All Eight Democratic Presidential Candidates To Participate

HDNet’s Dan Rather to Host Evening

NPR’s Michele Norris and PBS’s Ray Suarez To Moderate Forum

DALLAS (November 15, 2007) – HDNet, the nation’s leading high-definition television network, announced today that it will present a live, national broadcast of the sixth Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum. The Forum is the nation’s only presidential forum in which all candidates have the opportunity to answer essential concerns of African-Americans and Latinos.

The two hour-long forum will begin at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, December 1. It will be moderated by Michele Norris, host of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” and Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for PBS’s “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.”

Panel members will be Dr. Juan Andrade Jr., President of US Hispanic Leadership Institute; Angel F. Gonzalez Irizarry, Vice Chair for State of Iowa’s Commission of Latino Affairs, Adrien K. Wing, Professor of Law, University of Iowa; and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Hip Hop Summit Action Network President and CEO.

All eight democratic presidential candidates have confirmed their participation in the Forum, which will be presented for the first time in high-definition.

This Forum will be one of the last debates before Iowa voters head to caucus on January 3.

HDNet’s live coverage will begin at 7:30 pm ET (4:30 pm PT) with a preview show hosted by Dan Rather, Global Correspondent for HDNet’s “Dan Rather Reports.” Rather will also host a half-hour live post-Forum recap at 10:00 pm ET.

The coverage will also feature Iowa State Representative Wayne Ford and Mary Campos, co-chairs and founders of the Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum.

HDNet is proud to be the exclusive national broadcast partner for the Iowa Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum,” said Mark Cuban, president and co-founder of HDNet. “At HDNet, we are always looking to break new ground and expand our programming, and we hope that our live coverage of this debate will draw greater attention to important issues of concern to minority group members.

As the oldest minority-focused forum for presidential candidates, we are pleased to have this year’s event carried exclusively by HDNet,” said Ford, who is an Iowa State Representative (D-Des Moines) and the founder of Urban Dreams, a non-profit community organization offering programs to inner city residents of Des Moines. “We hope that our efforts, with the support of HDNet, will engage even more minority voters in this presidential election.

The broadcast will be simulcast on Mediacom’s ‘Connections’ channel in Iowa and surrounding states.