Fall PBS Series to Take In-Depth Look at Presidential Politics and the Issues

In an effort to provide comprehensive coverage of the 1988 presidential campaign, the Public Broadcasting Service is planning a six-week prime-time series this fall.

“There’s a general sense within public television that the horse-race aspect of the election is well-covered by the commercial networks, but that viewers also need to know more about the presidency and the issues,” said Stephen Atlas, executive producer for public affairs at WGBH-TV in Boston.

He and Ricki Green, vice president for news and public affairs at WETA in Washington, are the coordinating producers for PBS’ election-year programming.

Atlas said the campaign series will premiere around Labor Day in a Monday night time slot to be determined. He said it will focus on “in-depth analysis, background and perspective,” rather than on news reporting and on-the-spot election coverage.

Plans call for the series to culminate in what Atlas described as “a two-hour, election-eve extravaganza,” drawing together virtually all PBS’ talent in one place for a last-minute look at the election.

Atlas said the series evolved from a two-day gathering of about 60 people, including PBS executives, station managers, program producers, journalists and other invited specialists, which was held in February at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass.

Meanwhile, WNET-TV in New York also is planning a daily political series for PBS this fall, to be hosted by Bill Moyers. The series, to run from Sept. 5 to Nov. 11, is described as an effort to provide viewpoints not frequently heard on TV during the campaign, ranging from historians and philosophers to ordinary citizens.