America's Public Television Stations is honored to present the following awards at its 2018 Public Media Summit.
Champion of Public Broadcasting Awards
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the 2018 Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congressman Charles W. Dent (R-NJ).
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 Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
“Seven years ago we got a call from Senator Gillibrand’s office saying she was circulating a Senate Dear Colleague letter in support of our funding,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “And each year since, she has tirelessly championed this campaign in the Senate, continuously increasing the number of supporters for our cause. Last year her public media funding letter was signed by a record 45 Senators, including both Democrats and Republicans.
“Senator Gillibrand’s steadfast commitment has significantly strengthened our support in the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate at large.
“When our funding has been threatened, Senator Gillibrand has been among the first to come to our defense.
“America’s Public Television Stations could not ask for a more faithful advocate of our cause, and we are honored to present our 2018 Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York."
Congressman Charles W. Dent (R-PA)
"Congressman Dent is one of the most respected and admired members of Congress,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “He has also been a consistent supporter of America’s Public Television Stations, and his leadership has helped us grow our bipartisan support significantly in recent years.
“Congressman Dent is precisely the kind of reasonable, constructive, civil and effective political leader we need more of in Washington. It is my great honor to present this most well-deserved 2018 Champion of Public Broadcasting Award to Congressman Charlie Dent.”
Pillar of Public Service Award
David Lowe, President and General Manager, KVIE in Sacramento, CA
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the Pillar of Public Service Award to David Lowe, President and General Manager, KVIE in Sacramento, CA. The Pillar of Public Service Award recognizes the contributions of an extraordinary leader in one of public television’s three essential public service missions: education, public safety and civic leadership.
“I am delighted to present the 2018 Pillar of Public Service Award to David Lowe, President and General Manager of KVIE in Sacramento, California,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “David and his colleagues at KVIE are true leaders in public safety. Under David’s leadership, the station coordinated with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to pilot the use of datacasting to deliver critical early earthquake warnings faster than ever. The field trials showed that the public television datacasting system can deliver earthquake alerts and warnings in less than 3 seconds – the first time that has ever been achieved.
“Based on these breakthrough results, KVIE launched an ongoing partnership with the Office of Emergency Services to fine-tune off-the-shelf datacasting equipment to achieve automated transmission of earthquake alerts and warnings in under 3 seconds. When an earthquake hits, every second counts. In addition to alerting the public, the early warnings, delivered through datacasting on public television spectrum, will trigger automated safeguards, such as opening firehouse doors that may jam from the tremors. We are extraordinarily proud of David’s commitment of time, resources and passion for our public service mission in public safety, and I'm honored to present him with the Pillar of Public Service Award.”
EDGE Award for Excellence in Innovation
Mark Richer, President of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc. (ATSC)
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the 2018 EDGE Award for Excellence in Innovation to Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc. (ATSC). The EDGE Award is presented to individuals, stations or institutions doing pioneering work in technology and other fields that promote progress in public television.
“I am delighted to present the 2018 EDGE Award to Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc. (ATSC), for the successful and timely completion of the ATSC 3 broadcast standard,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “Under Mark’s innovative leadership, the world’s first Internet Protocol-based broadcasting system became a reality, and the Committee played an integral role in ensuring public television stations’ post-auction channel repacking efforts can coincide with the voluntary, market-by-market implementation of the Next Generation broadcasting standard.
“ATSC 3 will revolutionize the television experience and enable extraordinary advances that will significantly improve local public television stations’ ability to provide interactive, personalized education content and resources; enhanced public safety communications and interoperability capabilities for law enforcement; and additional local programming of value to communities, including coverage of state government. This EDGE award is richly earned, and we congratulate Mark and his colleagues at ATSC for a job remarkably well done.”
National Advocacy Award
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) presented the 2018 National Advocacy Award to Deborah Acklin, president and chief executive officer of WQED Multimedia in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Lloyd Wright, President and CEO of WFYI Public Media in Indianapolis, Indiana, for their exceptional efforts in furthering public television's legislative goals and marshaling local political support for public broadcasting.
Deborah Acklin, President and Chief Executive Officer of WQED Multimedia
“Deb Acklin is a tireless advocate for public broadcasting, helping to strengthen our ever-growing bipartisan support in Congress,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “Deb has been a particularly effective champion of our cause with the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, investing considerable time and energy in educating these leaders about our public service missions of education, public safety and civic leadership, and about the indispensable nature of the federal investment in our work.
“WQED has a rich tradition of such effective advocacy, beginning with Mister Rogers’ historic congressional testimony 49 years ago that saved federal funding for public broadcasting in our infancy. Deb Acklin has carried that tradition forward most impressively, and we are honored to present her with this most well-deserved National Advocacy Award.”
Lloyd Wright, President and CEO of WFYI Public Media
“Lloyd Wright has been one of public media’s most effective and respected leaders for many years, and he never stops leading,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “Lloyd’s work at WFYI has made believers of generations of lawmakers in Indiana, and he has demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness and ingenuity in engaging the public in that work. Just last summer, when our federal funding was facing a severe challenge, Lloyd mounted a highly effective campaign to recruit and mobilize supporters of Protect My Public Media, public television and radio’s grassroots advocacy campaign, including an innovative advertising initiative on the city buses of Indianapolis. We are extremely grateful for Lloyd’s work on behalf of public broadcasting, and we are honored to present him with the National Advocacy Award he so richly deserves.”
David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award
Protect My Public Media
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and NPR presented the 2018 David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award to the more than 720,000 grassroots advocates from Protect My Public Media, public television and radio’s grassroots advocacy campaign.
The APTS board of trustees created the David J. Brugger Lay Leadership Award in honor of its former president and CEO, David Brugger, the longest-serving leader of the organization.
“This year, the David J. Brugger Award is not being presented to an individual, but to a truly awe-inspiring group of public media supporters, in recognition of their remarkable achievement in grassroots advocacy,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “From its modest beginnings seven years ago as 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting, Protect My Public Media has become one of the largest and most effective grassroots movements in America.
“We started last year with 400,000 grassroots advocates. But after President Trump proposed to eliminate our funding, we added another 320,000 recruits to our grassroots army in 2017. They sent hundreds of thousands of messages to Congress defending our funding, and both our champions and our critics on Capitol Hill were moved to congratulate us on the power of this campaign.”
"What is most compelling and important about our joint work together is the constant emphasis we place on our stations … your community service, your local programming and your local voices of support taking action to protect and defend our mission," said Loren Mayor, COO, NPR. "The basic message that your stations are valuable and essential centers of every community we serve resonates like never before."