Three Paramount-owned local television stations in California will broadcast a debate involving the state’s candidates for governor.
The debate is scheduled to take place at Pomona College on Tuesday, April 28 and will see the Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association partner with CBS News California, the name given to the three CBS-owned stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento.
The event will take place just five days before the state’s primary election, when voters will help narrow down the race for governor in California. Candidates will be selected based on certain polling thresholds, Paramount said in a statement.
“Our CBS stations serve California’s biggest markets, giving us a unique ability to bring this debate across the state,” Jennifer Mitchell, the President of CBS Television Stations, said in a statement. “Our trusted journalists have long covered politics across California and this forum combines their strong experience to guide an informed conversation for voters.”
The debate will be moderated by KCBS (Channel 2) anchor Pat Harvey, KPIX (Channel 5) anchor Ryan Yamamoto and KOVR (Channel 13) anchor Tony Lopez, as well as CBS News California investigative reporter Julie Watts and Pomona College politics professor Sarah Sadhwani.
“We look forward to bringing this timely and important event to Pomona, and continue to encourage everyone to engage in shaping the political life of our state and nation,” G. Gabrielle Starr, the President of Pomona College, said in a statement.
“Providing a nonpartisan forum where candidates can discuss the issues side by side helps ensure Californians have the information they need to make informed decisions,” said Sonny Mehrtash, the National President of APAPA.
The debate will air on KCBS, KPIX and KOVR, as well as CBS affiliates in Fresno (KGPE, Channel 42), San Diego (KFMB, Channel 8) and Santa Barbara (KEYT, Channel 3.2).
The event is the second such debate being produced by a local television broadcaster this month. Nexstar Media Group is also producing a debate that will air on Wednesday, April 22 across its TV stations in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento.
The Walt Disney Company’s ABC was scheduled to produce a debate in March, but the event was canceled at the last minute amid concerns over the criteria used to select eligible candidates.
