San Antonio Voters Ready for City's First Virtual-Interactive Town Hall Meeting
Twitters, bloggers, web videos, LIVE Online, On site audience to question 2009 Candidates for Mayor.
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) -- It has been less than 90 days since SA4Mayor.com
launched, but come Tuesday April 14, what first started as a Digital
Journalism project of the heart, will mark a historic moment in
community-driven journalism, and what is to be the Alamo City's first
online and on site LIVE Town Hall Meeting where the people of San
Antonio have the final word.
"Our goal is to open the door to everyone. We want to go beyond
traditional candidates forums, and complement the richest of local
media," says Patricio Espinoza, Emmy award winning journalist and
Founder-Managing Editor of SA4Mayor.com. "We have built an online 24/7
stage, they - the people - are coming, and now it is up to the
candidates to meet the challenge."
The Interactive Townhall is to be webCast LIVE Tuesday, April 14,
2009, 6:30-7:30pm CST. To reach the broadest audience possible,
SA4Mayor.com has teamed up with the Current, San Antonio's
award-winning alternative news-weekly. Both will carry the webCast on www.sa4mayor.com and www.sacurrent.com.
'The Current is proud to be a part of this grassroots effort to create
a forum for San Antonio's citizens to speak directly with their
candidates,' said Current Editor Elaine Wolff. "SA4Mayor.com has made
an impressive debut this election season, and we're looking forward to
partnering with them on future projects that put the power of the
internet to work for the people."
Top contenders
Julian Castro, Diane Cibrian, Trish DeBerry-Mejia, and Sheila McNeil
have confirmed their participation. In recent weeks several of the
campaigns have hosted their own blogging and twitter events. Following
the webCast, the town hall video will be available on-demand, in the
remaining days leading up to the election.
During the Town Hall Meeting, a live online and on site audience will
be asking the questions. SA4Mayor.com has also recruited the San
Antonio's Social Media Club membership to bring a greater number of Twitters, bloggers, and social media users. "It's Your Turn"
a series of SA4Mayor.com web video reports, connecting the candidates
for Mayor, and questions from San Antonio's voters will also be used.
"It is after all, Your Voice, Your Vote, Your Forum, to on elections
day pick Your Mayor... and everyone is invited," says Espinoza.
Self funded, SA4mayor.com is powered-by a local crew of experienced
news media professionals and volunteers including co-founders Kaye
Cruz, Ed Lozano and Jerry Gonzalez. "Many are journalists in transition
working for the greater good regardless of whether we get paid or not,"
says Espinoza, who has also been able to recruit NewTek,
a San Antonio based company, and one of the world's top technology
players in new media, winner of a 1993 Emmy for their invention of
desktop video.
"Technology plays a big part in what we do," said Patricio. Newtek is
the creator of the Tricaster. "It's a digital studio in a box that
allows our team to put out a broadcast quality, live online product
literally with a click of a mouse." 'NewTek is proving in-kind the one
thing that brings it all together.' AT&T Wireless has joined this
groundbreaking event, and will be powering wireless laptops. Cynthia
Muñoz of Muñoz Public Relations, MPR is also supporting the effort as
well as renowned Taco Taco Cafe, a family owned local restaurant, and attorney Magdalena Gonzalez.
San Antonio College, RTF Dept. Chair Markene Bennett is hosting the
Virtual-Interactive Townhall meeting at the school's state-of-the-art
RTVF facility.
"It is good to see our community come together, our volunteer crew,
our partners, and these local businesses share our vision and efforts
in the public interest, because local democracies and local Journalism
thrive with local support," concludes Espinoza.
© 2009 SA4Mayor.com | Follow Us: twitter.com/sa4mayor
CONTACTS: Cynthia Muñoz, MPR, 210.860.9633 cynthia(at)munozpublicrelations.com
NewTek TriCaster: Doug Wright, Giles Communications, 914-798-4115 dwright(at)giles.com
SA4Mayor.com, Marketing, Momenta Plus / ¡Claro Que Sí! Joe Flores, 210.573.7832 jaflores(at)satx.rr.com
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