"Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" A Public Broadcasting Investation Looks at the Real Cost of the Retail Giant's "Everyday Low Prices"
Contact: Connie Molby
(651) 290-1113
cmolby@americanpublicmedia.us
www.americanpublicmedia.us
"Is Wal-Mart Good for America?"
A Public Broadcasting Investation Looks at the Real Cost of the Retail Giant's "Everyday Low Prices"
Collaboration between American Public Media's Marketplace American RadioWorks and PBS's FRONTLINE to air on Tuesday, Nov. 16
WHAT: Veteran reporter Hedrick Smith examines whether Wal-Mart's reliance on China for the production of its goods has resulted in lost jobs here in America, and asks what is the real cost of the company's famous "everyday low prices."
Through interviews with retail executives, product manufacturers, economists and trade experts, Smith examines the controversy over the Wal-Mart way of conducting business. The reports explore whether America's largest retail giant has changed—for the worse—the American economy in its drive to meet American consumers' insatiable desire for bargains.
To understand the secret of Wal-Mart's success, Smith travels from the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, to its global purchasing center in Shenzhen, China, where several hundred Wal-Mart employees work to keep the company's import pipeline running smoothly. Of Wal-Mart's 6,000 global suppliers, experts estimate that as many as 80 percent are based in China.
TUNE IN: "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" will broadcast on Tuesday, Nov. 16, on public radio stations nationwide during Marketplace and Marketplace Morning Report. Check local radio listings for the times and stations in your areas or go to www.marketplace.org/about/stations/.
ONLINE: Audio and transcripts of the radio project will be available Tuesday November 16, 2004 at www.americanradioworks.org.
Additional information on the investigation can be found at www.pbs.org/frontline/.
WHO: "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" is a joint production of Marketplace, American RadioWorks and PBS's television program FRONTLINE. Marketplace and its sister program, Marketplace Morning Report, are daily national business programs produced by American Public Media in Los Angeles. American RadioWorks is the documentary unit of American Public Media in St. Paul, Minn. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS stations.
TV: PBS will broadcast "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggestproducer of public radio programs, reaching 13.5 million listenersnationwide each week. Nationalprograms include A Prairie Home Companion®, Saint Paul Sunday®, Marketplace®,Sound Money®, The Splendid Table®, Being™ andspecial reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks®.American Public Media is the national production and distribution divisionof Minnesota Public Radio®. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sistercompany Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger familyof companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofitorganization whosepurpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support publicmedia for public service. A complete list of stations, programs andadditional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.us.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimatesonly.
Spring 2004