Times Union, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WMHT Public Media and WNYT NewsChannel 13 Partner for Exchanges Covering Three Districts
ALBANY — A partnership of four of the Capital Region’s leading news organizations will host a series of debates in October between the candidates competing in New York’s 19th, 20th and 21st congressional districts.
The Upstate Debate Consortium — composed of the Times Union, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WMHT Public Media and WNYT NewsChannel 13 — will hold three hour-long debates. The schedule is as follows:
- 21st CD: 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls;
- 20th CD: 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15, at WMHT Public Media in Troy;
- 19th CD: 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 22, at WNYT NewsChannel 13 in Menands.
The debates will be moderated by journalists from Consortium partners, with questions selected by a panel of reporters with additional contributions sought from members of the general public.
The members of the Consortium are committed to hosting fair and open debates among qualified candidates to inform the public and assist voters in making important electoral decisions. We have adopted a set of criteria to govern which candidates are eligible to participate in this fall’s debates. A candidate must meet these standards:
- They must be legally qualified and listed on the ballot in the 2026 general election. No write-in candidates are eligible.
- A candidate must have established a campaign headquarters with a paid and/or volunteer staff. (A campaign headquarters may not be a private residence.) The campaign must have a dedicated phone line, a campaign-specific website, campaign literature, and a schedule of public appearances.
- A candidate must have received at least 10 percent in an established, professionally conducted nonpartisan poll. The poll must be released within three months prior to the debate. If there is no poll available, this requirement does not apply.
Invitations have been sent to the qualifying candidates in these races.
The Consortium’s members are:
The Times Union, an award-winning newspaper covering the Capital Region, the Hudson Valley and the North Country. The Times Union won the “Newspaper of the Year” designation from the New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest for the years 2023-2025.
WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Stations and translators are in 29 locations throughout the region. WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a member of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public Radio International.
WMHT Public Media broadcasts PBS, NPR, local roots and rock, and classical music programming across New York’s Capital Region. WMHT is an essential service for education, entertainment, and inspiration, producing award-winning local programming and documentaries including AHA! A House for Arts, statewide public affairs program New York NOW, WEXT Radio, Classical WMHT-FM, and Rise Radio Reading Service for the blind and print disabled. WMHT Public Media is part of the New York Public News Network.
WNYT-NewsChannel 13 is a subsidiary of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., and has been a dominating source for local news, weather and entertainment in the Capital Region since 1954. WNYT-TV is committed to serving the greater good of the Capital Region with authentic, solution-based content, and currently offers 44.5 hours of local news programming each week.
WNYA is a MyNetwork TV television station and affiliate of WNYT. My4 hosts a variety of well-loved syndicated programming, such as Seinfeld, Friends, and Chicago Fire, and features broadcasts of the High School Basketball Game of the Week. My4 is also home to A Closer Look, a local newscast with an in-depth focus airing weeknights and weekends from 9-9:30pm.