Houston, TX – KPRC Channel 2, Telemundo Houston, and the League of Women Voters of Houston will host “Decision 2015: Houston Mayoral Debate” on Friday, October 16 at 7 p.m.
The live event happening just three days before the start of early voting will be held at Houston Baptist University’s Linda and Archie Dunham Theater located in the Joella and Stuart Morris Cultural Arts Center at 7502 Fondren Road, Houston, TX 77074. It will be carried live on KPRC2, Click2Houston.com and TelemundoHouston.com.
The two top-rated television partners as well as the League of Women Voters of Houston Education Fund and HBU’s Department of Law & Society are collaborating to help Houstonians become better informed about the candidates running for mayor in November.
The seven leading candidates, Chris Bell, Stephen Costello, Adrian Garcia, Ben Hall, Bill King, Marty McVey and Sylvester Turner, have committed to take part.
The debate will be hosted by KPRC Channel 2 anchor Bill Balleza and Telemundo Houston anchor Paulina Sodi. Balleza has been at the helm of many big events for KPRC for more than 35 years and anchors KPRC Channel 2 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., & 10 p.m. Sodi has 15 years of journalism experience and anchors Telemundo Houston’s News at 4:30pm, 5 p.m., and 10 p.m.
Candidates will field questions from four panelists, including “Houston Newsmakers” host Khambrel Marshall and Telemundo Houston anchor Martín Berlanga as well as League of Women Voters members Reda Hicks and John Gorczynski. Some of the questions will come from audience members who submitted them upon registering to attend the debate.
Spanish-language viewers will be able to watch the debate online at TelemundoHouston.com and via the Telemundo Houston mobile app, which is free and available for download on iTunes and Google Play stores.
Admission is free but audience members must register online at:
http://lwvhouston.org/election-info/debates-and-forums/
The doors of HBU’s Dunham Theater will open to ticketed audience members at 6 p.m. The doors will close at 6:45 p.m. in order to prepare for the live broadcast.
“With so much at stake in our city and so many candidates to choose from, KPRC Channel 2 knows it is critical we give Houston voters a chance to learn about the people running for Houston’s highest office,” said Jerry Martin, KPRC2’s General Manager “Due to our strong partnership with Telemundo Houston and the League of Women Voters of Houston, this mayoral debate will benefit even more voters whose decision on Election Day will ultimately shape the future of our great city.”
“It is vital that Houston’s Spanish-speaking community be fully informed about the issues that are at stake as Houston, our country’s fourth-largest city, prepares to elect its next Mayor,” said Tony Canales, President and General Manager, Telemundo Houston. “Telemundo Houston is proud to provide Spanish-language viewers with a livestream of the Mayoral debate on TelemundoHouston.com and on our digital app, to ensure that our viewers are tuning in to get the information they need and in the language they prefer – while they are on-the-go – before they exercise their right to vote next week through early voting.”
“Since 1920, the League of Women Voters of Houston Education Fund has offered our community a full menu of reliable, non-partisan voter services, encouraging everyone to participate fully in civic life. We provide candidate forums, voter registration, voter information, programs exploring important public policy issues, and our popular ‘Voters Guide to the Election and the Candidates,” said Aimee Turney, League of Women Voters of Houston President. “Our partnership with KPRC Channel 2 and Telemundo Houston is an important part of this outreach.”
To follow along on social media, use the hashtags #Decision2015 and #VoteHOU.
About KPRC Channel 2
KPRC Channel 2 is the NBC affiliate for Houston, TX. The station is owned by the Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC) and is one of five Graham Media Group television stations along with WDIV Detroit, WKMG Orlando, KSAT San Antonio and WJXT Jacksonville. KPRC has long been an innovator as the first television station in Houston and the 12th in the nation. KPRC was the first in Houston to broadcast in color and the station that beamed Neil Armstrong’s famous words “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” across the world. KPRC’s innovative spirit continues to this day through communications advances and community partnerships. Other KPRC properties include Click2Houston.com and THIStv.
About Telemundo 47 Houston
Telemundo 47 / KTMD is Telemundo’s local television station serving the Spanish-speaking community in Houston, the fourth largest Hispanic market in the country. Telemundo Houston has served the local community for more than 25 years, broadcasting the market’s first-ever Spanish-language television newscast. Today, the station produces and airs approximately 10 hours of local news and information programming, offering viewers the most up-to-date local news, weather, sports and entertainment headlines through a variety of platforms, including online at TelemundoHouston.com and via mobile and social media channels. Telemundo Houston is the Spanish-language television home of both the Houston Texans and the Houston Dynamo, and the Spanish-language television sponsor of the world’s largest rodeo, Rodeo Houston.