The Hartford Courant

April 26, 2011

Diane Smith Launching CT-N Morning Show

Veteran TV and radio personality Diane Smith will be a regular on-air TV celeb again, this time with a new CT Network show called "Capitol Report: Morning Update."

The daily show, beginning May 2 at 9 a.m., will air live from the Legislative Office Building and include information on the day ahead for the legislature and updates on the public policy process. Pilot-season episodes will run 15 to 30 minutes each day.

"'Capitol Report: Morning Update' takes what Connecticut Network does best — making our state government open, accessible and more understandable — and delivers it in a way that's even more timely, manageable and user-friendly," said Smith, the station's senior producer for program development. "It builds on the original Capitol Report's foundation, while adding discussion and deeper exploration of the day's events into the mix."

The new program will include interviews and discussions facilitated by Smith with lawmakers, government leaders, journalists and other experts on public policy.

"We hear overwhelmingly that viewers love the current 'Capitol Report,' loved our live primary and election night telecasts, and certainly trust and admire Diane Smith," said Paul Giguere, network president and CEO. "By combining all of those elements into a single program, we aim to demystify government even further and give average citizens greater insight into its workings, right when the challenge of the state budget makes that public attention and involvement most critical."

CT-N is available full-time on U-Verse Channel 83 and on expanded basic cable systems statewide. Visit ct-n.com to find the channel location for the network in your community or to watch online. All Connecticut Network programming is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.