WASHINGTON – March 3, 2026 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented the inaugural 2026 Protect My Public Media Award to Lori Overdorf, Director of Foundation and Government Relations at Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
The Protect My Public Media Award recognizes the exceptional work of stations and their staff in support of the Protect My Public Media grassroots campaign.
“Lori Overdorf’s creativity, vision and initiative in promoting Protect My Public Media and incorporating it into local station community events helped significantly increase the campaign’s impact,” said Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations.
“Lori set a new standard for stations by building a visible, local campaign presence. The time, resources and passion that Lori has devoted to this effort strengthened local engagement with the campaign and catalyzed similar on-the-ground grassroots efforts nationwide. We are profoundly appreciative for her relentless efforts, along with the entire team at Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
“We are extremely grateful for Lori’s tireless passion and dedication, and we are honored to present her with this most well-deserved 2026 Protect My Public Media Award.”
“From Protect My Public Media Day, which was held in almost every county of Western New York, coordinating lawn sign delivery to every corner she could see, launching a letter-writing campaign to federal representatives and organizing the ‘Meet Us at the Market’ series, to say Lori went above and beyond is only a start,” said Tom Calderone, President and CEO of BTPM. “And, there is a victory lap for her and the organization because we also loved sharing our success with other stations within the system when it came to our boots on the ground strategy to Protect My Public Media.”
“I am honored to be the recipient of the 2026 Protect My Public Media Award,” said Lori Overdorf. “Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s ‘ground game’ vision and gameplan put public media out into the community, engaging them in the fight against rescission and reinforcing our mission to serve the community. I share this award with my incredibly talented colleagues at Buffalo Toronto Public Media who all lent their talents to the effort.”
Lori Overdorf conceptualized and led a comprehensive local grassroots ground effort, organizing Protect My Public Media outreach at local businesses, farmers markets and community events across Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s broadcast area. Station staff engaged directly with community members, distributed campaign materials and lawn signs, collected testimonials and directed supporters to take action through QR codes and on-site engagement. Several stations subsequently adopted similar strategies in their own communities.
Overdorf is the Director of Foundation and Government Relations at Buffalo Toronto Public Media. She joined the organization in 2022.
Overdorf has varied experience in nonprofit management, fundraising program implementation, partnership cultivation, special events planning and execution, grant writing, program development and government affairs.
The 2026 Protect My Public Media Award was presented to Lori Overdorf during the APTS Public Media Summit on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
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About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and community connections to their local areas and the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org