The E.W. Scripps Co. is launching Democracy 2008, a public discourse initiative that will make free airtime available to political candidates on the company's nine network-affiliated television stations. They are: ABC affiliates WXYZ Detroit; WCPO Cincinnati; WEWS Cleveland; WFTS Tampa, Fla.; WMAR Baltimore; and KNXV Phoenix; and NBC affiliates WPTV West Palm Beach, Fla.; KSHB Kansas City, Mo.; and KJRH Tulsa, Okla.

The Scripps stations will provide five minutes of free airtime to candidates nightly between 5 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. in the 30 days preceding the general elections. The stations also will provide free airtime as needed during the 30 days preceding primary elections.

The Scripps television station had a similar free airtime policy during the national elections in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

"Democracy 2008 was developed in support of our responsibility as journalists and broadcasters to promote public discourse and a strong democracy," said Bill Peterson, senior vice president for the Scripps Television Station Group. "This initiative will concentrate on bringing individual citizens and groups of citizens into an active dialogue with candidates."

The key elements of Democracy 2008:

• Scripps stations will provide a minimum of five minutes of free airtime to candidates daily between 5 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. in the 30 days preceding the general elections. The stations will also provide free airtime as needed during the 30 days preceding primary elections. The free airtime will be offered to candidates in a variety of formats including debates, extended interviews, issue statements or responses to citizens' inquiries.
  
  
• Internet sites operated by Scripps television stations will feature election-related content labeled, "Democracy 2008," that will include candidate positions on issues, voter registration information, information on the offices being sought and descriptions of political jurisdictional boundaries. Links to candidate Web sites will be included when available.
  
  
• "Get out the vote" public service announcements will be given priority clearance in each station's public service inventory during the 30-day period prior to a primary and general election.
  
  
• Scripps stations will concentrate editorially on exploring key local issues during each of the 30 days leading up to the general election. News coverage will be developed through an interactive process with local citizens and citizen groups.
  
  
• Each Scripps station will concentrate on reviewing the context and accuracy of political advertisements.
  
  
• Scripps stations will pursue special programming such as town meetings and debates during the 30 days leading up to the general election.

Making free airtime available to political candidates was one of the primary recommendations made in 2000 by the President's Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters.

The Scripps television stations are concentrated in the top 40 U.S. markets and reach about 10 percent of the nation's television households.