Monday, January 23, 2012
 Press Releases on the NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times Debate 		 BACK

PRESS RELEASES from NBC News

NBC NEWS STATEMENT ON REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

TAMPA, Fla. -- January 21, 2012 -- NBC News Senior Vice President of Specials Mark Lukasiewicz today issued the following statement regarding the status of Monday’s presidential primary debate:

"All four qualifying Republican presidential candidates have confirmed their attendance for Monday's NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times debate. Florida has often been the stage for history in politics -- we look forward to hosting a substantive and stimulating forum for the candidates to make their case to the voters in this crucial state and the whole country."

The NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times Republican Candidates Debate, in association with the Florida Council of 100, will take place on Monday, January 23 at 9:00pm ET at the University of South Florida. The debate will be moderated by NBC's Brian Williams and will include a panel with National Journal’s Beth Reinhard and the Tampa Bay Times’ Adam Smith.

This will be the first weekday primetime airing of a primary debate on a broadcast network in the 2012 election cycle. The event will air live on the NBC television network at 9pm ET / 8pm CT and on the west coast at 9pm PT, and will also stream live on nbcpolitics.com, nationaljournal.com, and tampabay.com. Telemundo will broadcast the debate in its entirety with simultaneous Spanish-language translation.

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BRIAN WILLIAMS TO MODERATE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN DEBATE ON NBC
NBC NEWS, NATIONAL JOURNAL, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, AND FLORIDA COUNCIL OF 100 DEBATE TO TAKE PLACE MONDAY, JANUARY 23 AT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

DEBATE WILL AIR IN PRIMETIME ON NBC BROADCAST NETWORK

NEW YORK – October 24, 2011 – NBC News, National Journal, The St. Petersburg Times, and the Florida Council of 100 today confirmed new details for their previously announced Republican presidential primary debate.

The jointly sponsored debate, first announced in April, will be held on Monday, January 23rd at the University of South Florida in Tampa and will air live on NBC. Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” and “Rock Center,” will moderate the debate along with a panel of representatives from National Journal and the St. Petersburg Times.

This will be the first weekday primetime airing of a primary debate on a broadcast network in the 2012 election cycle. The event will also stream live on msnbc.com, nationaljournal.com, and tampabay.com. Telemundo will broadcast the debate in its entirety with simultaneous Spanish-language translation.

This will be the third primary debate hosted by NBC News and the second NBC debate to air on the broadcast network. The NBC News Facebook Debate on “Meet the Press,” moderated by David Gregory, will take place the Sunday before the New Hampshire primary and air as a special edition of “Meet the Press.”

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NBC NEWS, NATIONAL JOURNAL, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, AND FLORIDA COUNCIL OF 100 REPUBLICAN DEBATE SET FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012
DEBATE DATE SET ON EVE OF FLORIDA PRIMARY

NEW YORK – September 30, 2011 – NBC News, National Journal, The St. Petersburg Times, and the Florida Council of 100 today announced that their Republican presidential primary debate will take place on Monday, January 30, 2012. The event will fall on the eve of the Florida primary, which state officials today declared will be January 31.

The jointly sponsored debate, first announced in April, will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. It is the first time that presidential primary candidates will debate in the arena where one of them will return to accept the nomination.

This historic event will be broadcast in Tampa by WFLA and statewide on other NBC stations as well as air nationally on MSNBC and stream on msnbc.com.

Read the original debate partnership announcement HERE.

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NBC NEWS, NATIONAL JOURNAL, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, AND FLORIDA COUNCIL OF 100 TO CO-HOST 2012 REPUBLICAN DEBATE AT ST. PETE TIMES FORUM

NEW YORK -- April 11, 2011 -- NBC News, National Journal, The St. Petersburg Times, and the Florida Council of 100 announced today that they will co-sponsor a Republican presidential primary debate early next year. It will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. It is the first time that presidential primary candidates will debate in the arena where one of them will return to accept the nomination.

This is expected to be the first major debate following the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. It will be broadcast nationally, underscoring the critical importance of Florida in the 2012 election. The state has played a decisive role in recent primary and general election campaigns.

"Florida will be at the center of next year's presidential election, and this is the state where national issues like the economy and health care loom especially large," said Paul Tash, Times Chairman and CEO. "Our debate will be a telling preview of the presidential campaign and the Republican convention, right back here at the St. Pete Times Forum."

The Times, the largest newspaper in the Southeast, has sponsored debates for national, state and local offices since 1994. In 1998, the Times and NBC News produced back-to-back debates for the U.S. Senate and Florida governor, moderated by the late "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert.

NBC News has been a leading source of global news and information for more than 75 years, first on radio, and today via broadcast and cable television, the Internet, radio and cell phones. Operating around the clock with bureaus in key cities in the U.S. and overseas, NBC News provides immediate coverage and in-depth reporting of major events to a worldwide audience.

"Florida has played a pivotal role in every presidential election of the past century and could very well be the stage for history again in 2012," said Steve Capus, President of NBC News. "Each partner in this debate brings a unique set of tools and expertise that will all combine to present a substantive and stimulating dialogue to the voters of the state and the whole country."

The Florida Council of 100, the first of its kind in the United States, is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of key Florida business and civic leaders.

“The 2012 election will be a turning point for our state and nation,” said Council Chair Steven Halverson. “Floridians’ economic well-being and quality of life are at stake, and the Council is privileged to play a part in the discussion of vital issues that we ourselves have been addressing for the past 50 years.”

National Journal is co-sponsoring its first-ever debate, said Ron Fournier, National Journal’s editor-in-chief, “because we believe there are few missions more important in journalism than helping Americans choose their leaders. Like its media partners NBC News and the St. Petersburg Times, National Journal is committed to making this an important debate about the politics and policy that may change the course of this country.”

National Journal is a respected, Washington D.C.-based digital and print news organization with a well-established reputation for non-partisan reporting and analysis. It is considered to be a premier source for 360-degree insight on politics and policy in the nation’s capital.

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