FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                    January 31, 2008

NEW COUNCIL TV SHOW TO BEGIN AIRING TOMORROW IN CARY

CARY , NC – In its continuing effort to help citizens stay informed about and involved with their local government, the Town of Cary is launching Cary Matters, a monthly program featuring Town Council members talking about issues important to citizens.  The first episode of Cary Matters airs Friday, February 1 at 12:30 p.m. on Cary TV 11 (Time Warner Cable channel 11 in Western Wake County ) and will run during that time slot every day of the month. The 15-minute show will also immediately follow broadcasts of Town Council, Council Committee, and Planning and Zoning Board meetings.  Those without access to Time Warner Cable can watch the show online by going to the Cary TV 11 section of www.townofcary.org.

Each episode of Cary Matters will feature two Council members:  either the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem joined by a rotating Council member co-host.  The duo will discuss the month’s “big story” and then move to questions the Council has received during the past month from citizens.  Each episode ends with a “coming up” segment that gives citizens the back story on upcoming work sessions and initiatives.  The inaugural show discusses water as the big story and answers questions about school reassignment and the proposed aquatics center; this month’s work session topics include mixed use development and the boards and commissions appointment process.

“We’re pleased to be able to further engage our citizens by bringing this innovative show to our community,” said Public Information Officer Susan Moran.  Moran pointed out that this may be the only show of its kind currently offered by a Triangle local government.

The idea for a Council television show came from Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and was unanimously approved by the Council at its December 13, 2007 meeting.  Cary Matters is a production of Cary TV 11, the Town of Cary ’s government access channel.  The cost per episode is about $416.

To submit a question for Cary Matters or to provide the Town Council with feedback about the show, email carymatters@townofcary.org.

Established in 1998 by the Cary Town Council, Cary TV 11 operates 24 hours a day and includes: live meetings of the Cary Town Council, Wake County Board of Education, and the Wake County Board of Commissioners; wink – live images from the Town’s 22 traffic cameras during weekday rush hours; live coverage of local election results from the Wake County Board of Elections; BUD-TV – a monthly news magazine based on the Town’s monthly newsletter;  NASA; and additional original programming from Wake County Government, Wake County Schools, the State of North Carolina, and the Town of Cary.

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