Changes at PBS - Exec Farewell letter
By krempasky Posted in Elections — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
In the category of interesting inside information comes this farewell note from PBS CEO Pat Mitchell who has just been named head of the Museum of Television & Radio. I suppose that when a highly paid exec goes from the government dole to the nonprofit dole, we should all celebrate. If only there wasn't going to be a replacement...
Mitchell's letter to PBS employees, send this morning, is below the fold.
Update [2006-1-11 13:12:44 by krempasky]: intersesting reaction from a PBS insider:
"fact--she was suppose to stay on until new leadership was found.....she bailed. She has a history of only doing what's good for her. She talks about what was accomplished.....all the stations are left with what was not accomplished. The selling off of kids programming, having no guidance from PBS on the closed captioning issues despite each station paying 1.7 million + to be a part of pbs."
I'll admit to not knowing much about PBS internal politics and operations beyond my visceral reaction to the entire notion.
When I shared with you last February my decision not to seek a third contract as president and CEO of PBS, I could not have imagined how difficult it would be when the time came to leave. As you know, I was prepared to stay until the end of my contract in June, but after careful consideration of what timing best served PBS' transition to new leadership, an announcement will be made tomorrow about my plans.
I have accepted a position as president and CEO of the Museum of Television and Radio, which is based in New York City and Los Angeles. I will begin Wednesday, March 15.
After mindful coordination and consultation with Board Chair Mary Bitterman and PBS senior staff, we have determined that I will stay with PBS until the Board selects the new president and CEO. At that time, I will make myself available as needed to complete the thoughtful transition of leadership that was the goal of my early announcement.
As we all know, the president of PBS has many constituencies to satisfy. I cannot claim success at satisfying all of them, but it has been a privilege to try. Together with a courageous PBS Board and a very talented team at PBS, we have faced a time which many describe as among the most turbulent in the history of the institution. With challenges from both internal and external forces, I am grateful for what we accomplished for the public we serve together.
In spite of transformative changes in the media landscape and proliferation of choices, the PBS programs that your support makes possible kept public broadcasting among the top choices for viewers. Along with the signature series that define us for so many, with your support, we added new and diverse voices and formats, and altogether, PBS programs won more awards for journalism and production excellence every year than any other media enterprise. Together, we hold the #1 position as the most trusted brand for parents and caregivers, as well as the most trusted source of news and information.
This and much more form our collective legacy upon which a new president and CEO, the PBS Board and each of you can build an even stronger future for all of public broadcasting.
One of the greatest pleasures of my tenure at PBS has been my station visits. Not only did I come to fully understand the diversity of our community of stations, but I also came to fully appreciate the value each of you brings to the local/national partnership that defines our valued institution. I feel so fortunate to know you and to consider so many of you to be good and lasting friends.
Please be assured that I will always be a passionate supporter and advocate. Gratefully, my new position will provide a platform from which to fully support the value of public broadcasting - past, present and future.
I confess to being very emotional about leaving. I find myself thinking about what wasn't accomplished and sad to be ending what has been the most challenging and also the most rewarding working experience of my life, in large part because of the association with each of you and the great privilege we all have shared to contribute to this country's most valued public institution.
Sincerely,
Pat
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Changes at PBS - Exec Farewell letter 7 Comments (0 topical, 7 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Dialectic worth watching, is Dialectic worth paying for.
In light of the criticism, I'll thank you for this. Since tax dollars support public tv and radio, I still have an interest and a hope that changes will be imposed to make it hit center on news and political reporting. Furthermore it is a source of quality and commercial free programming which is distinctive from commercial media.
Which PBS station are you watching, praytell?
I can laugh at your zing, but give me a break. Yea,yea,yea they have sponorships but the commercials are stacked at the end of the hour (or two) and so are refreshingly non-intrusive.
Now how exactly should I have phrased that, praytell? :>)
Or is this really just a prelim. round to defund and commercialize PBS?
PBS under Pat Mitchell has degenerated. In one recent contraversy, PBS aired a program called "Breaking the Silence" which was full of factual errors despite being confronted with contradictory evidence months before the broadcast. Here is another expose on "Breaking the Silence".
It's time for a "back to basics" movement at PBS. They have great nature and children's programming. They should stick with what they are good at.
I just don't know why we should care about this.
I quit donating to public radio and TV long ago (except through taxes).
I don't subscribe to the NYT, the WaPo, or anything else liberal other than our local newspaper and the New Yorker magazine.
I don't insure with Progressive.
I encourage everyone else to do the same.