“Legal Vices—One Year Later: A Community Dialogue” airs Monday, November 25 at 8 p.m. on WGBY
Springfield, Mass. (November 20, 2019) -- The pros and cons of gambling and recreational marijuana were debated with fierce intensity throughout the western Mass community for years. Roughly one year later, it’s an appropriate time to explore what has happened and where we go from here.
On Monday, November 25, at 8:00 p.m. tune to WGBY-TV for a community dialogue that will focus on the impact of the MGM Casino and legalized marijuana in western Mass. This community dialogue represents the first editorial collaboration for New England Public Media, the new alliance of WGBY-TV and New England Public Radio. The program will be moderated by WGBY Connecting Point host Carrie Saldo and NEPR reporter and All Things Considered host Adam Frenier.
Have projected financial benefits come to pass? How have various minority communities fared? Has the social fabric of our region changed? Have there been unforeseen consequences?
A panel of experts will discuss topics raised by the audience. Panelists include Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling; Dr. Rachel Volberg, Principal Investigator, Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts from the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences; State Rep. Bud Williams, Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies; Payton Shubrick, founder and CEO of Six Bricks, LLC; Steven Hoffman, Cannabis Control Commission Chairman; and Heather Warner, MPH, Collaborative for Educational Services Massachusetts . Connecting Point and NEPR contributors will be on hand to share insight from their own reporting.
“We remember there being so many viewpoints and predictions about how the MGM Casino and legalized marijuana would affect the region.” says Connecting Point Executive Producer Tony Dunne. “A year has passed, and questions remain. This primetime special is designed to deliver the facts and to provide a forum for sharing and discourse.”
“Legal Vices—One Year Later: A Community Dialogue” airs Monday, November 25 at 8 p.m. on WGBY. You can also livestream the broadcast at wgby.org/dialogue .
“The role of public media—to provide trustworthy, unbiased information—has never been more important,” says New England Public Media President Martin Miller. “With television, radio, and other media platforms New England Public Media connects the people of western New England with the ideas and policies directly affecting their lives. That’s what this community dialogue is all about.”
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, New England Public Media is the new alliance of NEPR and WGBY-TV. Through a deep commitment to independent local journalism, trusted educational content, inspired cultural offerings, and civic engagement, NEPM endeavors to share new voices and inspire new conversations. It provides audiences with a broad array of local and national programs across all media -- TV, radio, online, and mobile, including PBS and NPR programs as well as locally produced series, podcasts and specials. Its four digital TV channels, and two radio networks present news, jazz and classical music, documentaries, talk, drama, plus cultural and educational programming. New England Public Media is a community-supported, independent non-profit organization. nepm.org
ABOUT WGBY
With four digital television channels, video on demand, and streaming video, WGBY brings quality public broadcasting programs to audiences across western New England. WGBY is available over the air on digital channel 57-1 and on cable throughout western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut and can be seen in high definition in western Massachusetts at Comcast 857, Time Warner 1221, Spectrum 782, and over the air on channel 57.
ABOUT NEPR
NEPR's flagship signal, 88.5FM WFCR (and 5 repeating stations in Berkshire County), presents news, jazz, and classical music, while the six stations of the NEPR News Network provide the region with news, talk and cultural programming 24/7. NEPR.net offers three streams including an all-classical selection, NEPR-produced podcasts, and other digital offerings.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
WGBY-TV and New England Public Radio
413-735-6605
vcerillo@nepr.net
