8:05 a.m., May 13, 2009----The University of Delaware and Comcast have formed a groundbreaking partnership to co-produce “Comcast Local Edition,” an original programming series offering a platform for open discussions on political and community issues most pertinent to Delaware.

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Comcast Local Edition offers state and local leaders, prominent business professionals and not-for-profit organizations the opportunity to connect with viewers about important issues and events shaping the community. The interviews fit seamlessly into the CNN Headline News 30-minute rotation, airing daily at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour.

The partnership affords full use of the University's Media Services production staff and state-of-the-art studio centrally located in Newark. Comcast will coordinate guest appearances and promote the University's participation, activities and events.

"We are thrilled to enter into this partnership with Comcast to assist with production of their Local Edition series. We have the technical facilities and staff to provide Comcast with a high quality, cost-effective production solution in a centralized location,” said Carl Asti, director of University Media Services at the University of Delaware. “The partnership will bring many notable state and local leaders and business professionals to the University, and help generate awareness of all the great work being done here on campus."

“This partnership is representative of our long-standing commitment to provide quality local programming to our customers and the communities we serve,” said Kevin Broadhurst, Comcast director of government affairs. “The University has been a tremendous partner and we look forward to working together to keep Delaware communities up to date on the public policies and issues that impact them the most.”

The inaugural taping of Comcast Local Edition at the University took place on Friday, May 8, with The Comcast Network's Jill Horner serving as host. U.S. Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), Wilmington Mayor James Baker and Rep. Joe Sestak taped interviews along with more than 10 other guests.

Starting May 20, segments can be seen by Comcast customers throughout Delaware, as well as other areas including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

In 2007, Comcast opened a fully-upgraded Comcast Local Edition studio in Dover, Del., hosting Gov. Ruth Ann Minner and Attorney General Beau Biden as the inaugural interviews. Comcast's Dover studio has hosted hundreds of local and nationally renowned elected officials, organizations and other regional experts contributing to various Comcast programming initiatives including Comcast Local Edition, “Candidates On Demand,” and other public service efforts.

Tracing its heritage back to 1743, the University of Delaware is a state-assisted, privately controlled institution with an enrollment of more than 16,000 undergraduates, 3,500 graduate students and 1,000 professional and continuing study students. The University offers degrees in a broad range of disciplines across seven colleges, and is a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institution. The University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a research university with very high research activity -- a designation accorded fewer than 3 percent of U.S. colleges and universities.

Comcast Corporation is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's Eastern Division serves six million residential and business customers across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. The Eastern Division is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania and employs more than 20,000 people.

Article by Martin Mbugua

Photo by Doug Baker