Univision Network & MacNeil/Lehrer Team Up To Air Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate.

The first Democratic presidential candidate debate of the post-Labor Day campaign season will air live from Albuquerque on PBS on Thursday, September 4, from 8pm to 9:30pm ET (check local listings). Univision Network will air the program completely in Spanish on Saturday, September 6, from 11am to 12:30pm ET/PT (10am to 11:30am Central/Mountain Time). This is the first in a series of six debates facilitated by the Democratic National Committee.

Co-produced by Univision Network and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, the 90-minute debate will take place at the University of New Mexico and will feature all nine of the currently announced Democratic presidential candidates: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, former Vermont governor Howard Dean, Senator John Edwards, Rep. Richard Gephardt, Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Kerry, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and Reverend Al Sharpton.

The debate will be co-moderated by Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS and Maria Elena Salinas, co-anchor of Univision Network’s national nightly newscast, “Noticiero Univision.” Suarez is a Washington-based correspondent responsible for conducting newsmaker interviews, studio discussions and serving as a backup anchor. Salinas is the most recognized Hispanic female journalist in the U.S.

New Mexico Governor and recently named permanent Chair of the 2004 Democratic National Convention Bill Richardson will co-host the event, along with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

A simultaneous SAP track will provide a complete, real-time Spanish translation of the English-language broadcast during PBS’s airing of the program. The program is a co-production of Univision Network and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. The PBS broadcast is funded by PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.