APTS Presents Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers

WASHINGTON — February 28, 2012 — The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented its Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to House Appropriations Committee chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY).

The award is given to Members of Congress and other individuals who safeguard the ability of local public television stations to provide educational, informational, cultural and other essential public services to their communities.

“Chairman Rogers is a longtime supporter and friend of public television, especially his local station Kentucky Educational Television (KET),” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “As Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Rogers has safeguarded federal funding for public broadcasting, even while leading the necessary effort to restrain federal spending and reduce the national debt. His support is directly tied to the education mission of public television, which stations like KET perform so well, and we are very grateful to the Chairman for standing with us in these most challenging times.”

“I am honored to accept this kind award from the Association of Public Television Stations,” says Rogers. “I applaud APTS for their efforts to bring quality programming and educational content into the homes of all Americans.”

Serving Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District since 1981, Congressman Rogers is currently in his 16th term representing the people of southern and eastern Kentucky, and is the longest serving Kentucky Republican ever elected to federal office. Born in rural Kentucky and representing one of the poorest Congressional Districts in the nation, Rogers’ vision for a stronger region spurred some of the greatest success stories in southern and eastern Kentucky. Organizations such as PRIDE, Operation UNITE, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development (SKED), and TOUR Southern and Eastern Kentucky (TOUR SEKY) have brought local communities together by revitalizing the environment, providing hope in the fight against drugs, building small businesses and creating jobs by increasing tourism in one of the most beautiful regions of the country. Throughout Rogers’ 29-year tenure on the Appropriations Committee, he has served on eight different subcommittees, including leadership roles as Chairman or Ranking Member of three. 

“We’re so proud to see this Champion of Public Broadcasting Award be presented to our great Kentucky Congressman, Chairman Rogers,” says KET Executive Director and CEO Shae Hopkins. “Throughout his distinguished career, Congressman Rogers has remained committed to improving the lives of the people he serves in eastern and southern Kentucky, and indeed the entire Commonwealth. A champion of education, Chairman Rogers has strongly supported the mission of KET and public broadcasting, to provide access to quality educational programs and instructional resources. We are grateful for his longtime support and friendship.”

Butler concluded: “Congressman Rogers has a long history of serving the special needs of rural America and the Appalachian region, and those needs include the education, job training, informational and other services that public television provides in even the most hard-to-reach areas of our country. Kentucky Educational Television is the only statewide broadcast medium in Kentucky. We at APTS are grateful to our colleagues at KET for demonstrating the full potential of public television to serve the American people, and we are especially honored to call such a distinguished public servant as Chairman Rogers a champion of public broadcasting.”

The Champion of Public Broadcasting Award was presented to Congressman Rogers during The APTS Public Media Summit on Tuesday, February 28.

About APTS
The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1979. The mission of APTS is to conduct – in concert with member stations – advocacy, planning, research and communications activities in order to achieve strong and financially sound noncommercial television and advanced digital services for the American people. APTS provides consistent leadership and information that helps our members better accomplish their own missions and goals. Through its affiliate APTS Action, APTS promotes the legislative and regulatory interests of noncommercial television stations at the national level through direct advocacy, and grasstops and grassroots campaigns designed to garner congressional support. For more information, visit www.apts.org.

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