Count on two familiar faces who aren't afraid of the camera to tackle these issues. The show, which made its debut on the television screens of many Saratoga and Los Gatos residents on April 21, is spearheaded by Saratoga City Councilman Norman Kline, who can also be seen in action on Wednesday nights on KSAR Channel 15 during council meetings. He shares the spotlight with co-host Judith Lawrenson, a recipient of numerous television awards for her work on a popular children's show, Reading Room.

What started out as a vision in December 2002 turned out to be a highly regarded and talked about show by viewers who say that there are not enough shows like Saratoga Today where people can learn about what's going on in the community.

"It's great to be able to tune into something that's informative and entertaining that's not the typical 6 p.m. three-minute news story," said Jackie Adelman, who caught the last 15 minutes of the first show featuring fellow Councilwoman Kathleen King, discussing issues surrounding the proposed building of the Santa Clara County Children's Hospital. "The show was very detailed on the topic. Kathleen was a great guest."

That's exactly what Kline envisioned when he gave birth to the idea of the show around the time he was elected on the council.

"The purpose of the show is to educate the community about issues that affect them," he said. "It's also to get to know the people behind the issues and not just the issue itself."

Kline said he wanted to give people an outlet where they can engage in a roundtable open discussion without having any restrictions. Unlike city council meetings where members from the public are only allowed three minutes to speak on a non-agendized item without having any dialogue or discussion with the council, guests of the show would be able to speak for a longer period of time.

"The show is designed to be informal and on a more personal level," said Kline. "People can talk in depth on a topic without getting confrontational."

Kline and Lawrenson said they've received much feedback from viewers asking for more information about the show and from prospective guests looking to land a spot in front of the camera.

"People in Saratoga care about Saratoga," said Lawrenson. "Everybody has something on their mind."

Lawrenson, who brings with her years of experience working in front of the camera, said that one of her main duties as a host is to "make people forget about the camera so they can focus on the reason they are on the show."

But, for her, being on camera is the fun part; it's the behind-the-scenes homework that's a challenge.

"The toughest part of the job is preparing the right questions in a way that elicits a response people want to hear," she said.

She added that the secret to having a successful show is to have a 75 percent focus on the guests and a 25 percent focus on the hosts.

With one show down and many more to come, Lawrenson said she anticipates the show will do well in the future.

"Based on how smooth our first show went with Kathleen, I think we're pretty much set."

Issues that will be discussed on future shows include property taxes, the budget crisis and Proposition 13. Currently airing this month on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 15 in Saratoga and Los Gatos are issues concerning the new Saratoga Library, featuring Dolly Barnes, the community library supervisor. Also airing is a segment on the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries with guests Bill McDonnal and Marsha Manzo.