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George Hazimanolis
Senior Director of
Corporate Communications
412.622.1366 ghazimanolis@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
Marketing Associate
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

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Battle of the Bands
The second annual Battle of the Bands presented by WQED and the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will take place November 2, 2008.

THE JOHN LENNON EDUCATIONAL TOUR BUS IS COMING TO THE PITTSBURGH REGION FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL COLLEGE BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Pittsburgh -- The 2nd annual Battle of the Bands presented by

WQED and the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will take place on November 2, 2008

at 3:00 p.m. at the National Network of Digital Schools’ Lincoln Park Performing Arts

Center in Midland, PA in Beaver County. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. to the public for

the Battle and admission is free.

Twenty-four bands entered from West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

After being judged by Pittsburgh music professionals and musicians, five finalists were

announced. This year’s finalists will compete for prizes including a professional recorded

music video produced on the Lennon Bus using state-of-the-art equipment and which

they will receive on a broadcast quality Maxell DVD; a free entry into the John Lennon

Songwriting Contest; 1,000 custom packaged CDs of one original track courtesy of Disc

Makers; an Apple iPod Shuffle for each band member; a Crate Profiler Model 5; a

AMPEG-BA112 Bass Combo; a Godin guitar; a Pro Account on Propellerhead’s Reason;

and a Maxell prize package.

WQED will provide the winning band the opportunity to perform this year in its annual

WQED Presents

: Live From Studio A “A Holiday Jam” program, the station’s annual

show that has won several Mid-Atlantic Emmy® awards in the past.

The finalists for this year’s competition are:

• Tennessee Whiskey, a rock/alternative band from Carnegie Mellon University in

Pittsburgh

• The Alli Gillis Band, a pop country band from the University of Pittsburgh

• The Fall Tide, a rock band from Frostburg State University in Maryland

• Hero Atlantic, a pop/rock band from the University of Pittsburgh

• City Dwelling Nature Seekers, a folk-rock band from Duquesne University in

Pittsburgh

WQED-FM 89.3 and WQEJ-FM 89.7 The WQED Morning Show Host and senior

executive producer, Jim Cunningham will host this year’s competition. Guest performers

Cellofourte, last year’s Battle winner, will also be performing.

The public will also be able to tour for free the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus

mobile audio and video recording studios from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Lincoln Park

Performing Arts Center prior to the battle.

For additional details about the event, go to www.wqed.org/education/jletb This year’s

Battle of the Bands is sponsored by the National Network of Digital Schools and the

Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center.

WQED Pittsburgh,

honored with the 2007 and 2006 Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Award for

Station Excellence, was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported

broadcaster. WQED creates, produces and distributes quality programs, products and

services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within its community and

around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be

fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent

company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED-DT; WQED: The Neighborhood Channel;

WQED-HD; WQEX-TV (A ShopNBC affiliate); WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; WQEJ-FM

89.7/Johnstown; a publishing division that includes PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE; local and

national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org); and The

WQED Education Department.

About the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus (www.lennonbus.org):

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit state-of-the-art mobile Pro Audio

and HD video recording facility that provides hands-on experiences for students of all

ages. In its 11th year of touring, the venture is proud of its brand new bus and its studios,

which boast the latest audio and video technology, gear and products. The Bus travels

across the U.S. and Canada year-round, providing free tours and workshops at schools,

retailers, festivals, on tours with headlining artists, and at major industry conferences.

The Bus, a 501(c)(3) venture, is made possible through the generosity of sponsors

including Maxell Corporation, Apple, NAMM, Roland, Sony, Godin Guitars, Edirol by

Roland, Ableton, Sibelius, Mackie, Crate, Ampeg, Audio-Technica, Apogee, Sonicbids,

Digidesign, Aphex Systems, Musician’s Friend, Neutrik, Glyph Technologies, Noise

Industries, Disc Makers, Smart Technologies, Bogen Imaging, IK Multimedia, McDSP,

Music Player Network, Propellerhead, Boss, Abaltat, OurStage, Gretsch Drums and Boss.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is made possible by an agreement with Yoko

Ono Lennon.

The National Network of Digital Schools

, a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, is

dedicated to providing customer-centered educational strategies that empower students,

teachers, and school administrators to succeed. NNDS is the exclusive distributor of

Lincoln Interactive, a truly 21st Century curriculum choice designed especially for online

learning that provides innovative, engaging, and student-centered educational

experiences. Instructors and students use the very best textbooks, printed course reference

guides, and state-of-the-art technology in semester-long courses that have been developed

in accordance with national standards. www.nndsonline.orgThe Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center is located 50 minutes northwest of Pittsburgh in Midland, Beaver County. A new $30 million facility, it hosts the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, a Pennsylvania public charter school providing professional training in music, theater, dance, creative writing and media arts, along with a rigorous academic program, and is also home to the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School and the Henry Mancini Arts Academy. For more info, visit the Center’s Website at

www.lppac.org

NOTE TO WORKING PRESS:

Interviews with the following people are available. Please contact Maria Pisano to

schedule an interview or attend this year’s battle.

• Brian Rothschild, Executive Director of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus

• Members of the on-board Lennon Bus engineering staff

• Representatives from the National Network of Digital Schools and the Lincoln

Park Performing Arts Center

• Cellofourte, last year’s Battle of the Bands winner. To view the music video

produced for Cellofourte, go to http://www.lennonbus.org/media/videos/570

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