Del.ico.us Links for 2007-02-01

From Maury Sullivan, could not find contact email:

Special Session, a KLRU Weekly Statewide Public Affairs Show Hosted by Emmy
Award-Winning Filmmaker Paul Stekler, Returns for Second Season

Austin, Texas ‹ KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, in association with Midnight Films,
announces the return of the statewide series, Special Session, hosted by
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and University of Texas Radio-Television-Film
Professor Paul Stekler. The series debuts at Sunday, February 4, at 11 a.m.
on Texas PBS stations (check local listings).

Each week, journalists, politicos and other notable Texans take on the
issues and politics confronting this year¹s 80th session of the Texas
Legislature in this Lone Star Emmy-nominated half-hour series. Special
Session will air on PBS stations in Amarillo, Austin, College Station,
Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio and Waco. In
Austin, Special Session will air Sundays at 11 a.m. on KLRU and Wednesdays
at 9:30 p.m. on KLRU2.

Produced in Austin, Special Session will interweave documentary and
discussion to stay one step ahead of the legislation destined to affect our
lives long after the legislators head home. The first month¹s programs will
feature a look back at the late Gov. Ann Richards (including a short
documentary using never-seen-before footage), former state Comptroller John
Sharp looking back on the school finance plan he helped pass last year, and
the impact of human service cuts across Texas.

³Getting the chance to cover a session of the Texas Legislature again, in a
series like Special Session, is a political junkie¹s dream,² said Stekler
whose credits include ³Last Man Standing² and ³George Wallace: Settin¹ the
Woods on Fire.² ³We get to cover issues in-depth, travel around Texas, talk
to some of the most interesting political observers in the state, and keep
current, with a show to air every week for the duration of the session. It¹s
also a real challenge, something very different than producing long form
documentaries.²

Special Session is one of several locally produced, award winning programs
that KLRU airs. ³KLRU is really excited to be able to work again with Paul
and his team of nationally recognized filmmakers to create a show about one
of the most interesting political arenas in the country,² said Bill
Stotesbery, CEO and General Manager of KLRU.

Each week Special Session will tackle one of the state¹s most pressing
issues. The show will also feature a look at the media, Lobby and those who
make the Legislature work from Stekler¹s unique perspective.

For more information about Special Session, visit klru.org/specialsession.
Each episode will be available for video-streaming at that site after its
broadcast.

Special Session is a production of KLRU in association with Midnight Films.
Funding for Special Session is provided in part by the Bernard and Audre
Rapoport Foundation, Public Strategies Inc., The Meredith Family Foundation
and the Nowlin Family Fund at the Austin Community Foundation. Additional
support is provided by Garrett and Cecilia Boone.
ABOUT Special Session Production Team:

Paul Stekler (Host/Executive Producer) has produced many of PBS¹s most
honored documentaries on American politics including ³George Wallace:
Settin¹ the Woods on Fire² (Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film
Festival), ³Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style,² ³Vote for Me:
Politics in America,² and ³Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics.² His films
have won numerous Emmys, Peabodys, and DuPont-Columbia Journalism Awards.
Dr. Stekler is also the Director of the LBJ School¹s new Center on Politics
and Governance.

Diane Zander (Series Producer) is an Emmy Award winner for her work on the
Chicago PBS documentary Moving Stories. She makes documentaries while
teaching media production at the University of Texas at Austin. Her latest
documentary, ³Girl Wrestler,² was broadcast nationally on PBS¹s ³Independent
Lens.² A summa cum laude graduate of Northwestern University, she received
her MFA in film and video production at the University of Texas.

Megan Field (Series Producer) most recently did independent producing and
research for ³Frontline¹s The Choice,² while also working on a film on the
Bush family for German ARD-TV, which aired in France, Germany, Austria and
Switzerland. Megan was the associate producer and assistant editor on ³Last
Man Standing.² Previously, she served two years as the Co-Conference
Director of the Austin Film Festival. She is a graduate of the
Radio-Television-Film program at the University of Texas.

Sandra Guardado (Series Editor) won an Emmy for her work on ³George Wallace:
Settin¹ the Woods on Fire.² She was the Editor and Co-Producer on ³Last Man
Standing: Politics, Texas Style.² She is also an editor on a new series
entitled State of Tomorrow about higher education and innovation set to air
statewide in Texas starting in February.

Deborah Eve Lewis (Series Cinematographer) has shoot all of Paul Stekler¹s
recent films, including ³Last Man Standing² and ³Spit Farther!.² Their next
project is a feature length documentary about the late Governor Ann
Richards. Her last narrative feature, ³Afraid of Everything,² premiered at
the Sundance Film Festival.

About KLRU

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, reflects, celebrates and inspires Central Texas through
creative excellence,community engagement and lifelong learning. Although
primarily a television station providing locally produced and quality
national programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to
build a stronger community through educational workshops, community outreach
projects and public events. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.

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