WVTF will unveil a new civil discussion program, “Radio IQ’s Consider This,” on Friday, Sept. 3, at noon across its news and information stations and online.
The series will serve as a forum to bring together leaders with sometimes opposing perspectives to weigh in on critical social issues in order to find common ground.
The Sept. 3 debut program will explore police use of force – both in Virginia and nationally. Moderated by attorney and former state legislator William H. Fralin Jr., the guests include Maggie A. DeBoard, chief of police for Herndon, Virginia, and president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, and Claire Gastañaga, the recently retired executive director of the ACLU of Virginia. Additional data will be provided by Eric Charles, deputy chief of police in Roanoke, Virginia.
“Our show presents a new way of looking at the most explosive, divisive, and controversial issues facing our nation and our commonwealth,” Fralin said. “For too long, issue-oriented programming has used a format where guests have talked at, over, and around each other. Instead, what if we look for areas of agreement and seek to inform minds, while not necessarily changing them? We think a more informative and rewarding discussion will happen.”
In addition to its initial broadcast on Sept. 3, the program will be rebroadcast on Radio IQ stations on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. and will also available to stream on Radio IQ’s website. The program is being produced by Radio IQ, with video and graphics for the online version created by Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity and Technology (ICAT).
Radio IQ/WVTF General Manager Roger Duvall said that this project has been long in the works.
“It’s a natural extension of Radio IQ’s mission to foster civil discussion across Virginia about issues important to us all,” Duvall said. “Further, it leverages the high trust we have with our audience to fairly balance the discussion so our listeners and viewers can come away better-informed.”
Duvall lauded the contributions of all of the project’s partners, especially William Fralin and the ICAT team at Virginia Tech. Duvall said he envisions a series of these forums, which may expand to include events open to the public and conversations convened in cities across the state.
Rick Mattioni is the executive producer of the inaugural broadcast, joined by David Seidel, Radio IQ news director, and Sean Tubbs, contributing journalist. Virginia Tech’s ICAT team is led by director Ben Knapp, with David Franusich as head of production.
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