With the passing of former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) and Louisiana Digital Media Archive (LDMA) have compiled a body of archived work highlighting Edwards’ political career. The digital archives include profiles, interviews, and debates and they are all available for the public to freely stream atwww.ladigitalmedia.org. You can also access the archives at www.lpb.org.
LPB President and CEO Beth Courtney interviewed the former governor multiple times. She began her career as a capitol reporter for KWKH radio in 1972, just as Edwards’ first term as governor began. She continued covering Edwards for LPB.
“Back in Sept. 6, 1975 when LPB first began broadcasting, we were fortunate to have a charismatic governor who attracted viewers to our legislative and political coverage. Louisiana: The State We’re In has continued that tradition and we have a rich archive highlighting the highs and lows of our recent history. We have a remarkable digital media archive of Edwards’ four terms as governor and of the many political debates that ushered in the careers of future governors.”
A sample of some of the files you’ll find in the archive:
From 1978 “Gov. Edwards Profile” – LPB’s earliest archived profile of Governor Edwards where he discusses the major issues of the 1978 Legislative Session on LPB’s weekly news program, Louisiana: The State We’re In.
From 1980 “Gov. Edwards Interview” – Another interview for Louisiana: The State We’re In finds Edwards reflecting on his first two terms in office.
From 1982 “Edwards Campaign Preview” – Edwards was preparing to run for his third term against Governor Dave Treen. He talks about his campaign.
From 1983 “The Treen/Edwards Debates” – LPB’s Beth Courtney moderated two debates between Dave Treen and Edwin Edwards.
From 1984 “Edwards Inauguration” – Watch LPB’s live coverage of Edwards’ third gubernatorial inauguration at the State Capitol.
From 1985 “Indictment of Gov. Edwin Edwards” – From Louisiana: The State We’re In, a report on the indictment of Gov. Edwards by a federal grand jury and a look back at his past scandals.
From 1988 “Gov. Edwards’ Ranch” – LPB’s Beth Courtney visited Edwards at his Texas ranch as his third term in office came to a close.
From 1991 “The Duke/Edwards Debate” – A fiery run-off debate between Edwards and David Duke for the 1991 gubernatorial election.
From 1994 “Louisiana Legends” – In this in-depth interview, Edwards discusses his life and career. From 2012 “Four Governors; One Event” – In honor of CABL’s 50th anniversary, Edwards participated in a panel discussion with former governors Roemer, Foster, and Blanco.
From 2014 “Edwin Edwards Interview” – In this interview from Louisiana: The State We’re In, Edwards discusses his campaign for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District.
This is a small sampling of the hundreds of archived files featuring Edwards. LDMA is the online home of the LPB Digital Collection and the Louisiana State Archives Multimedia Collection. The ever-expanding site contains a combined catalog of thousands of hours of media recorded in Louisiana in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and is freely available for streaming.
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