The 2019 Public Media Summit Awards

America's Public Television Stations is honored to present the following awards at its 2019 Public Media Summit.

Champion of Public Broadcasting Awards

America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the 2019 Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME).

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.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

A long-time member of the House Appropriations Committee before being elected leader, Hoyer has consistently supported federal funding for public broadcasting since coming to Congress in 1981. Hoyer is the highest ranking member of Congress ever to attend the APTS Public Media Summit.

“Steny Hoyer has set an example of statesmanship that has served the Congress and the country exceptionally well for more than 30 years,” said APTS president and CEO Patrick Butler, “and we are deeply appreciative that one mark of his leadership has been his constant advocacy on behalf of public television and its missions of education, public safety and civic leadership. It is our great honor to present him the Champion of Public Broadcasting award.”  

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins has been a long-time supporter of federal funding for public television.

“Now in her fourth term representing the people of Maine, Senator Collins has established a reputation much like that of her idol and predecessor, Senator Margaret Chase Smith – as the conscience of the Senate," said APTS president and CEO Patrick Butler. “As a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Senator Collins helped ensure that our Ready To Learn program was reauthorized in 2015. She’s a devoted fan of Maine Public, and we’re grateful that support for public media has been one of her consistent causes. We’re fortunate that such a strong woman of principle serves the nation as well as Maine. And we’re honored to present Senator Susan Collins with the 2019 Champion of Public Broadcasting Award.”

Pillar of Public Service Award

Jack Galmiche, Nine Network of Public Media, St. Louis, MO

America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the Pillar of Public Service Award to Jack Galmiche, President and CEO of Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis, Missouri, honoring the station’s civic leadership in organizing a community-wide dialog following the Ferguson race crisis, hosting a regional summit on climate change, highlighting the gap between employment skills and available jobs in the St. Louis market, and chronicling the history and culture of Missouri through hundreds of hours of locally-produced programming.
 
"Under Jack’s inspiring leadership, Nine Network has set a high standard for every station in our system to pursue the mission of civic leadership – one of our three pillars of public service, along with education and public safety,” said APTS president and CEO Patrick Butler.
 
“Jack characteristically gives all the credit to his talented staff,” Butler said, “but it is his vision, his commitment, his passion that underlie Nine Network’s exceptional work. America’s Public Television Stations are honored to present him with the 2019 Pillar of Public Service Award."

National Advocacy Award

Bohdan Zachary, General Manager, Milwaukee PBS

America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the 2019 National Advocacy Award to Bohdan Zachary, General Manager of Milwaukee PBS, for his leadership in demonstrating to Congress and the Federal Communications Commission the importance of locally-oriented and locally-managed programs to help consumers cope with new TV channel assignments in the aftermath of the broadcast spectrum auctions.

“Bohdan Zachary’s ‘Plan to Scan’ consumer education initiative at Milwaukee PBS set the standard for the broadcast industry,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS, “and his pioneering work gave the FCC and then the Congress a valuable practical perspective on how complicated consumer education really is and how essential it is that this education be provided by people viewers trust in their local markets.

“Bohdan’s presentation last year to the FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee, followed by his testimony before the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, made a powerful case for public television stations to be included in the consumer education solution. We are most grateful to Bohdan and his colleagues at Milwaukee PBS for their leadership on this critical issue, and we are honored to present Bohdan Zachary with the National Advocacy Award of America’s Public Television Stations.”

David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award

W. Craig Fugate, Former FEMA Administrator

America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the 2019 David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award to former FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate for his work in promoting the public safety mission of local public television stations.
 
Since joining the APTS board in 2017, Mr. Fugate has played an active role in matching public safety needs with public television’s datacasting capability. These use cases include early earthquake warning, wildfire tracking, disaster response, large-scale crowd control, school shooting scenarios, and over-water emergency communications, among others.
 
“After eight years as FEMA Administrator under President Obama, following eight years as Florida Emergency Management Director under Governor Jeb Bush, Craig Fugate knows more about public safety and emergency management than anyone else in America,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “He also knows that public television stations can play a critical role in keeping our citizens and our country safe.
 
“As America’s public television stations continue to enhance their services in public safety communications, Craig has played a vital role in connecting our stations with the public safety community throughout America,” Butler said. “We are immensely grateful for his expertise, commitment and leadership, and we are honored to present the David J. Brugger Award to Craig Fugate, who profoundly deserves it.”