Next Edition Of MetroFocus Airs October 23 And 25, 2012 On WLIW21 And THIRTEEN

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Oct 17, 2012, 05:32 ET

John Mollenkopf, Joseph Stiglitz, Ruth Browne, Salman Rushie and Marty Appel guest on the multiplatform news magazine to discuss the city's changing demographics, income inequalities, how salons and barbershops relay wellness tips, living under a fatwa, and the Yankees' past and present, respectively.

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- What will it take to become the next mayor of New York City? The answer will be revealed when MetroFocus airs Tuesday, October 23 at 10:30 p.m. on WLIW21, Thursday, October 25 at 8:30p.m. on THIRTEEN, and Thursday, October 25 at 10:00 p.m. on NJTV.

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After broadcast, the program will be available to national audiences on metrofocus.org with integrated online stories and extended conversations with headliners making an impact in New York and beyond.

Hosted by Rafael Pi Roman, the latest episode of MetroFocus explores five stories ranging from politics to sports. Featured interviews include John Mollenkopf, CUNY Graduate Center's director of the Center for Urban Research; Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize winner in economics and Columbia University professor; Ruth Browne, CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute; author Salman Rushdie; and former Yankees PR director and author Marty Appel.

The segments are as follows:

After the Presidential Election Day, New Yorkers will shift their attention to the city's mayoral race. John Mollenkopf of the CUNY Mapping Service at the Center for Urban Research analyzes spatial data including the number of registered voters within the city's evolving immigrant communities to handicap the mayoral race. The Center's interactive maps reveal surprising findings that could affect how the candidates run their campaigns.
Income disparity is among the most contentious talking point in the 2012 Presidential campaign. Nobel-laureate Joseph Stiglitz, author of the current bestseller, "The Price of Inequality," breaks down class warfare and its rippling effect on America's political future. He explains where we're headed as the income gap widens between rich and poor and the middle class become worse and worse off.
Recognizing the need for health awareness in medically underserved ethnic communities, the Arthur Ashe Institute, headed by Ruth Browne, started a program to empower and educate salon and barbershop owners to be health advocates to their clients in lower-income Brooklyn neighborhoods. As Browne tells host Rafael Pi Roman, "If you think about it, if someone is six inches from your ear, why can't they impart a life-saving message?"
"Literature is a life and death matter," wrote Salman Rushdie in Joseph Anton: A Memoir, titled after his alias during his years in hiding from Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa issued against him for his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses. Rushdie discussed his journey to New York and how the city embraced him during his dark decade. This segment is excerpted from the inaugural Live from NYPL talk this season.
In Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss, author Marty Appel (the Yankees PR director in the 1970s) takes us behind the dugout for a closer look at some of the folklore and little known history surrounding the sports team perhaps best known for its winning streaks. From Yogi Berra ("A beloved American figure – I think everybody just smiles and feels good when they hear his name," says Appel) to Derek Jeter, MetroFocus takes a look at Yankees legends.

MetroFocus is a production of WLIW21 in association with WNET, parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21. For 50 years, THIRTEEN has been making the most of the rich resources and passionate people of New York and the world, reaching millions of people with on-air and online programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites students of all ages to have fun while learning.

MetroFocus is made possible by James and Merryl Tisch, Cheryl and Philip Milstein Family, Jody and John Arnhold, and The Nissan Foundation. Corporate funding is provided by Mutual of America.

About MetroFocus
MetroFocus is a multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. The MetroFocus television program features interviews, in-depth reporting, content from many partners and solutions-oriented reports from the community. Major areas of coverage include sustainability, education, science and technology, the environment, transportation, poverty and underserved communities. MetroFocus.org amplifies that reporting with daily updates and original stories that also cover culture, government and politics, the economy, urban development and other news in the metropolitan region. More information at: thirteen.org/metrofocus/about-us-faq/

About WNET
In 2012, 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 the 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, Need to Know, 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.