Where are you on Friday evenings at 8:30? If you’re like me, your probably often glued to your television set with the dial turned to WEDU/PBS Channel 3, watching Rob Lorei, moderate Florida’s political roundtable half-hour, “Florida This Week.” This weekend, Lorei’s going to be talking locally on Saturday March 12 at Laurel Oak Country Club on the topic of “The Conservative Assault on Public Broadcasting.” The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the organization responsible for distributing federal funds that support 1300 local public broadcasting stations.

I’ve been lucky enough to speak on panels with Rob moderating and have been a guest panelist on his show a few times as well. He’s a very engaging speaker and with his insights into public broadcasting and politics, this talk is bound to be fascinating and will undoubtedly attract a big crowd. If you want to go, call the Democratic Club of Sarasota at 941-379-9233 or e-mail reserve@sarasotadems.com.

Lorei is a co-founder of WMNF Radio and is currently the station’s News and Public Affairs Director. He’s covered local politics for more than 20 years and has moderated numerous televised political debates, and has received awards for reporting from the Florida ACLU, the Sierra Club, Amnesty International, the Sarasota Coalition for Peace and Justice, and the Florida Consumer Action Network.