New York, NY – PIX11 announced today that it will air an exclusive two-hour forum with the leading candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Mayor of New York City on May 27, 8-10 PM ET. PIX11 will also host and air a live one-hour debate among the candidates for the Republican nomination for New York Mayor on June 3, 8-9 PM ET. All candidates are required to register voter support of 5% or more in PIX11’s May 17 candidate poll in order to participate.
Both events will air on PIX11 and stream at PIX11.com and on the PIX11 News app.
The candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination will be interviewed by PIX11 reporters Ayana Harry and Henry Rosoff at the PIX11 studios on May 26. Each candidate will be given 10 minutes to present their views on a wide range of important issues facing the city, including education, jobs, crime and housing. The following day, PIX11 anchor Dan Mannarino will present the unedited interviews in a two-hour live prime-time event. Local political experts will join Mr. Mannarino to provide in-depth analysis of the candidates’ positions and platforms. Exclusive digital elements regarding each candidate will supplement the broadcast and be available on PIX11.com.
The debate between the Republican candidates will be hosted at PIX11’s Manhattan studios and be broadcast live. Both candidates, Curtis Sliwa and Fernando Mateo, have agreed to participate. There will be no opening statements, but each candidate will be allowed thirty seconds to make a closing statement to make their case to New York City voters. Mr. Mannarino will moderate the discussion and be joined by Ms. Harry and Mr. Rosoff.
“New Yorkers are passionate about politics in general and city politics in particular,” said Chris McDonnell, Vice President and General Manager of Nexstar Media Inc.’s New York City broadcast and digital operations at PIX11. “We have a legacy of serving our viewers and the area’s voters with in-depth reporting on political affairs and providing them with the information they need to make informed choices when they cast their ballot. We are looking forward to presenting both of these important events in advance of the New York mayoral primary.”
The PIX11 Vital Voters’ Guide can be found on the television station’s website at pix11.com/newyorkelections and provides comprehensive coverage of the race for mayor, including an explanation of ranked-choice voting and other forum-related stories.
In addition, on forum day, PIX11 panelists will host a Facebook Live show previewing some of the event’s biggest news and moments. PIX11 viewers and followers can tune in to PIX11’s Facebook page, @pix11news – and can follow the page to be notified when the livestream begins.
Both high-profile events will be conducted under established social distancing guidelines. During the live debate both candidates will be stationed behind podiums placed at least six feet apart from each other and from the panelists.
The New York City Mayoral Primary will be held on June 22.
PIX11 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FORUM: MAY 27 8-10PM Share your thoughts on Twitter using #PIXMayoralForum
PIX11 REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE DEBATE: JUNE 3, 8-9PM Share your thoughts on Twitter using #PIXMayoralDebate
