Long Island Business Report New Season Premiere, October 2, 2013 on WLIW21

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Oct 01, 2013, 01:03 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Long Island Business Report, the weekly half-hour program hosted by Emmy-award winning journalist Jim Paymar, returns with new interviews investigating business trends and developments on Long Island including the fast emerging film production industry, the growth of agribusiness on land and sea and the burgeoning wine industry that's gaining international acclaim.

The program will conduct a series of reports on the economic crisis confronting Long Island in the face of exploding pension obligations in Nassau and Suffolk counties as well as the towns, cities and villages.

Long Island Business Report explores how the pension crisis impacts schools, government and workers across the Island and hear from the experts on how to resolve the crisis.

Long Island Business Report's new weekly episodes premiere Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 7 p.m. on WLIW21. The half-hour programs will also air on Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and will be available to viewers online at www.wliw.org/libr after the broadcast.

Taped at the Madison Theater at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, Long Island Business Report provides an in-depth look at how business, government and academia working together can make Long Island a more dynamic place to live and work.

Below are brief overviews of each new episode.

Episode 201: Long Island's Film Industry
Wednesday, October 2, 7-7:30 p.m.

Hollywood is coming to Long Island. Many major motion pictures have been filmed in Nassau and Suffolk counties over the years, whether it's on location in a North Shore mansion or in one of the many new sound stages being developed. As more and more filmmakers are making their way onto Long Island to produce movies and to showcase their films, they're bringing with them thousands of jobs and a boost in revenue for the entire region. The guests are Michelle Isabelle-Stark, director, Suffolk County Office of Film and Cultural Affairs and Anne Chaisson, executive director of the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Episode 202: Agriculture on Long Island
Wednesday, October 9, 7-7:30 p.m.

Agriculture is a multi-billion dollar industry in New York State, and Suffolk County is the highest revenue producer with revenue reaching nearly $260 million in 2012. With over 600 farms and more than 35,000 acres of farmland, Long Island's agricultural industry generates a wide range of economic activity, from farm labor to agri-tourism. This episode of Long Island Business Report looks at the region's top-yielding harvests and examines the issues that farmers face today. The guests are Joe Gergela, executive director, Long Island Farm Bureau and Karen Rivara, owner, Aeros Cultured Oyster Company and president of the Long Island Farm Bureau.

Episode 203: Long Island Wine
Wednesday, October 16, 7-7:30 p.m.

Long Island's wine industry encompasses more than 50 wine producers spread across the East End's North and South Forks as well as some in western Suffolk County. The region produces 500,000 cases of wine and attracts 1.3 million tourists annually. While the first modern vineyard was established on Long Island only 40 years ago, today the region has become one of the nation's foremost places to produce and drink wine. The guests are Ron Goerler, owner of Jamesport Vineyards and president of the Long Island Wine Council and Anthony Sannino, owner of Sannino Bella Vita Vineyards.

Episode 204: The Pension Debate: An Overview for Long Island
Wednesday, October 23, 7-7:30 p.m.

As cities and states across the nation grapple with debts, fueled in part by lack of funding for public employee pensions, Long Island Business Report takes a look at the situation here on Long Island. Richard Ravitch, former lieutenant governor of New York and co-chair of the State Budget Crisis Tax Force and Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University explore the economic and political factors that have endangered New York's public pension system, one of the largest in the country.

Episode 205: The Pension Debate: Obligations, Shortcomings and Reform
Wednesday, October 30, 7-7:30 p.m.

Public employee pensions have emerged as a major issue in New York, which operates the third largest pension plan in the United States. Long Island Business Report takes an in-depth look at how public pensions affect Long Island taxpayers, employers and workers. Steve Levy, executive director of the Center for Cost Effective Government and former Suffolk County executive and Nick LaMorte, Long Island region president of the Civil Service Employees Association, debate the workers' interests and those of local government as it pertains to public employee pensions.

Episode 206: The Pension Debate: Public Pensions and Long Island's Schools
Wednesday, November 6, 7-7:30 p.m.

Long Islanders want the best and brightest educators for their children, but it is a challenge to recruit and retain teachers without the guarantee of a secure retirement. As a part of a broader exploration into the issue of pension reform, Long Island Business Report examines the impact of pension funding on Long Island's education system. Henry L. Grishman, Superintendent of the Jericho School District is joined by Tim Southerton, board member of the New York State Retirement System to discuss the critical importance of finding solutions to the pension debate in order to maintain the high quality of Long Island's schools.

Long Island Business Report is a production of Paymar Communications Group and WLIW21 in association with WNET.

WNET is the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York's public television stations and operator of NJTV. For 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local documentaries and other programs for the New York community.

WLIW21 and Long Island Business Report can be seen across all of Long Island, New York City and Westchester County and also in southern Connecticut eastern New Jersey.

Long Island Business Report Executive Producer and anchor is Jim Paymar. Producer is Ally Gimbel. Associate Producer is Liz Muentes. Executive-In-Charge of Production is John Servidio.

About WNET
In 2013, WNET is celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS Weekend NewsHour, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.