For Immediate Release
December 22, 2008
Contact:
Stephen Grieco, Foundation and Marketing Director
sgrieco@blueridgepbs.org
540.344.0991 ext 1781
888.332.7788
Blue Ridge PBS to help unemployed with new show “JobQuest”
(Roanoke, Va.)—Blue Ridge PBS has developed a new television program called “JobQuest” to address the employment challenges facing those in the region who have lost their jobs during the national financial crisis. The monthly show, beginning Jan. 6, 2009 at 7 p.m., is a live, call-in program that will help people find employment through job opening highlights and job hunting insights.
“There are a lot of jobs out there. This is not a time for despair,” said James Baum, Blue Ridge PBS President and CEO. “This is a time for retooling, retraining and learning how to best use the many resources available to jobs seekers. ‘JobQuest’ will provide valuable information to people who need it most.”
The program will showcase job openings from The Roanoke Times’ online employment bank—jobs.roanoke.com, and provide viewers with helpful information about filing for unemployment insurance, hiring trends, job hunting on the Internet, job training and a variety of other topics. In addition to The Roanoke Times, “JobQuest” community partners include WDBJ7, Virginia Western & New River Community Colleges, Roanoke’s Economic Development Office, The Roanoke Regional Office of the Virginia Employment Commission, The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc.
"The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com are pleased to be a partner in the ‘JobQuest’ program as another means to assist job seekers in these tough economic times,” said Debbie Meade, president and publisher of The Roanoke Times-roanoke.com. “With jobs.roanoke.com as the region's leading jobs website, this partnership allows us another medium to serve our community. We appreciate the opportunity to offer jobs.roanoke.com and collaborate with Blue Ridge PBS and other local leaders to provide resources to help address the economic and employment issues facing our region."
“JobQuest” viewers from across the region will be encouraged to call in or email with questions. Many of these calls will be answered live, on air, by guest experts who can offer tips on applying for jobs. Other calls will be handled, off camera, by a phone bank staffed by employment professionals. Blue Ridge PBS will set up an online chatroom to field email questions. Human resources specialists, business representatives and other guests will also be in the Blue Ridge PBS studio to share their knowledge and expertise.
The national economic downturn is affecting the regional economy and the pocketbooks of average citizens all over Southwest Virginia. The number of unemployed is rising in many Blue Ridge PBS communities like Danville, Va., where the unemployment rate is nearly 10 percent. This is nearly double the rate from a year ago. “JobQuest” is a community service production developed to help people through these troubled times.
Visit www.blueridgepbs.org for more information and program schedules.
About Blue Ridge PBS
Blue Ridge PBS, founded in 1967, is the sole public multimedia enterprise serving 4 million individuals in portions of five states. The station’s 26,000 square-mile coverage area includes southwestern Virginia and bordering counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and North Carolina. As the region’s storyteller, Blue Ridge PBS offers outstanding informational, educational and cultural programming, along with an award-winning local production team devoted to regional issues and interests. Further, over 200,000 schoolchildren and their teachers benefit from the station’s education services that provide a safe, trusted environment for innovative on-air and online learning. Blue Ridge PBS is comprised of WBRA-TV/DT in Roanoke, WSBN-TV/DT in Norton, and WMSY-TV/DT in Marion, Va. www.blueridgepbs.org.
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