PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger to Speak at UM on the Future of Public Television

As part of the University of Miami School of Communication’s Annual Conversation Series, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger will visit the campus to discuss the role of public media in the digital age.    

Kerger’s Nov. 2 visit includes insights from the broadcasting executive, followed by a moderated Q&A session with students and members of the university community, presided by School of Communication Professor Paul Driscoll.

“We are honored by Ms. Kerger’s visit to the School. She has been a visionary leader in broadcasting during a time of tremendous change, challenge, and opportunity. Our students and faculty are thrilled by the opportunity to meet with her, learn from her, and talk with her about the future of public television,” says Gregory J. Shepherd, dean of the School of Communication.

Kerger joined PBS in 2006 as its sixth president and is responsible for the Public Broadcasting Service’s highest rated drama, Downton Abbey. Under her leadership, PBS’ viewership has increased to almost 90 percent of television households tuning in. Before assuming the position of PBS’ president, Kerger was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of New York’s Educational Broadcasting Corporation. Her honors include receiving the 2008 Woman of Achievement Award from Women in Development, and the 2012 Brand Builder Award from Promax/BDA, Broadcasting & Cable, and Multichannel News. She is consistently included in The Hollywood Reporter’s “Women in Entertainment Power 100” list.

Supported by the Robert Corley Groves Lecture Series Fund, the UM School of Communication’s Annual Conversation Series features national leaders who share their insights with students into the current and future state of the media industry. Past speakers include Ron Meyer, vice chairman of NBCUniversal.

The conversation on the Future of Public Television begins at 11:15 a.m. on Nov. 2 at the School of Communication’s Shoma Hall (room 3053) in the Communication International Building and is open to the university community. Those who cannot attend can watch the live stream through Periscope @UMSoC.