The Next Mayor: Philadelphia after Ed Rendell
WHYY launches extensive coverage of Philadelphia mayoral race

WHYY has launched its most extensive election coverage ever -- during the 1999 mayoral campaign in Philadelphia on TV12, 91FM and the WHYY website.

The 10-month project, The Next Mayor: Philadelphia after Ed Rendell, will include a series of in-depth radio, television and Internet reports on the primary and general elections. WHYY's aim is to help voters understand issues confronting the city and the region, get to know the candidates beyond their stated positions on public policy, and help each voter evaluate the candidates' leadership ability.

TV12 and 91FM Election Coverage will include:

• Radio Times News Journal: will provide reports on the state of Philadelphia leading up to the primary election, on welfare reform and profiles of the six mayoral candidates.
• Citizen Forums: 91FM will visit six groups of citizens to develop a list of issues they believe the candidates should address.
• Candidate Portraits: In preparation for the May primary, 91FM will produce up-close looks at each of the mayoral hopefuls including their backgrounds, personal profiles and interviews with those who have known the candidates.
• More Candidate Portraits: Following the primary elections, TV12 and 91FM will take a closer look at the two finalists who will vie to become the mayor of Philadelphia in the general election.
• "Kitchen Table" Discussions: TV12 will conduct one-on-one or two-on-one interviews with the candidates in a comfortable setting with each of the six candidates. Not pictured above are John Street and Dwight Evans. These programs also will be broadcast on 91FM.
• All-Candidate Roundtable: Tuesday, May 11, 9 p.m. A deviation from the formal more rigid debate process, the Roundtable discussions allow the candidates an equal amount of time to speak. Information gathered at the Citizen Forums will provide the basis for discussion topics. These will be broadcast on TV12 and 91FM.
• 12 Tonight: Segments from March through November on TV12's half-hour news program from Delaware will use a serious, humorous, positive or negative tone to answer the question "Why should I care who becomes Philadelphia's next mayor?" (Also broadcast on 91FM).
• Rizzo: This fall, WHYY History Unit Producer Ed Cunningham presents a TV12 retrospective on former mayor Frank Rizzo. This no-holds-barred program will serve to put the 1999 mayor's race into perspective.

There will also be extensive coverage of the election on WHYY's special website, www.thenextmayor.com. The election Web site will include candidate profiles, their stances on the issues and news stories. And, a chat room will also be available for voters to discuss the candidates, issues and the state of the region. Look for the site to premiere in mid-April.