The PBS affiliate in the Lehigh Valley is PBS Channel 39 WLVT which reaches 6.5 million potential viewers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Policy Studies formed a partnership with PBS39 to produce complete coverage of the 2012 US national elections. The partnership expanded with Lafayette Lens, a half-hour series covering issues of global importance. In Spring 2017, Policy Studies produced a new show named Open for Debate, also in collaboration with PBS39.
Open for Debate is produced by Lafayette students in collaboration with Lafayette faculty, PBS39 Executive Producer Laura McHugh, and other broadcasting professionals at PBS39. The mission of Open for Debate is to address complex and important issues at the intersection of business, technology, and public policy. It explores these issues from the perspective of the next generation of global leaders.
Lafayette College students explore new gene editing technology called CRISPR-cas9. About 50 students from multiple majors were involved in the production of Open for Debate, which was led by Professors Mark and Nicole Crain's courses in policy studies and economics.
The student-run two-hour live broadcast from Farinon College Center covered all of the US national elections and aired on PBS39. Students from multiple majors delivered the results and provided up to the minute analysis and commentary. The broadcast also featured video essays, short segments about politics and policy from the perspectives of first time voters.
The Lafayette Lens public affairs series was produced between 2013 and 2016. The six editions of Lafayette Lens covered the following topics:
Spring 2016
“Understanding Autism”
Spring 2015
“The Value of Pii,” An Exploration of Cybersecurity
“If I Leave,” An In-depth Examination of Latin American Immigration
Spring 2014
“New Technology”
Fall 2013
“First Globals: What’s Different about the Millennial Generation”
“Additive Manufacturing: The Third Industrial Revolution”
Spring 2013
“The Cyber Craze”
“The Shale Age”
The Spring 2016 edition of Lafayette Lens, entitled “Understanding Autism,” examines this daunting developmental disorder, which is diagnosed in one in sixty-eight children in the US. What are the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), how are they diagnosed, and what treatments, therapies, and support services are available? Hear the answers from medical experts, scientists, policy makers, educators, and people with ASD and their families. This broadcast aired on PBS39 on May 3, and is archived on the PBS39 YouTube Channel.