What does it mean to be American?
Viewers across America are invited to join the discussion beginning July 3 on KETV Share Copy Link Copy  The multiplatform Matter of Fact Listening Tour, exploring difficult issues surrounding race and equity and hosted by Soledad OBrien, arrives at its next stop beginning Saturday, July 3 at 9 P.M. with the inaugural television airing on KETV of To Be An American: Identity, Race And Justice.The one-hour production, featuring a wide array of thought leaders from across the nation, is a special project from Matter of Fact with Soledad OBrien, the nations most-watched syndicated public affairs program, produced by KETV parent Hearst Television.To Be An American: Identity, Race And Justice will air between July 2 and July 5 in primetime slots on Hearst Television stations in 26 media markets reaching nearly 20% of US television viewers. It will then air on July 10 at noon on the A&E Network, and on July 11 at 10 a.m. and July 18 at 10:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) on A&E sister network fyi; the two networks are co-owned by Hearst Televisions parent company.The Matter of Fact Listening Tour will continue throughout 2021 with a series of forums employing the digital platforms of many of Hearsts consumer media brands, including 33 television stations; newspapers around the country; and many of the worlds most popular magazines  and on Matter of Facts website, YouTube and Facebook Live channels.To Be An American first streamed in March 2021; the Tours first episode, The Hard Truth About Bias: Images and Reality, initially streamed in October 2020 and received television airings in February 2021. The television airings have been edited for length; the original streams of The Hard Truth About Bias and To Be an American are available on matteroffact.tv.The continuing conversation in this country about what it means to be an American is at the heart of both what divides us and unites us, OBrien said. Our special provides a platform for a diversity of voices to explore how identity, race, and other points of connection or contention play into the narrative of who we are.Were glad local viewers are getting a second chance to see this important program, said Shawn Oswald, president and general manager of KETV. Programs like this help build understanding and a more inclusive community.To Be An American features a diverse lineup of guests from academia, literature and entertainment -- including historians Eric Foner and Annette Gordon-Reed; comedian Gina Brillon; and 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones. These and other guests share personal stories, essays and insights in order to bring greater understanding to the complex topic of race, identity and belonging. Matter of Fact contributors Jessica Gomez and Joie Chen provide reports and interviews from around the country.Viewers will be taken on a tour across the middle of the country from Denver to Kansas City on I-70 to meet and engage some of the diverse cross-section of Americans that help define the nation. They will also be asked to consider the ways our diverse country interprets belonging and allegiance.About KETVKETV NewsWatch 7 is Omahas News Leader, the number one station for local news in the Omaha DMA, one of the top ABC stations in the country among the top 100 markets (A25-54) and has the largest local media presence on social media. This includes a Facebook page that is followed by more than a quarter of a million people. KETV broadcasts from the historic 7 Burlington Station, an Omaha landmark thats been transformed into a state-of-the-art broadcast facility. The Burlington Station opened on July 4, 1898 as a part of the Trans-Mississippi International Exposition. It served as a rail station for the Omaha area until 1974. KETV has been an ABC affiliate since it began broadcasting in 1957. For its first 57 years KETV broadcast from 2665 Douglas St. in Omaha. In 2011 KETV added MeTV Omaha on its digital channel 7.2. The stations web address is KETV.com ###Station Contact: John Livingston, KETV, jdlivingston@hearst.com, 402-978-8920