Thursday, September 27, 9:00 p.m. ET

These two live presidential forums, airing in primetime and moderated by Tavis Smiley, host of TAVIS SMILEY, PBS' late-night talk show, kick off an ambitious line-up of content on multiple platforms for PBS Election 2008.

The Republican presidential forum was held Thursday, September 27, 2007, at 9 p.m. ET, at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Candidates who appeared at the Republican Forum include Senator Sam Brownback, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Congressman Duncan Hunter, Ambassador Alan Keyes, Congressman Ron Paul and Congressman Tom Tancredo. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Senator John McCain, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Senator Fred Thompson have thus far declined the invitation.

The programs mark the first time that a panel composed exclusively of journalists of color will be represented in a primetime presidential forum. The candidates will be asked about issues ranging from healthcare and housing to Katrina relief, the economy and the environment, among others outlined in Smiley's #1 The New York Times best-seller, The Covenant With Black America.

The Democratic presidential forum was held Thursday, June 28, 2007, at 9 p.m. ET, at Howard University in Washington, DC. Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson participated.