Rogers State University Public Television and the Tulsa Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications are teaming up to bring Houston-based broadcast journalist Ellen Susman to Claremore.
Susman, the host of the popular public television talk show “Balancing your Life with Ellen Susman,” will lead a special live call-in show at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, on RSU Public Television. The show will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 25.
Several local women will join Susman on the air to discuss women’s issues related to career development, balancing work and family, as well as the importance of community involvement. They also will take calls from viewers and questions from a live studio audience.
Also appearing on the show will be Melani Hamilton, director of communications for Family and Children’s Services and the chairman of the Tulsa Democratic Party’s first district; Cara Cowan Watts, a doctoral student in biosystems engineering at Oklahoma State University and a member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council; and Dr. Ondria Gleason, associate professor and interim chair and director of residency training in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa.
“I hope viewers take this opportunity to tune in to RSU Public Television and participate in a dialogue about women’s issues with Susman and her panel of successful local women,” said Dan Schiedel, general manager of RSU Public TV. “We are excited to have Ellen in our studio and consider this one of the many ways the station plans to engage the community this season.”
RSU Public Television’s partnership with the Tulsa Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications is just one example of the support the station receives from the community, Schiedel said.
“AWC is excited to be an underwriter for ‘Balancing Your Life With Ellen Susman’” said Nicole Nascenzi, chapter president. “We are happy to support public television, especially a show focused on issues important to our members.”
AWC is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to championing the advancement of women across all communications disciplines. More information about the organization is available by visiting www.awctulsa.org.
Schiedel said although the show will focus on issues important to women, men are encouraged to take part in the public discussion.
“We all have women in our lives and therefore women’s issues are really everyone’s issues,” he said.
Viewers may call 1-800-823-7210 with questions for Susman and the panel.
RSU Public Television can be found on UHF channel 35, Cox cable channel 19 and satellite channel 35. The station, based on RSU’s Claremore campus, reaches about 1.2 million people within a 75-mile radius of the campus and is Oklahoma’s only full-powered television station operated by a public university.
Each week “Balancing Your Life” airs at 9 p.m. on Thursdays and repeats at 7 a.m. Sundays. The show airs on nearly 80 stations nationwide and includes interviews with noteworthy women from across the country including tennis star Chris Evert, Former New York Times reporter Ann Crittenden and Nell Merlino, creator of “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.”
More information about the program and RSU Public Television is available by calling (800) 823-7210 or visiting www.rsupublictv.org.