News Release

Virginia Beach, Virginia Jim Polk
October 1, 2004

FORMATION OF PROGRESSIVE WORLD NEWS

We are pleased to announce the formation of a brand new “news network”, Progressive World News (PWN). While the Internet and magazines are producing excellent news stories from a progressive viewpoint, the majority of people still prefer to get their information from the television and radio. Therefore, in order to help grow the ranks of progressives around our nation, we need to get accurate information to the masses.

PWN will begin the taping of a weekly, hour-long, television news show that will look through the lens from a progressive point of view. Each segment will examine regional, national and international news from that week; will produce one or two in-depth stories on important issues affecting us all; will highlight a social activist group or NGO doing good work; and will take the viewer inside those stories. While we will report the news objectively, we will also tackle head-on the source of any problems we uncover, be it corporate America, the government, traditional media, or our own bad habits as a nation. Think of it as a combination of the Daily Show, Bill Maher, and The Nation magazine.

The show is named, “Open For Debate,” and will air in late February in southeastern Virginia and northwestern North Carolina. We will be on cable, Dish Network, Direct-TV, and the airwaves. The show will also be broadcast on radio and on the web.

As the year progresses, we will expand to other areas of Virginia and North Carolina, and then along the east coast. There will be no “sacred cows.” We do not belong to any political party or any other news organization, and our funding will not rely solely on corporations. It will be cutting-edge, no holds barred journalism, going where nobody else is today. We are currently soliciting monetary contributions to help get the show off the ground, and are building our team to produce the show. We need your help.

PWN is putting a call out for staff for the show. We need researchers and writers from around the globe, hoping to have a core of 12-14 writers. We hope to have stories from around the world so our coverage can be fresh and comprehensive. We also need videographers and camera people to submit footage to go with these stories. In addition, we need: editorial staff, five commentators, marketing/fundraising staff, a Webmaster, attorney, accountant, and creative staff. We need people to: sell commercial airtime, do make-up, wardrobe, develop and market merchandise, satellite link-up, camera crew, and people to serve on the board of directors. We also need donations of equipment, such as: a teleprompter, computer with graphics capability, lighting, microphones, a shoulder mounted digital video camera for on location stories and furniture.

At the onset, we will rely on volunteer staff to get us off the ground and will pay what we can. It is our goal to pay staff a living wage after the first 3-4 episodes. How quickly we get there depends of how well we get this off the ground. There is NO progressive news show in this area of the country today; this is the time to make it happen.

If you want to be part of the future, contact us today. Time is a wasting. Please send your donations to: Progressive World News, PO Box 65053 Virginia Beach, VA 23467. If you have questions or want to become part of our progressive news team, contact Jim Polk at: jimpolk-AT-oddpost.com or call 757-630-2669.