Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall What worked. What didn't. What's next.

A Special Live Two-Hour Multiplatform Broadcast Event to Air and Livestream on NJTV, THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and WHYY TV on Thursday, May 16,  8-10p.m.

Other regional media to simulcast, broadcast and livestream

Tickets available for live audience at Monmouth University

MONMOUTH COUNTY, N.J., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused $50 billion in damage, questions still remain regarding the region's infrastructure, its disaster response capabilities, and what the future holds. Seeking answers and conversation about the storm and recovery efforts, New Jersey and New York public television stations are teaming up to broadcast a special multi-platform live Town Hall event. Hosted by Mike Schneider, managing editor of the NJTV news program NJ Today with Mike Schneider, expert panelists will field questions before live studio audiences at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch, NJ, and the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in Manhattan next week.

Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall airs live on Thursday, May 16^th at 8:00 p.m. on NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, THIRTEEN in New York City, WLIW21 on Long Island, and WHYY TV in Philadelphia, in collaboration with media outlets WNYC at 93.9FM and AM820, New Jersey Public Radio, The Star-Ledger and NJ.com, NJ Spotlight, NJ News Commons and The New York Times.

Members of the community are invited to find out more about the Town Hall event, including how to be a part of the Monmouth University audience and where to submit questions for the broadcast panelists prior to and during the program on their local station site, SandyTownHall.org and via Twitter #sandytownhall.  SandyTownHall.org will also carry the livestream on May 16th.

Topics of discussion will include:  infrastructure: maintenance, parameters for the future and how New York and New Jersey's infrastructure compares to other regions; building codes in the post-Sandy era; the storm's environmental consequences: what can we fix, what may not be reparable; storm response: the effectiveness of Sandy response by FEMA, the government, the utility companies and the region overall; economic ramifications:  who is paying the debt the storm left behind, government funds versus constituent responsibilities, and looking to the future: the region's ability to plan ahead for extreme weather.

"This broadcast is the first of its kind for our stations and we are striving to give it the greatest footprint possible in our local communities," said NJTV's General Manager John Servidio. "Having weathered Sandy together, we know how critical it is to keep the conversation about the storm recovery going. What better way to do it than to pool all of our broadcast resources and collaborate with other area media partners to share this program with as much of the storm-affected region as possible."  

Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall guest panelists will include experts in an array of fields, from infrastructure and engineering to climatology and charities. 

The live program will also feature reporting from various locations across New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island. Lauren Wanko from NJ Today with Mike Schneider, MetroFocus' Rafael Pi Roman, and Long Island Business Report's Jim Paymar will revisit communities and individuals that they covered when the storm hit in November, continuing their in-depth reporting from the worst hit towns and cities. Other special reports will come from WHYY, The Star-Ledger and WNYC.

Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall is a production of NJTV, New Jersey's public television network.

The broadcast's Executive Producer is Sally Garner, an Emmy-award winning television producer who has formerly written and reported for major news outlets including CBS, CNN and public television in New York and Los Angeles. Senior Executive Producer is Diane Masciale, an Emmy Award-winning producer with over 20 years of experience as a senior level producer at ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX, PBS and AOL. Executives in Charge of Production are Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET, and John Servidio, General Manager of NJTV and WLIW21.

Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall is made possible by the New Jersey Recovery Fund at the Community Foundation of New Jersey, The General Contractors Association of New York, New York Building Congress and New York Building Foundation, Bernard and Irene Schwartz, New Jersey Manufacturers, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Tishman - an AECOM Company, STV and the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York.

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, 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. 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.

About NJTV

NJTV brings quality public television programs and resources to communities throughout New Jersey and its Tri-state neighbors, including acclaimed national PBS series like American Masters, Nature, Charlie Rose, and BBC World News America and state-focused news, arts and public affairs shows, including Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron, One-on-One with Steve Adubato, Tales of the Jersey Shore, Due Process and State of the Arts. The station's week-nightly news broadcast, NJ Today with Mike Schneider, features stories from across the Garden State. NJTV complements its growing news staff by partnering with state-wide media and higher education institutions. The network's website, http://www.njtvonline.org/ posts the latest local news, information and program schedules, and its Education section offers local educators free, classroom-ready, digital resources through VITALNJ.

NJTV is comprised of WNJN, WNJS, WNJB, and WNJT, which collectively broadcast throughout NJ. Formerly New Jersey Network (NJN), NJTV is operated under an agreement with the state of New Jersey by Public Media NJ, Inc. (PMNJ), a non-profit affiliate of WNET, parent company of award-winning New York public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21. Station sponsorships and partnerships are available.

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SOURCE WNET