Digital Series SOCAL MATTERS Keeps Voters Informed of Regional Issues with Two-Minute Video Updates Covering Vital Election Content from Southern California Plus, PBSSocal.org’s Digital Hub Features Additional Election-Related Content, Local Events and 10 All-New National Programs Leading Up to the Election From FRONTLINE, INDEPENDENT LENS, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and More!
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS station, announced today a robust slate of all-new, digital and on-air content for Southern California viewers leading up to election day on Nov. 5, including the new documentary VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024 produced by Quiet Pictures in collaboration with Latino Public Broadcasting and ITVS in association with PBS SoCal. The multiplatform initiative examines the priorities of a politically diverse Latino electorate in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024 premieres Tues., Oct. 22 at 10:00 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal, PBS.org, and YouTube with a special early release of the documentary on Wed., Oct. 2 on the PBS app.
The core component of VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024 is a one-hour documentary focusing on the key issues that will drive Latino voter turnout in some of the most hotly contested battleground states, including Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as well as the states of California and Florida which have large Latino populations. Directed/produced by Bernardo Ruiz as a follow up to his 2020 documentary, and produced by Andres Cediel along with Marcia Robiou, the film also delves into the efforts both political parties are making to reach the Latino electorate in California, the state with the largest Hispanic/Latino population in the country. In addition to the one-hour documentary film, ten digital shorts will focus on the experiences of young, first-time Latino voters and will roll out on the PBS app throughout the month of October.
SOCAL MATTERS. Like past election years, PBS SoCal has created a digital voter resource hub at pbssocal.org/vote2024 highlighting the local issues that Southern California voters care most about. Two-minute video updates from SOCAL MATTERS promise to cover a wide range of topics important to voters including the pros and cons of local propositions and measures on the ballot, similar to the organization’s previous award-winning explainer video series “Props in a Minute.” Produced in collaboration with CalMatters, the non-partisan newsroom, SOCAL MATTERS will be broadcast as part of a weekday afternoon news line-up every weeknight on PBS SoCal (5:58 p.m. PT) and every weeknight on PBS SoCal’s broadcast channel, PBS SoCal Plus (5:28 p.m. PT and 5:58 p.m. PT and 10:58 p.m. PT). Episodes of SOCAL MATTERS are also published online on PBS SoCal’s website as well as on PBS SoCal’s YouTube and the free PBS App (weekly compilation videos).
NEWS. With over 11 hours of national and international news each day on PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus, including award-winning news programs PBS News Hour, NHK Newsline, DW News, BBC News America and France 24, coverage of the 2024 election will continue as part of PBS SoCal’s mission to deliver trusted, unbiased coverage of local, national and international news. From PBS programs like Frontline, Washington Week with The Atlantic and Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, viewers can expect quality, range and depth of news coverage that provides a wider scope of information, insight and understanding in a world seemingly beset by rising bigotry and extremism. As the nation’s most trusted news source and leader in journalism, PBS is able to cover elections with a nonpartisan and unbiased approach as PBS SoCal will offer both on-air and online LIVE, up to the minute coverage of the election returns with the PBS News Hour team on Tues., Nov. 5 beginning at 3 p.m. PT.
MORE ELECTION CONTENT FROM PBS. Over 10 new PBS programs are coming to audiences across America leading up to the election, providing viewers a chance to educate themselves on the election issues most critical to them. Highlights include the PBS News Hour special CROSSROADS: A Conversation with America hosted by Judy Woodruff and INDEPENDENT LENS: One Person, One Vote?, a documentary that unveils the complexities of the Electoral College. FRONTLINE has announced three specials in the election runup, kicking off with “The Choice 2024 — Harris vs. Trump” investigating the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency.
Other offerings include DEADLOCK: An Election Story, Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The American Vice President and the limited 4-part series, CITIZEN NATION.
LOCAL EVENTS. In collaboration with LAist, a non-profit, member-supported source for stories authentic to LA, PBS SoCal will be hosting an in-person screening of the new documentary VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024 produced by Quiet Pictures in collaboration with Latino Public Broadcasting and ITVS in association with PBS SoCal, on Thurs., Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at The Crawford (474 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105). The screening will be FREE and open to the public and followed by a panel discussion moderated by LAist reporter Caitlin Hernández. For more information and to get tickets for the in-person screening, please visit: https://laist.com/events/voces-screening
And with tensions in the Middle East and religious freedoms being hot topics this election season, the World Channel documentary series THE GOOD ROAD looks at stories of resilience and survival in its fifth season debut. A local screening event will take place on Thurs., 10/24 from 7-9 p.m. at the Travis Auditorium at the Fuller Theological Seminary (135 North Oakland Avenue, Pasadena CA 91101). For more information, please visit: https://brehmcenter.org/events/special-screening-of-pbs-socals-the-good-road-season-5-episode-1-religious-freedom
Additional election content will air as follows (subject to change*):
“Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover” – Available to stream on PBS.org, the PBS app, and YouTube. New!
In this one-hour documentary, Margaret Hoover embarks on a journey to explore voting systems across the United States. She examines methods to increase voter confidence and sheds light on states that face challenges in their vote count processes as the 2024 election approaches.
“DEADLOCK: An Election Story” – Available to stream on PBS.org, the PBS app, and YouTube. New!
Join Aaron Tang of UC Davis School of Law as he guides a panel of thought leaders through complex, ethical dilemmas based on real-life scenarios. The special encourages civil dialogue and critical thinking in an era dominated by polarizing debates.
“CROSSROADS: A Conversation with America” – Mon., Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
In a PBS News Hour special, Judy Woodruff traces the roots of our divisions, exploring recent American political history including how partisan divisions became more personal, and the impact it’s having on the country’s ability to deal with real challenges.
“FRONTLINE The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump” – Tues., Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. and Mon., Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
FRONTLINE investigates the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America.
“INDEPENDENT LENS: One Person, One Vote?” – Mon., Sept. 30 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
At a time when many Americans question democratic institutions, this film unveils the complexities of the Electoral College, the uniquely American and often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president. The documentary follows four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the intense 2020 election.
“AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The American Vice President” – Tues., Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, when a grief-stricken and then scandal-plagued America was forced to clarify the role of the vice president, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh and surprising perspective on succession in the executive branch.
FRONTLINE “The VP Choice: Vance vs. Walz” – Tues., Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. and Mon., Nov. 4 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
Investigating the lives and views of JD Vance and Tim Walz as they run for vice president. In an historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal the influences and ideas they’d bring to the White House.
CITIZEN NATION – Fri., Oct. 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
The four-part program is an inspiring coming-of-age story that follows teenagers from across the U.S. with diverse personal and political backgrounds.
“VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024” – Tues., Oct. 22 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
Examine the priorities of a politically diverse Latino electorate in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. The one-hour documentary focuses on the key issues that will drive Latino voter turnout in some of the most hotly contested battleground states, including Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as well as the states of California and Florida which have large Latino populations.
“VOCES: Our Texas, Our Vote”– Mon., Oct. 28 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
On the eve of the upcoming presidential election, acclaimed filmmaker Hector Galan takes viewers inside the largest Latino voter registration mobilization in Texas history, led by a new generation on the frontlines of one of the most crucial battleground states that neither political party can ignore.
FRONTLINE “American Voices 2024″– Tues., Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal New!
Following the changing views and experiences of Americans from the 2020 election to today, the filmmakers return to voters filmed four years ago, to see how their hopes and fears have changed amid another polarizing election season.
Join the conversation on social media by following @pbssocal, @voces and tagging @pbs.
About VOCES
Produced by Latino Public Broadcasting, the acclaimed PBS documentary series VOCES features the best of Latino arts, culture and history and shines a light on current issues that impact Latino Americans. Devoted to exploring the rich diversity of the Latino experience, VOCES presents new and established filmmakers and brings their powerful and illuminating stories to a national audience — on TV, online and on the PBS app. Luis Ortiz is series producer; Sandie Viquez Pedlow is executive producer. Funding for VOCES is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS. Follow us on Facebook and X.
VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024 is funded by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Ford Foundation. VOCES: LATINO VOTE 2024 is a Quiet Pictures co-production with Latino Public Broadcasting and ITVS in association with PBS SoCal.
About Latino Public Broadcasting
Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) is the leader in the development, production, acquisition and distribution of film and digital cultural media that is representative of Latino people or addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans. These programs are produced for dissemination to public broadcasting stations and other public media entities. Providing a voice for the diverse Latino community throughout the United States, Latino Public Broadcasting is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. LPB also produces the acclaimed PBS documentary series VOCES, exploring the rich diversity of the Latino experience. VOCES presents new and established filmmakers and brings their powerful and illuminating stories to a national audience — on TV, online and on the PBS app.
Between 2009 and 2023, LPB programs won over 135 awards, including three prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards as well as Emmys, Imagen Awards and the Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Director, Documentary. LPB has been the recipient of the Norman Lear Legacy Award and the NCLR Alma Award for Special Achievement – Year in Documentaries. Sandie Viquez Pedlow is executive director of LPB; Edward James Olmos is co-founder and chairman.
About PBS SOCAL
PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal manages 7 channels — including 2 primary broadcast channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus as well as 5 digital subchannels. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal is reaches nearly 19M viewers in the region with programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal programming is available to viewers over-the-air, on all key streaming platforms via the free PBS App and PBS KIDS App. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.
Media Contact
Allison Gray, PBS SoCal, 747.201.5298, [email protected], pbssocal.org/vote2024
SOURCE PBS SoCal
