EAST LANSING, Mich. - As part of campus events marking the fall 2000 election season, Michigan State University will host a live broadcast of the popular MSNBC cable news program "Hardball with Chris Matthews."
The show will originate from the MSU Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Matthews' guest for the entire hour will be Arizona senator and former presidential candidate John McCain.
Audience members will have a chance to ask questions of both host and guest.
"We are extremely pleased that our students and the community at large will have the opportunity to be part of the national conversation on important election issues," says MSU President Peter McPherson. "Chris Matthews is one of the best political reporters in the business, and John McCain will have very interesting things to say about the tight presidential race."
Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. and all audience members must be seated by 4:30 p.m. A block of seating on the main floor will be reserved for students. Flash cameras, cell phones, beepers, signs, or posters will not be allowed in the Auditorium. Audience members are encouraged to wear green and white Spartan clothing.
All seats are general admission. Tickets are free, but they must be picked up in person in advance at the Wharton Center Box Office. They cannot be reserved by phone. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis from Thursday, Oct. 5, until noon on Thursday, Oct. 12. The Wharton Center Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
The MSU Auditorium is located at the intersection of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road.
This event is sponsored by the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and James Madison College.
Note to Media
Although there will be no formal credentialing process for this event, reporters are asked to call Kris Tetens, University Relations, at (517) 432-0921 before noon on Thursday, Oct. 12, to confirm their attendance.
Because this program is airing live to a national audience, reporters and photographers will not be admitted once the event has begun (5 p.m.) or allowed to leave until its conclusion (6 p.m.). We appreciate your understanding.
Still photographers are welcome and will be accommodated on stage during commercial breaks. No flash photography is permitted except during these breaks.
Movement throughout the MSU Auditorium will be restricted. Cell phones and pagers must be turned off.
Media access to Chris Matthews will be provided following the show. Senator McCain's availability has not yet been determined. Reporters will be notified of his availability when they arrive at the MSU Auditorium.
About Chris Matthews
In addition to hosting "Hardball," Chris Matthews has been Washington bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner and a nationally syndicated columnist since 1987.
Among the major news stories he has covered have been the historic peace referendum in Northern Ireland, the opening of the Berlin Wall, the first-ever South African election in which all races had the right to vote, and three U.S. presidential elections. In 1996, his National Archives research yielded a series of exclusive, highly publicized Examiner reports on the Nixon presidential tapes.
Matthews is the author of two best-selling books. "Hardball" (Harper Collins), a practical political handbook released in 1988, has become assigned reading at colleges and high schools throughout the country. "Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Post-War America" (Simon & Schuster 1996), chronicles the early friendship and rivalry between these two political giants. The A&E network produced a one-hour documentary based on the book.
Matthews learned politics as a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and long-time top aide to Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. A graduate of Holy Cross, Matthews did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina and served with the U.S. Peace Corps in Swaziland. Matthews is married to Kathleen Matthews, a news anchor for ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.
About John McCain
John McCain was first elected to represent the state of Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. He served two terms in the House before being elected to the Senate in 1985. He was re-elected to a third Senate term in November 1998.
McCain is chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and in that capacity has become a recognized leader on telecommunications and aviation issues.
McCain has received numerous awards from taxpayer and foreign policy organizations for his distinguished public service and conservative leadership. In 1997, he was named one of the "25 Most Influential People in America" by Time magazine.
The son and grandson of prominent Navy admirals, McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1958, McCain began a 22-year career as a naval aviator. In 1967, he was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner-of-war in Hanoi for five and a half years (1967-1973), much of it in solitary confinement. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981. McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
McCain tells what he learned about life and honor from his father and grandfather, both four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy, in his best-selling family memoir, "Faith of My Fathers." The book, detailing McCain's early life and military career, spent 24 weeks on the New York Times "Best Sellers" list.
McCain has seven children and four grandchildren. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Phoenix.