"The new format provides government with opportunities to communicate interesting stories about Islanders to Islanders, as well as highlight the programs and services that are available throughout government," commented Ann Stanley, Producer of "Island Focus," about the new format. "In this new season, we will continue to profile the traditional resource stories that are the foundation of the show and use our public education theme to reach out to the community and educate them about all government departments' activities."

This season the program will air on a different day at a new time - Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. The season premiere will be next Wednesday, October 13, at 8:00 pm and will feature stories on Y2K; Trout River Pottery; How to Check the Safety of your Oil Tank; Tourism Businesses that Rely on Confederation Trail Traffic; An Overview of the Sheriff's Office and it's Services; and the Department of Agriculture's Food Strategy.

In an effort to better inform the audience about the program and the upcoming season, a new website (www.gov.pe.ca/focus) has been set up. The site will feature information on each week's line-up; biographies on the on-air personalities; a trivia contest; and the ability to actually view segments that have appeared on the program.

"Island Focus" welcomes back Gerry Birt as Host after a one year absence and Whit Carter as News Anchor. The program was the winner of the 1997 Galaxi Award for Excellence in Programming and was a national award nomination for two years in a row (1998,1999) for best community cable program at the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival.