If you’re unable to catch the broadcast the entire program can be viewed online.

Civic Summit: 2012 U.S. Senate Forum from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

We also recorded a web-only Q&A with questions submitted from the audience.

Civic Summit: 2012 U.S. Senate Forum Audience Q&A from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

Participating environmental organizations include Austin EcoNetwork, Austin Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, Environment Texas, PODER, Save Barton Creek Association, Solar Austin, Texas Campaign for the Environment, and Texas Green Network.

channelAustin is Austin’s community television studio and digital media center. The forum will air live on channelAustin from 5-7 pm. Find out more at channelaustin.org

Leading Democratic candidates in the primary race for Texas governor convene for their first live debate on Monday, February 8, at 7 p.m. The Texas Debates: Race for Governor includes former Houston Mayor Bill White and Texas businessman Farouk Shami.

The Texas Debates will originate from the CBS-11/TXA-21 studios in Fort Worth. The debate will be moderated by CBS 11 News Anchor Karen Borta who will also take questions via social media. KUVN Univision 23 Reporter María Renée Barillas will host questions from voters in the live audience.  Questions will also be posed by panelists Shelley Kofler, KERA-FM and KERA-TV and Dave Montgomery of the Star-Telegram.

Republican candidates in the highly-anticipated Texas gubernatorial race will square off in The Texas Debates: Race for Governor on Thursday, January 14, at 7 p.m. The live debate broadcast to millions on television, radio and online throughout the state will include two-term Texas Governor Rick Perry, three-term U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Wharton County Republican Party chair Debra Medina.

The Texas Debates will originate from the Murchison Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton. The candidates will answer questions from a panel of North Texas journalists as well as members of the live audience which will include Republican voters from Denton and Tarrant counties.

The Austin American-Statesman, KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, and KUT 90.5 are hosting a citywide forum featuring all five mayoral candidates at 7 p.m., April 15 in KLRU’s Austin City Limits Studio.

The two-hour forum — the first citywide forum not specific to a neighborhood or organization — will feature questions from a panel including David Lowery, editorial writer for the Austin American-Statesman, and Jennifer Stayton, host of KUT’s “Morning Edition.” The second hour of the forum will feature members of the studio audience directly posing questions to candidates. Austin American-Statesman editorial writer Bruce Hight will moderate the forum.

The Austin American-Statesman will stream video from the entire event and host a live chat on its Web site, www.statesman.com, co-hosted by Ben Wear and KUT’s Nathan Bernier. KUT 90.5 will broadcast the entire event live on the air and at kut.org. KLRU-TV will broadcast the first hour live on channel 18 and cable channel 9.

In an effort to represent the diversity of Austin voters, leaders from a broad range of community organizations have been invited to participate. Home viewers can e-mail questions ahead of time to politics@klru.org.

In addition to producing the mayoral forum, the Austin American-Statesman and KUT News are collaborating on a series of special reports by KUT’s Mose Buchele and the Austin American-Statesman’s Suzannah Gonzales and Tony Plohetski. This is a first-ever collaboration between KUT and the Statesman.

KUT News also is producing a month-long series of special reports that will air weekdays during “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” These reports will include profiles of all candidates for city council and mayor, as well as examine some of the challenges the City of Austin faces in the midst of a worldwide recession, including demographic and population shifts and sustainable development.

Be sure to watch Ifill tonight at 7 p.m. on KLRU as she kicks off the general election season with a special Campaign ’08 edition of Washington Week from The George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in front of a live audience.

PBS’ convention coverage, anchored by Jim Lehrer of The Newshour, includes extended uninterrupted coverage of podium activities and speeches; reporting from the floor of the convention; newsmaker interviews; political analysis and historical perspective. The Newshour senior correspondents Gwen Ifill, Ray Suarez, Judy Woodruff and Margaret Warner will join Lehrer. Political analysis will be provided by New York Times columnist David Brooks and syndicated columnist Mark Shields. Presidential historians Michael Beschloss and Richard Norton Smith will add historical perspective; Andy Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, will update viewers with the latest polling information.

Some highlights planned for each night’s coverage include (subject to change):

Monday, August 25:
Coverage begins from the Pepsi Center in Denver
Speeches by Michelle Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (MO)
Convention’s daily theme is: the importance of the West in the political landscape.

Tuesday, August 26:
Speeches by Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY) and former Gov. Mark Warner (VA)
Daily theme: economy and energy.

Wednesday, August 27:
Speeches by the presumptive Vice Presidential nominee and by former President Bill Clinton
Daily theme: national security and foreign policy.

Thursday, August 28:
Events move from the Pepsi Center to Invesco Field at Mile High
A tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. begins the evening, followed by musical performances and speakers. Presumptive Presidential nominee Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech at the close of the evening.