presents: Ready to Vote 2008." The broadcast will feature soon-to-be-first-time voters from all over South Carolina discussing some of the top issues facing our nation from their unique perspectives.

High school juniors and seniors who would like to be a part of the show can audition between 3-5 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the ETV Telecommunications Center, 1101 George Rogers Blvd. in Columbia

Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the ETV Upstate studios, 800 University Way in Spartanburg, in the Media building on the USC-Upstate campus

Friday, Sept. 19 at the ETV Sumter studios, 18 North Harvin Street in Sumter. There is ample free parking to the side of the building

Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the ETV Carolinas studios, 452 S. Anderson Rd. in Rock Hill, in the new Science & Technology building on the York Tech campus

Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the ETV Lowcountry studios, 925 Ribaut Road in Beaufort, on the campus of the Technical College of the Lowcountry

Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Florence District 3 Technology Center, 140 Westover St., in Lake City

During the audition, each student should be prepared to talk about at least one issue occurring during this election cycle that is important to them. In order to participate in the show students must be available to come to the ETV studio where they auditioned, or to their nearest ETV studio on Thursday, October 9 from 12-2 p.m. Students who have questions about the auditions can call producer Betsy Newman at (803) 737-3466.

The initial broadcast, which will feature all five ETV studios, will air LIVE on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 1-2 p.m., but only in schools around the state, allowing thousands of other students to interact and participate in the discussion by voting on the issues via text message. A re-broadcast of the program will air statewide on ETV on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. and can also be streamed at ETV's Ready to Vote Web site (www.readytovote.org).

What's more, Craig Melvin, the former WIS anchor, will be returning from his new post at the NBC affiliate in Washington, DC, to host the show. No stranger to ETV's youth outreach initiative "Ready to Vote," Melvin also hosted a similar program for ETV back in 2004.

ETV's Ready to Vote initiative teaches students about the importance of voting and encourages them to become involved in the political process. The Big Picture is ETV’s weekly news show with a focus on vital issues in South Carolina. The Big Picture Presents: Ready to Vote 2008 will be the first time these two programs have collaborated.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.