WASHINGTON – November 7, 2012 – The following is the statement from Patrick Butler, president and CEO, APTS:
“The Association of Public Television Stations congratulates President Obama and the members of the 113th Congress on their elections.
“We hope these elections will mark a turning point for public television and a restoration of the bipartisan support for our work that has been a hallmark of our experience since President Eisenhower first proposed a national commitment to educational television in the National Defense Education Act of 1958.
“Public television remains profoundly committed to this education mission, and we are deploying all the tools of new technology to perform that mission more successfully and comprehensively than ever before.
“Sesame Street alone has helped more than 80 million pre-school children get ready to learn and to succeed in school and in life, but this extraordinary accomplishment is only the most famous example of a system-wide commitment to lifelong learning that has transformed many millions of lives in K-12 classrooms, in GED programs, in job training initiatives, and in a constant search for knowledge among Americans of all ages.
“This work – like our work in public safety, in creating well-informed citizens, and in leading community engagement to tackle some of the most important issues facing our society, including the drop-out crisis – is well worth the modest investment of federal funds that amounts to one-hundredth of one percent of the federal budget.
“The American people have made their support for this work and this investment quite clear in the course of this election season, and we look forward to working with the Obama Administration, the Senate and the House – as well as the nation’s Governors, state legislatures and other public and private leaders -- in a partnership that transcends partisanship and advances our country’s educational and other public service goals in effective, efficient and enduring ways.”
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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