Michigan Government Television
A public affairs initiative of Michiganís cable industry.
111 S. Capitol Ave.
4th Floor, Romney Bldg.
Lansing, MI 48909

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Trevarthen
April 12, 2000 (517) 373-4250

Special Live MGTV Forum
Will Focus on Michigan's
Historic Civil War Flags Collection

Program Will Include Student Participation
And Highlight MGTV's Education Outreach

(Lansing, Michigan)óMichigan Government Television will offer a special two-hour live MGTV Forum dealing with Michigan's historic Civil War battle flags. The program, which will air Monday, April 17th from noon to 2:00 p.m., is part of a recently launched effort to take MGTV's programming and resources into Michigan's classrooms. (See separate attached release on MGTV's education outreach.)

Joining host Bill Trevarthen will be flags expert Kerry Chartkoff, chair, Capitol Battle Flags Task Force; David Finney, nationally-noted Civil War scholar and teacher; and David Downing, president of the 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Two Michigan classes will join the panel via compressed video in the second hour of the program. From Genesee County, the students of (teacher's name) class at (school name) will participate, and students from the Byron Center High School social studies class of teacher Randy Cotts will also interact with the panelists.

Michigan's Civil War Battle Flags are the focus of a curriculum package developed by Michigan Government Television as part of the network's education outreach efforts. "The flags were an ideal subject for our first curriculum package," said MGTV executive director Bill Trevarthen. "Not only are the flags one of the most popular features on tours of the Capitol, but also they tie nicely into MGTV's mission. Michigan's Capitol, which is, after all, the center of state government, was built, in part, to house those flags. And the flags were also installed in the Capitol building to lobby the legislature on behalf of Michigan's Civil War veterans.

"The flags provide a nice point of departure for a discussion of the legislature, lobbying, and the function of the Capitol as a public forum," Trevarthen added.

MGTV, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation, is a public affairs initiative of Michiganís cable television industry.

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