WASHINGTON – March 3, 2026 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented the inaugural 2026 Protect My Public Media Award to PBS SoCal.
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.
“Andy Russell and his team at PBS SoCal demonstrated extraordinary system leadership during a consequential time for local public media stations,” said Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations.
“In all the years of Protect My Public Media, we have never seen this level of creative investment from a station. PBS SoCal stepped forward and produced five high-impact celebrity video spots for use across the public television system – an unprecedented contribution – helping energize supporters and inspire action during a challenging year. These video spots were shared widely across social media and broadcast on public media stations across the country this past summer.
“We are deeply appreciative of the time, resources and vision that PBS SoCal invested in Protect My Public Media this year. It is my honor to present them with the inaugural Protect My Public Media Award which they so richly deserve.”
“We’re truly honored to receive this award,” said Andrew Russell, President and CEO at PBS SoCal. “Protecting public media means protecting something bigger than any of us. It’s about preserving a trusted space where facts matter, where children can discover the joy of learning and where every community can see itself reflected and celebrated. We are proud to serve millions of families every day in providing programming and services that fulfill our mission to educate, inform and inspire.”
PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing its community with an essential connection to a wider world.
As a local, donor/member-supported nonprofit organization, PBS SoCal programming is available to viewers on all key streaming platforms via the free PBS App and PBS KIDS App as well as over-the-air, via seven channels — including two primary broadcast channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus.
With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal reaches nearly 22 million viewers in the region with programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning education, news, environment and arts & culture.
PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.
The 2026 Protect My Public Media Award was presented to PBS SoCal 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