WOWK-TV will host an exclusive live virtual Town Hall meeting, “Opening West Virginia,” featuring a cross-section of West Virginia’s federal, state, and local government and community leaders on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, at 7pm ET.
The Town Hall will include Governor Jim Justice (R), U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D), West Virginia Covid Czar Dr. Clay Marsh, West Virginia Medical Association President Dr. Sheri Young, West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee, West Virginia University Medicine President & CEO Dr. Albert Wright, West Virginia Nurses Association President Joyce Wilson, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce President Steve Roberts, House of Delegates member Erikka Storch (R-3), West Virginia University Economist John Deskins, owner of Thornhill Automotive Group Wally Thornhill, and President and CEO of the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce Michelle Rotellini.
Together they will explore a wide range of critical issues regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the state of West Virginia. Due to restrictions on large gatherings, a majority of the guests will remotely join the broadcast and livestream.
The second West Virginia COVID-19 special report will be hosted from the studios of WOWK-TV in Charleston, WV, and bring together more than one million viewers across West Virginia.
The live broadcast will be simulcast from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, and will air on WOWK-TV (CBS) in Charleston/Huntington, WV, WDVM-TV (IND) in Washington, DC/Hagerstown MD, WFXR-TV (FOX/CW) in Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA, WTRF-TV (NBC/ABC) in Wheeling, WV – Steubenville, OH, WVNS-TV (CBS/FOX) in Bluefield/Beckley, WV, and on WBOY-TV (NBC) in Clarksburg/Weston, WV.
Viewers are invited to submit questions via social media using the hashtag #WVRecovery. Preference will be given to those questions submitted on social media as videos rather than texts.
Viewers can also submit questions via email to news@wowktv.com.
The television broadcast will be hosted by WOWK-TV’s “West Virginia Tonight” anchor Mark Curtis. Local viewers may access a livestream of the Town Hall online by visiting the website of their local Nexstar television station (see table below for list of participating stations and station website links).
The Virtual Town Hall will open with an exclusive one-on-one interview with West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. Mr. Curtis will then talk to the other government, community and business leaders about the impact of COVID-19 on the state’s plan to reopen, business recovery, healthcare, education, and the future of the state’s tourism and business.
“West Virginia residents looking to hear about the impact of the pandemic, as well as express their questions and concerns regarding the re-opening of the state’s economy, can turn to Nexstar’s local television stations to provide them the latest news and be connected to their local government, community and business leaders,” said Tim Busch, President of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
“We are proud to have our local stations give viewers a forum across the entire state to connect directly to West Virginia’s legislative leaders about the re-opening process. We are grateful to everyone for their participation and for allowing Nexstar to serve as the host of this vitally important live event.”