APTS Presents Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to Missouri Senator Roy Blunt

WASHINGTON – March 1, 2017 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented the Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.

The Champion of Public Broadcasting Award is given to political leaders and other individuals who safeguard the ability of local public television stations to provide education, public safety and civic leadership services to their communities.

“Senator Blunt’s extraordinary leadership has been instrumental in ensuring that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, our new interconnection system, and the highly effective Ready To Learn preschool education program have been fully funded in the Senate Appropriations Bill each year of his chairmanship,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS.

“This funding has allowed public television to continue to serve everyone, everywhere, every day, for free, including those in rural communities and throughout the great state of Missouri,” Butler said. “As a one-time history teacher and college president, Senator Blunt well understands the importance of preserving our nation’s history and culture and telling America’s story in a way that only public television can. It is our great honor to present the Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to Senator Roy Blunt.”

“From children’s programming to public safety, our nation’s public TV and radio stations are an important resource, particularly in rural and underserved communities,” Senator Blunt said. “It’s an honor to receive this award, and I will continue working to responsibly prioritize resources for public broadcasting in the appropriations process.”

Building on a background as a public servant, university president and teacher, United States Senator Roy Blunt was elected to the United States Senate in 2010.

Senator Blunt serves as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. He also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and the Senate Rules Committee. He also serves as the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security.

The people of Southwest Missouri overwhelmingly elected Senator Blunt seven times to the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Blunt was elected the Majority Whip earlier in his career than any Member of Congress in eight decades, and he was elected to the Senate leadership during his first year in the Senate.

Before serving in Congress, he was a history teacher, a county official, and in 1984 became the first Republican elected as Missouri’s Secretary of State in more than 50 years. Senator Blunt also served four years as the president of Southwest Baptist University, his alma mater, in Bolivar, Missouri. Senator Blunt earned an M.A. in history from Missouri State University.

The Champion of Public Broadcasting Award was presented to Senator Roy Blunt during The APTS Public Media Summit on Wednesday, March 1, 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.

###