Latest Installment of Road to Innovation: Conversations with Charlie Rose Features Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Premieres April 13

Business Wire, April 3, 2006

NEW YORK -- New Four-Part Roundtable Series Exploring Entertainment, Technology, Politics, And Finance Is Presented By Thirteen/WNET New York And Conde Nast Media Group; Funded By Lexus

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt are the featured guests on the second installment of a new four-part roundtable series with Emmy-winning journalist Charlie Rose. The program, part of The Road to Innovation: Conversations With Charlie Rose, premieres Thursday, April 13 at 11 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) and features Rose in a lively discussion with Seidenberg and Schmidt about current innovations in technology and the impact they might have in the next few years.

Life as we know it is being revolutionized by recent advances in technology. In addition to the impact these advances are already having on individuals, there are major social, economic and political implications on a global level. Rose and his guests discuss technology in the United States and abroad, now and in the future. What will technology in the home look like? Will there continue to be a "digital divide" between those who can afford to use the new technologies and those who can't? How do technology companies foster innovation and where in the world will we see the most growth? These and many more thoughtful questions are examined in the program.

Renowned for his engaging interview style on his award-winning public television show, Rose conducts the conversation in front of a live audience. The first installment of The Road to Innovation: Conversations With Charlie Rose looked at the entertainment industry. Politics and finance will be explored in subsequent programs.

William F. Baker, president of Thirteen, said the time is right for an in-depth conversation led by a master of the television interview genre with innovators in the field of technology. "Technology has the power to change our lives for the better. The technologies of the Information Age, for example, have given us unprecedented access to otherwise unattainable data and resources," Baker said. "It's very important to be aware of the ongoing research and the latest breakthroughs, and this program offers a rare and wonderful opportunity to hear directly from leaders in the field."

Ivan Seidenberg is chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, Inc. He has been a director since 1995 and has helped shepherd the company through many transitions, including the 2000 merger of Bell Atlantic Corporation and GTE Corporation, which resulted in the creation of Verizon Communications.

Eric Schmidt, Ph.D. has been CEO of Google Inc. since July 2001, having served as chairman from March 2001 until April 2004. Before joining Google, he was CEO and chairman of Novell Inc. and previously worked for Sun Microsystems Inc. He has also worked as a researcher and has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Princeton University, and an M.S. in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Major funding is provided by LEXUS.

Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, and Cyberchase - as well as the work of Bill Moyers - to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. Thirteen extends the impact of its television productions with educational and community outreach projects - including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning in Spring 2006. And as broadcast and digital media converge, Thirteen is blazing trails in the creation of Web sites, enhanced television, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, educational software, and other cutting-edge media products. More information about Thirteen can be found at: www.thirteen.org.