Soledad O’Brien to speak at VI’s Kegley Auditorium today

BRISTOL, Va. – Television correspondent Soledad O’Brien’s appearance today will conclude the Bristol Public Library’s 2009 speaker series.

O’Brien, who serves as anchor and special correspondent for CNN, is scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. at Virginia Intermont College’s Kegley Auditorium. There is no admission charge.

“We’ve had a lot of interest,” said Anita Foster-Machado, executive director of the library foundation. “We’ve had a lot of calls about tickets, and tickets are not required.”

The doors are scheduled to open at noon and a question-and-answer period will follow her hour-long presentation.

O’Brien is based in New York and works in the network’s special investigations unit. She previously anchored CNN’s morning program from 2003-07.

Prior to CNN, O’Brien worked for NBC News, where she anchored the network’s Weekend Today program and covered major news stories, including the war in Iraq, the space shuttle Columbia disaster and school shootings in Colorado and Oregon.

Before speaking, she is scheduled to attend a private luncheon with about 20 Twin City area high school students as part of the library’s scholarship series.

The Discovery Series brings authors, sports celebrities, journalists and others to the region. It is funded by the Noble Mission – a private fund established by late Twin City businessman Al Noble – designed to generate interest in the library.

“This is a restricted fund from a private donor for us to do this. It’s about letting people here see people and hear their stories and life experiences – and promoting the library. We’re doing exactly what he [Noble] wanted done with this money,” Foster-Machado said.

The program has an annual budget of $90,000 for all speaker fees and the money can’t be used to pay for any other aspect of library operations, Foster-Machado said.

O’Brien is being paid $25,000, as was best-selling author Nicholas Sparks.

“The range [this year] is $2,000 to $25,000,” Foster-Machado said.

She declined to provide specific amounts for all speakers, citing many charge less than their standard fee because their appearance promotes the library, all rates are negotiated and the foundation is currently developing its 2010 lineup.

In some cases, the foundation also picks up the tab for transportation and accommodations.

“Everyone is different. Some people want to be picked up at the airport, some want to rent a car and drive themselves,” she said.

At about $40,000, the total bill for the 2008 appearance of TV news commentator Chris Mathews was the most expensive to date, Foster-Machado said. That included his fee, air fare, hotel, renting a facility and providing a luncheon for Mathews to meet with about 40 high school students.

Other 2009 presenters included author Stephen Hunter, Virginia Tech football Coach Frank Beamer and Ken Farmer, an appraiser from the “Antiques Roadshow” television program.

Sparks attracted about 800 people to his presentation at the Paramount Center and O’Brien is expected to attract several hundred to VI.

Others, including journalist and satirist P.J. O’Rourke, journalist Dana Priest and Beamer filled the library’s large meeting room with crowds of about 200.

“The bigger name speakers charge more but typically draw the bigger crowds,” Foster-Machado said. “But we can do reserved seats for donors and private meet-and-greet and that puts some money back into the Discovery Series.”

The 2010 lineup is scheduled to be announced in January.

“There is enough money in the fund for 2010 and 2011, but after that – unless others want to see this continue – it will conclude,”  Foster-Machado said.

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