Can We Talk? Third Rail with OZY Launches September 2017

BOSTON, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Carlos Watson, Emmy® Award-winning journalist and Editor in Chief of OZY.com, will host a new, prime-time, cross-platform debate program, Third Rail with OZY.  Co-produced by WGBH Boston's Studio Six and OZY Media, and made possible with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and The Pew Charitable Trusts, this seven-part series will broadcast and stream Fridays at 8:30pm ET, starting September 8, 2017 (check local listings).

Intriguing, unexpected and enlightening, Third Rail with OZY promises to present new voices and valuable dialogue for the digital age. In a fresh addition to the PBS line-up, Watson will frame each week's half-hour show around a single, provocative question. Expert and celebrity guests will debate it in the studio each Friday, moderated by Watson, and informed by the weeklong social media conversation leading up to it. The series' underlying query in this contentious age is: can dialogue–informed by data–alter people's points of view?

"Third Rail with OZY will be sharp, smart, and–we hope–fun.  WGBH's partnership with OZY Media creates a rare and important opportunity for Americans to really listen to each other, and engage with a diverse range of viewpoints for a new type of conversation," says Denise DiIanni, series creator and Senior Executive in Charge for WGBH.

"After the success of Point Taken in 2016, we are excited to welcome Carlos Watson back to PBS stations this fall. Carlos brings a unique combination of smarts and razor-sharp wit to his role as host and moderator, exploring a range of topics that are timely and relevant to the concerns of the American public," said Marie Nelson, Vice President, News and Public Affairs, PBS.  "While there are many issues that divide our country, there is often common ground to be found. We are proud to continue to serve as a platform for spirited and civil discussion."

Online and social media voting will be used to assess outcomes of each week's debate. Viewpoints posted on Facebook and Twitter, and on PBS.org, will be integrated and displayed as part of the program. To frame and inform the televised and digital discourse, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion will conduct advance, exclusive national surveys on each of Third Rail's featured questions. The Conversation US, a media outlet aggregating academic and research content, will be an editorial collaborator.

"Third Rail with OZY will be an arena for open and honest conversations about provocative topics, offering a variety of viewpoints and spirited debate on some of the most critical issues facing our society today," explains Carlos Watson, OZY.com Editor in Chief and host of Third Rail with OZY. "Now more than ever it is important we bring these conversations out of the shadows and into the light, offering people perspective and an opportunity to make their voices heard."

Share your POV:  
PBS.org/ThirdRail 
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Third Rail with OZY is a co-production of Studio Six at WGBH Boston and OZY Media. Host: Carlos Watson. Executive in Charge: Denise DiIanni. Executive Producers: Eugenia Harvey and Cameo George. Funding is provided by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

About WGBH Boston 
WGBH Boston is one of America's preeminent public broadcasters and the largest producer of PBS broadcast and digital content, including Frontline, NOVA, American Experience, Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, as well as other children's, primetime, and lifestyle series. WGBH also is a major supplier of programming for public radio, and a leader in educational multimedia for the classroom, supplying content to PBS LearningMedia, a free national broadband service for teachers and students. WGBH is a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to those with hearing or visual impairments. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. More information at wgbh.org.

About OZY Media 
With 25 million monthly unique users and 2 million subscribers, OZY brings readers "the new and the next," offering 100% original content, with a focus on the future, via unique OZY News, OZY Magazine, OZY TV and OZY Events products. Called "the new media magnet for the news hungry" by Fortune magazine, OZY's in-depth and high-quality journalism has attracted a number of high-profile media partners including The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, TED, The Financial Times, The Huffington Post and many more, as well as guest editors including Bill Gates, President Bill Clinton, and Prime Minister Tony Blair.  Founded in 2013 by Emmy award winning journalist Carlos Watson and co-founder Samir Rao, the OZY team is based in Mountain View, CA and backed by leading Silicon Valley investors including Laurene Powell Jobs, Ron Conway, David Drummond, Larry Sonsini and Dan Rosensweig and a significant investment from publishing giant Axel Springer.

About PBS 
PBS, with 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 100 million people through television and nearly 33 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. pbs.org/pressroom

About CPB 
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit CPB.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook,  and LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates.