Tag Archives: CPB
Florida’s Sembler Confirmed to CPB Board
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 3, 2022) –The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nominations of Thomas E. Rothman and the renominations of Laura Gore Ross and Elizabeth M. Sembler to the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Sembler, of Seminole, Fla., is a retired educator and administrator, most recently as director of engagement at Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersburg, Fla. She served on CPB’s board of directors from 2008–2020 and was board chair from 2014–16. Sembler has also been a board chair for WEDU PBS in Tampa, Fla., where she is still a serving board member, and is a former board member for America’s Public Television Stations. She will serve a term expiring in 2026.
“Liz is a great friend and supporter of public media not just in Florida but throughout the country,” said Patrick Yack, Executive Director of Florida Public Media. “We thank her and her colleagues for the work they do in our behalf.”
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) president and CEO Patrick Butler called Sembler extraordinarily effective champion for local public television and radio stations, both on the local and national level.”
Sembler joins fellow Floridian, Robert Mandell who was appointed to the board by President Donald Trump and was confirmed by the Senate in 2019. He is a retired U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg and currently serves on the boards of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C., and Human Rights First in New York City.
Ambassador Mandell currently is a partner in Velocitas Venture, a medical device company, and ReactiveCore, a technology company. He previously was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Greater Construction Corp. from 1998 until 2005 and served as Chairman Emeritus of Meritage Homes of Florida, Inc. until 2007.
Rothman, of Los Angeles, is Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group. He has held numerous executive positions in the film industry and is a longstanding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and board member of the California Institute of the Arts. He has served on the National Council on the Arts is also an emeritus member of the Corporation of Brown University and of the Sundance Institute Board. He will serve a term expiring in 2026.
Ross, of New York City, is a retired attorney with a career in public service. Her professional experience includes the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, MFY Legal Services, eight years as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General of the State of New York, and subsequently, Legislative Counsel to a New York State Senator. She began government service at the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and was appointed by President Obama to represent the United States at the 64th United Nations General Assembly. She has served as a Trustee of New York Public Media (WNET, WLIW, and NJTV), a Trustee of WNYC Public Radio, and President of NYANA, a refugee resettlement agency. She will serve a term expiring in 2028.
Photos from left: Thomas E. Rothman, Laura Gore Ross and Elizabeth M. Sembler
WUSF, WUWF Chosen for CPB’s Digital Transformation Program
WUSF Public Media (Tampa/St. Petersburg) and WUWF Public Media (Pensacola) were chosen by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to take part in the 2022 Digital Transformation Program, a “virtual program developed by the Poynter Institute to educate, assist, and coach public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture. “
“The program includes online coaching and training to the station CEOs, along with the leaders of the five National Multicultural Alliance organizations, and their staff members, to accelerate their digital transformation efforts.”
“CPB’s commitment to advancing innovation and diversity continues to be reflected through our strategic investments helping system leaders advance a digital-first, audience-centric approach,” said CPB President/CEO Patricia Harrison in a release.
“The program will provide coaching and resources to help stations become more agile and leverage digital content, platforms, and data to grow and engage new and existing public media audiences,” she said.
President Biden Nominates Liz Sembler for CPB board
President Joe Biden has nominated three people to serve on CPB’s board of directors.
The nominees are Elizabeth Sembler, Kathy Im and Tom Rothman. They will join the board if confirmed by the U.S. Senate. CPB’s board has four vacant seats.
Sembler, a retired educator and administrator, most recently worked as director of engagement at Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersburg, Fla. She served on CPB’s board of directors from 2008–2020 and was board chair from 2014–16.
Sembler has also been a board chair for WEDU PBS in Tampa, Fla., where she is still a serving board member, and was a board member for America’s Public Television Stations.
More information about President Biden’s CPB nominees is available from the Current.
WFSU Tallahassee Awarded CPB/PBS Ready to Learn Grant
Funding will support production of new educational content and local community engagement that equips young learners with key skills for success
Oct 07, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 7, 2020) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS have received a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grant will provide $24,322,018 in year one of a five-year cycle* to fund CPB and PBS’ comprehensive multi-media learning and station engagement initiative, which will connect children’s media and learning environments to build key skills for success.
The initiative will result in the development of new content that helps young children build vital skills to help them succeed in school and life, including functional literacy, critical thinking and collaboration — and shows them career options in age-appropriate ways. This will be done by producing multiple forms of content, some that show real-life examples of success by having adult role models share how they turned their childhood interest into their life’s work. It will also help parents, caregivers and communities support children’s learning and growth, with a goal of putting children on a path to success in learning, work and life.
CPB and PBS will work with experts in early learning and leading children’s media producers to create new PBS KIDS multiplatform content, including “Wombats!” (w.t.), produced by GBH, in which preschoolers will learn critical thinking and collaboration skills by following the adventures of three marsupial siblings as they explore their “Treeborhood.” In “Liza Loops” (w.t.), created and produced by Dave Peth, children ages 5-6 will encounter sociable city kid Liza, an aspiring inventor, and her fuzzy blue sidekick Stu as they invent solutions to help others in their neighborhood. As part of the grant, CPB and PBS will work with additional producers and partners on the third series with a literacy curriculum, in addition to digital games and podcasts, as well as resources to support family learning at home, in virtual spaces and in the community.
Today, children face a future filled with an unprecedented amount of uncertainty. The initiative’s focus on introducing children to the mindsets, knowledge and skills required to succeed in the workforce stems from a rapidly evolving global economy. COVID-19 has also impacted the workforce landscape, making it more important than ever to equip children with skills and ways of thinking that will allow them to successfully navigate their future.
“During these challenging times, public media continues to deliver value to the American people through our consistent commitment to early learners. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt education, public media is working to ensure that the nation’s children, especially those in low-income communities, have access to learning and are not left behind,” said Pat Harrison, President and CEO for CPB. “The funding by Congress and the Department of Education will provide vital resources to public media for the creation of research-based educational content, that will be offered free of charge and commercial free, to help children prepare to succeed in work and life.”
“PBS was founded on the belief that media can be a powerful force for education and inspiration. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are committed to building on our strong legacy of high-quality educational media to meet the needs of young learners,” said Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS. “We are grateful for the vital support of CPB and the Department of Education, which allows us to serve millions of children across the country. Together with our member stations and producing partners, we will use every tool at our disposal to prepare the next generation for success in school and life.”
Local PBS stations will work with community partners, including schools, public libraries, museums, businesses, local Chambers of Commerce and other stakeholders, as part of a national network devoted to supporting the early learning needs of children in low-income communities. Critical national partners include the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Parents As Teachers.
The first phase of work will take place in 12 communities, including: Anchorage, Alaska (Alaska Public Media); Austin, Texas (Austin PBS); Birmingham, Alabama (Alabama Public Television); Detroit (Detroit Public TV); Las Vegas (Vegas PBS); Lexington, Kentucky (Kentucky Educational Television); Los Angeles (PBS SoCaL); Madison, Wisconsin (PBS Wisconsin); New York (WNET); Owings Mill, Maryland (Maryland Public Television); Pittsburgh (WQED); and Tallahassee, Florida (WFSU). Additional communities will be added during years 2-5 of the grant.
The Education Development Center (EDC) will lead a research effort to assess the success of the five-year initiative, with emphasis on the new content’s ability to build key skills and inspire children to explore the “world of work.” Project research will also provide new insights into the ways in which newer media and intergenerational engagement can support children’s learning. Data analytics will advance the understanding of how games can influence learning gains, and formative studies will drive informed content creation.
*Additional years of funding are contingent on Congressional appropriations.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.
About PBS
PBS, with its over 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 100 million people through television and over 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
About The Ready To Learn Initiative
The Ready To Learn Initiative is a cooperative agreement funded and managed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. It supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to preschool and early elementary school children and their families. Its general goal is to promote early learning and school readiness, with a particular interest in reaching low-income children. In addition to creating television and other media products, the program supports activities intended to promote national distribution of the programming, effective educational uses of the programming, community-based outreach and research on educational effectiveness.
Contacts:
Shana Teehan, CPB, steehan@nullcpb.org, 205-586-5751
Kayla Springer, PBS, kmspringer@nullpbs.org, 571-481-6668
The contents of this release were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. The project is funded by a Ready To Learn grant [PR/Award No. S295A200004, CFDA No. 84.295A] provided by the Department of Education to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
WMFE PRESIDENT ELECTED TO NPR BOARD OF DIRECTORS ERIKA PULLEY-HAYES FILLS THE POSITION OF MEMBER DIRECTOR
ORLANDO — Erika Pulley-Hayes, president and CEO of WMFE/WMFV in Orlando, has been elected to the NPR Board of Directors.
Pulley-Hayes joined WMFE/WMFV in January after a long tenure at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, where she served as radio vice president.
Erika Pulley-Hayes
“I’m excited to serve on the NPR board at this moment in time,” Pulley-Hayes said. “Journalism is essential to our democracy, and I am committed to ensuring the news and information NPR provides to our country remains strong.”
Pulley-Hayes was elected Sept. 11 to fill an unexpired term vacancy on the board due to the departure of Wonya Lucas, former CEO of Public Broadcasting Atlanta, according to Current. The board’s Governance Committee nominated Pulley-Hayes to a three-year term beginning in November, subject to election by the network’s membership in a ballot that opens next month.
The NPR Board of Directors sets the policies and overall direction for NPR management, monitors the performance of NPR, and provides financial oversight. NPR’s 23-member Board of Directors is comprised of 12 Member Directors who are managers of NPR Member stations and are elected to the Board by their fellow Member stations, 9 Public Directors, the NPR Foundation Chair, and the NPR President & CEO.
About Pulley-Hayes:
Erika Pulley-Hayes joined WMFE/WMFV in January 2020 as president and CEO after a long tenure at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) where she served as radio vice president. In this capacity, she provided strategic leadership to the public radio system by developing initiatives designed to drive innovation and advance public media service. She has worked to enhance local service and sustainability by identifying new business opportunities and operating models that engage audiences across platforms and increase organizational capacity. She was instrumental in the development of journalism collaborations among public media organizations in local regions. She was also responsible for developing the policies that govern CPB’s Community Service Grant program which, as public media’s largest funding source, supports over 400 organizations operating public radio stations nationwide.
Erika began her career at a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, where she worked under the general counsel and corporate secretary. In this role, she worked closely with the board of directors, negotiated corporate agreements for commercial transactions, and ensured political and regulatory compliance. Erika later managed legal operations of a small clinical research organization overseeing risk management, corporate housekeeping and commercial contracts generating approximately $40 million annually. Erika serves on the board of directors of 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students improve their expository and creative writing skills in nine cities across the United States. She is also a member of the Alliance of Women in Media. Erika holds an MBA and an MS in Nonprofit Management.
About Community Communications Inc.:
Community Communications Inc. is a locally owned, and operated, non-profit public media organization that operates 90.7 WMFE-FM, metro Orlando’s primary provider of NPR programming; 90.7-2 Classical; and 89.5 WMFV, public radio for The Villages, Ocala and surrounding counties. Listener-supported Community Communications has been serving the community since 1980 with trusted news and programming from a local, national and international perspective. Visit wmfe.org and wmfv.org for more information.
About NPR:
NPR’s rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member Stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Public Media Initiative, American Graduate, Helped Improve Graduation Success Among Black and Latino Students
Public Media’s National and Local Content Put a Spotlight on the Issue and Community Connections Inspired Volunteerism with Youth and Education Resources in Classrooms. New independent research from NCES reveals encouraging data about nation’s progress, with black students graduating on par with white counterparts
(WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 21, 2020) — For over nine years, the public media initiative American Graduate, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), has worked successfully to help young people, predominately black and Hispanic students, stay on the path to a high school diploma. Through programming and partnerships with over 1700 organizations, public media stations in nearly every state helped communities understand what students needed to graduate.
The American Graduate initiative inspired citizens to mentor these young people, helping them overcome great obstacles and ultimately graduate from high school. In 2017, the national high school graduation rate rose to an unprecedented level and now a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics, “Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2019,” shows that for the first time in 40 years, African American 18-to-24-year-olds completed high school in 2017 at a rate on par with white 18-to-24-year-olds. The graduation gap between white and Hispanic students also decreased significantly.
“These results affirm that our nation’s young people, with the support of a caring adult, can succeed in school and beyond,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “The nation’s public media stations, locally owned and connected to the communities they serve, have made a profound positive difference in the lives of so many young Americans of all backgrounds.”
The national graduation rate was 79% in 2011, with African American and Hispanic students comprising some of the lowest completion rates. As a result of the steadfast commitment of initiatives around the country, such as American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, the national graduation rate rose to 84.6% in 2017 as reported in the 2019 Building A Grad Nation Report.
Through American Graduate, CPB provided grants to stations in states with the highest proportion of black students who had been failing to graduate, including Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Alabama Public Broadcasting, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Maryland Public Television, South Carolina Educational Television, Nashville Public Television, Nine Network of Public Media (St. Louis) and Florida Public Media.
“Public media stations – as trusted communicators, conveners, and capacity builders in local communities – help citizens understand the complex factors at play and what works in keeping students on track to graduate,” stated John Bridgeland, founder and CEO of Civic. “The work by American Graduate stations and the leadership from CPB has been vital to our nation’s progress on the local, state and national levels.”
In addition to national partners, including America’s Promise Alliance, Civic, Johns Hopkins University School of Education and Alliance for Excellence in Education, local stations through content and engagement raised awareness and inspired American Graduate Champions to work with youth. CPB supported national programming such as All the Difference, produced by Wes Moore in partnership with POV, which followed two black teens from Chicago on their journey to graduate from college; and Los Graduados, produced by Bernardo Ruiz in association with ITVS and Latino Public Broadcasting, which explored challenges faced by Latino high schools students.
CPB is now providing American Graduate: Getting to Work grants to public media stations to help young people prepare for and connect to jobs and careers.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook, LinkedIn, and subscribe for other updates.
About American Graduate
American Graduate is public media’s long-term commitment to supporting community-based solutions to help young people succeed in school, career and life. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), more than 125 public television and radio stations have joined forces with over 1,700 partners to elevate the stories of youth and the supportive adults that help them succeed. Through American Graduate, public media, with its unique position as a trusted resource and important partner in local communities, provides a critical platform to shine a light on pathways to graduation and successful student outcomes. National and local reporting, on air and online is helping communities understand the challenges and community-driven solutions associated with education and future successes. Public forums, town halls and community conversations are activating discussions between community leaders, educators and more.
Miami’s WLRN Joins ‘Every 30 Seconds,’ a Collaborative Public Media Reporting Project on the Latino Electorate
(BOSTON — January 21, 2019) –– “The World,” the daily global news and analysis program from PRX, WGBH, and the BBC, today announced “Every 30 Seconds,” a collaborative public media reporting project tracing the young Latino electorate ahead of the 2020 national election.
Funded by a $300,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, “Every 30 Seconds” will report on the issues, influences, concerns, and challenges driving decision-making and turnout among young Latino voters across the United States.
According to a recent count, approximately every 30 seconds, a Latino citizen in the United States reaches voting age (18). Further, 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in 2020, up from 2016 and now one of the largest shares of nonwhite voters. Through deep engagement within communities and among Latino voters, “Every 30 Seconds” will delve into the complexities of demographics, language, law, and inequities within political systems.
This year-long project will launch in February with regular broadcasts on “The World” accompanied by digital components. From its newsroom in Boston, “The World” and Senior Editor Daisy Contreras will lead production of stories for national broadcast in partnership with public radio stations across the country. Digital Editor Tania Karas will lead production of digital stories and interactives.
Stations contributing to “Every 30 Seconds” will include:
- KERA in Dallas, Texas;
- KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona;
- KPBS in San Diego, California;
- KUOW in Seattle, Washington;
- WABE in Atlanta, Georgia;
- WLRN in Miami, Florida; and
- WUNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
This week, “The World” will host reporters from participating stations in Boston to convene with experts on demographic changes within the U.S. electorate and for PRX-led training focused on crafting stories for audio. PRX’s training initiatives also include the Google Podcasts creator program for creators around the world, and Project Catapult, an accelerator for public media.
“As citizens prepare to partake in our democratic process, this project is one of several CPB is supporting to further diversity and civility in our nation’s dialogue,” said Kathy Merritt, senior vice president of Journalism and Radio at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “‘Every 30 Seconds’ will also build journalism capacity at local public radio stations by connecting station partners to editing and story-planning training with ‘The World’ and PRX.”
“The 2020 election will be consequential, and it’s imperative that we report the story of our country at this moment in time in a way that best serves listeners,” Contreras said. “With reporting from coast to coast, ‘Every 30 Seconds’ will amplify stories while illuminating issues we hope will deepen understanding of our democracy.”
“’The World’ brings listeners nuanced storytelling that goes beyond the headlines,” said John Barth, chief content officer at PRX. “When we’re at our best, we put the personal and local, national and global, all in perspective, across borders and time zones. In this spirit, we’re thrilled to collaborate with our station colleagues on election-year reporting that won’t be heard elsewhere, and we’re grateful to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for their support.”
“The World” is heard on nearly 300 public radio stations across the United States.
About PRX
PRX is a non-profit media organization shaping the future of audio by producing and distributing content, building technology, and training talented, independent producers. PRX’s award-winning portfolio ranges from iconic public radio programs to a growing body of podcast-first productions. Each month, PRX reaches more than 28.5 million listeners and generates in excess of 70 million podcast downloads. More at prx.org.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.
