Press Contact: Teri L. Sullivan
WKNO/Channel 10
(901) 729-8735
tlsullivan@wkno.org
April 7, 2011
For Immediate Release
WKNO’s Interview Series “Newsmakers” Features
District Attorney General Amy Weirich
WKNO-TV will premiere the third in a new interview series Newsmakers, featuring a conversation with District Attorney General Amy Weirich. Eric Barnes, publisher of the Memphis Daily News and host of WKNO’s weekly series Behind the Headlines, will host the half-hour show Newsmakers: Amy Weirich, District Attorney General on Wednesday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. on WKNO/Channel 10. It will repeat at 11:00 p.m. on WKNO2, available over the air on Channel 10.2 and on Comcast Digital Cable Channel 910.
Amy P. Weirich was appointed by Governor Bill Haslam as Shelby County District Attorney General in January, 2011. She is the first female to hold the office in Shelby County. Prior to her appointment, General Weirich served as Deputy District Attorney General under former District Attorney Bill Gibbons.
General Weirich is a veteran prosecutor who started serving in the Shelby County D.A’s office in 1991. Over the past 20 years, she has served in many leadership roles in the office, including chief prosecutor of the Gang and Narcotics Prosecution Unit and division leader for the Special Prosecution Unit in criminal court.
General Weirich has received many honors for her skills in the courtroom, including the Board of Directors’ Trial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Capital Cases from the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation. She has been a frequent lecturer at training seminars for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference and the National District Attorneys Association. General Weirich is also a member of the Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inn of Court.
In this interview, General Weirich talks about why she chose to be a lawyer, balancing work and family, and how she plans to be a proactive District Attorney like her predecessor, Bill Gibbons. She also discusses how she’s seen the worst of people, yet remains positive about the job, and the difficulties of arguing for the death penalty.
The half-hour program allows General Weirich to discuss the various crime-fighting programs in Shelby County, like Clean Sweep and Blue Crush and how she believes these programs will help strengthen the Shelby County community.
About WKNO
WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 50 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. For more information: wkno.org.
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