TV BIZ - Global Journalist Daljit Dhaliwal Returns to PBS - May 2006

International journalist Daljit Dhaliwal will return to American public television on Tuesday, July 11, at 9 p.m. (ET) as the anchor of WIDE ANGLE, Thirteen/WNET New York's award-winning documentary series seen nationally on PBS. Photo credit: Joseph Sinnott/Thirteen/WNET New York

Saturday May 27, 2006

Returns to PBS as the Anchor of WIDE ANGLE; Season Five of Emmy Award-Winning International Documentary Series

Daljit Dhaliwal, the incisive international journalist who has anchored world news broadcasts on the BBC, ITN News and CNN, will return to American public television on Tuesday, July 11, at 9 p.m. (ET) as the anchor of WIDE ANGLE, Thirteen/WNET New York's award-winning documentary series seen nationally on PBS.

As anchor, Dhaliwal will introduce each weekly program and conduct post-film interviews with expert guests, providing viewers with context and critical perspective on how global issues connect to American concerns and U.S. foreign policy.

"I'm thrilled to return to WIDE ANGLE to host its fifth season," said Dhaliwal. "Since its inception the series has explored and anticipated global issues on a very human level, an approach that meets a crucial need in the American television landscape."

"We're delighted to welcome back Daljit Dhaliwal to WIDE ANGLE," said Stephen Segaller, series executive producer. "As WIDE ANGLE continues to tell vivid, human stories about conflict and crisis, courage and change, her years of experience as an international journalist will add nuanced depth and insight to our interviews, providing valuable context for WIDE ANGLE's viewers."

The move marks a return to the series and to PBS for Dhaliwal, who co-hosted WIDE ANGLE's inaugural season in 2002.

Long known to American television viewers from her years as anchor of ITN's World News for Public Television, Dhaliwal subsequently anchored CNN International's Your World Today, a daily, two-hour live news broadcast, as well as the weekend edition of CNN's World Report.

Most recently, she has appeared as guest host of several American news and interview programs, including public television's Charlie Rose and public radio's On the Media and The Brian Lehrer Show. She was also anchor of the BBC World News.

WIDE ANGLE, a production of Thirteen/WNET New York, launches its fifth season Tuesday, July 11, at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).

The series airs every Tuesday at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS stations nationwide. Among the early highlights of WIDE ANGLE's Season Five are 18 with a Bullet (July 11), a chilling portrait of six months in the life of El Salvador's notorious "18" gang;

Mixed Blessings (July 18), an exploration of Ireland's recent dramatic economic boom and cultural transformation; and Class of 2006 (July 25), which captures the graduation of Morocco's first class of female imams and their groundbreaking first weeks on the job.

The centerpiece of Season Five will be Back to School (September 5), the second installment of WIDE ANGLE's multi-year documentary project Time for School, which spotlights the global crisis in access to education by profiling children in seven countries - Afghanistan, Benin, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya, and Romania - from their first year in school through graduation in 2015.

Other stories in development for Season Five include a look at how multinational pharmaceutical companies are making India a testing ground for new drugs; and a new brand of Islamic entrepreneurs in Turkey, among others.

Major funding for WIDE ANGLE is provided by PBS, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, Bernard and Irene Schwartz, Ford Foundation and the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation. Additional funding for Time for School is provided by The Starr Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

WIDE ANGLE is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York for PBS. Stephen Segaller is executive producer. Pamela Hogan is series producer. Andy Halper is senior producer.

Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, and Cyberchase - as well as the work of Bill Moyers - to audiences nationwide in the USA.

As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York.

Thirteen extends the impact of its television productions with educational and community outreach projects - including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning in Spring 2006.

As broadcast and digital media converge, Thirteen is blazing trails in the creation of Web sites, enhanced television, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, educational software, and other cutting-edge media products. More information about Thirteen can be found at: www.thirteen.org.

(Business Wire)

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