America's Public Television Stations Presents 2017 David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award to Diane Rehm

WASHINGTON – February 27, 2017 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented the David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award to Diane Rehm for her outstanding work on behalf of the entire public broadcasting system throughout her career.

The APTS board of trustees created the David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award in honor of its former president and CEO, David Brugger, the longest-serving leader of the organization.

“Few people have contributed as much to the long history of the public broadcasting system as this year’s David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award recipient, Diane Rehm,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “Diane began her radio career as a volunteer at WAMU, the public radio station licensed to American University in Washington, D.C., and rose to become a broadcasting phenomenon as host of one of the most successful public affairs program in the history of public radio. And following this success, Diane has returned to WAMU to help the station secure its financial resources and deepen its engagement with its community. She is also host of a new weekly podcast called ‘On My Mind.’ There is simply no more inspiring example of the volunteer spirit, its passion, its potential and its commitment of a lifetime, than this year’s award recipient. I am truly honored to present the 2017 David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award to Diane Rehm.”

“I am truly honored and humbled to receive the David Brugger Award,” said Diane Rehm. “Through the years I have been inspired by the work of so many fine journalists. But this award should not be regarded as mine alone. Because of the amazing collaboration with my producers, I regard this honor as one to be shared with them, for all the work they have done with me through all these 37 years.”

Diane Rehm is a native Washingtonian who began her radio career in 1973 as a volunteer for WAMU 88.5. In 1979, she began hosting WAMU’s local morning talk show Kaleidoscope, which was renamed The Diane Rehm Show in 1984. The show grew from a local program to one with international reach and a weekly on-air audience of nearly three million. Many of the nation’s prominent newsmakers, journalists and authors have appeared on her program, including then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton, retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and Nobel Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. In 2014, President Barack Obama presented Rehm with the National Humanities Medal. In 2010, Rehm won a Personal Peabody Award, considered among the most prestigious and selective prizes in electronic media, for her more than 30 years hosting a program deemed the “gold standard in civic, civil discourse.”

The 2017 David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award was presented to Diane Rehm during The APTS Public Media Summit on Monday, February 27, 2017.

About APTS
America's Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system that provides essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.

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