National Forum for Public Television Executives: Participants in formation

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Dozens included the Core Working Group, the Circle of Advisors and consultants from BMR Associates.

Countdown ’97 Core Working Group (CWG)

The Core Working Group, consisting of 13 public television station chief executives, developed plans for the ongoing CEO Forum created in 1997. For background on how the Core Working Group was selected, the goal of the project and other details see Questions and Answers about Countdown ’97.

Carole Cartwright, WYCC, Chicago, IL
Bryce Combs, WMVS/WMVT, Milwaukee, WI
Trina Cutter, WNIT, Elkart, IN
Mark Erstling, WPSX, University Park, PA
Ginni Fox, Kentucky Educational Television, Lexington, KY
Dennis Haarsager, KWSU, Pullman, WA
Mike Hardgrove, KETC, St. Louis, MO
Al Jerome, KCET, Los Angeles, CA
Bill McCarter, WTTW, Chicago, IL
George Miles, Jr., WQED, Pittsburgh, PA
Jim Pagliarini, KNPB, Reno, NV
Al Pizzato, WSRE, Pensacola, FL
Mel Rogers, KOCE, Huntington Beach, CA

Circle of Advisors

The Circle of Advisors was a group of 38 individuals including 33 public TV licensee chief executives and five other public broadcasters who participated in discussion groups and reviewed document drafts.

Steven Antoniotti, President & General Manager, WTVS, Detroit, MI
William F. Baker, President & CEO, Thirteen/WNET, New York, NY
Henry P. Becton, President and General Manager, WGBH, Boston, MA
Mary Bitterman, President & CEO, KQED, San Francisco, CA
Frederick Breitenfeld, Jr., PhD., President, WHYY, Philadelphia, PA
Terrel L. Cass, President and General Manager, WLIW, New York, NY
Ward Chamberlin, VP & Managing Director of Broadcast Center, Thirteen/WNET, New York, NY
Burnill F. Clark, President & CEO, KCTS, Seattle, WA
Milton C. Clipper, President & COO, WPBA, Atlanta, GA
Beth G. Courtney, Executive Director & General Manager, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Baton Rouge, LA
David L. Dial, President and General Manager, WNIN, Evansville, IN
Fred C. Esplin, General Manager, KUED, Dolores Dor=C8 Eccles Broadcast Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Randall Feldman, President & General Manager, WYES, New Orleans, LA
James A. Fellows, President, Central Educational Network, Des Plaines, IL
Patrick Fitzgerald, General Manager, WBGU-TV, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH
Jerry Franklin, President, CEO & General Manager, Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Hartford, CT
Peter Frid, President & General Manager, New Hampshire Public Television, Durham, NH
Robert H. Gardiner, President and General Manager, Maine Public Television, Lewiston, ME
Hope S. Green, President, Vermont ETV, Colchester, VT
Thomas Hanley, President and CEO, WNPE, Watertown, NY
John Hesse, General Manager, WLJT, Martin, TN
Skip Hinton, President, Southern Educational Communications Association, Columbia, SC
David H. Hosley, General Manager, KCSM, San Mateo, CA
Susan Howarth, Executive Director, Arkansas Educational Television Network, Conway, AR
Jim Kelly, General Manager, WLAE, New Orleans, LA
Bill Kobin, Community Stations Resource Group, Los Angeles, CA
Ted Krichels, General Manager, KBDI, Denver, CO
Maynard E. Orme, President & CEO, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland, OR
Connie Rannels, Director, Television Future Fund, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Washington, DC
William T. Reed, President and General Manager, KCPT, Kansas City, MO
Sharon P. Rockefeller, President and CEO, WETA, Washington, DC
W. Donn Rogosin, President & General Manager, WMHT-TV, Channel 17, Schenectady, NY
Ron Salak, General Manager, KRWG-TV, Las Cruces, NM
Van Gordon Sauter, President and General Manager, KVIE, Sacramento, CA
Thomas J. Thomas, Station Resource Group, 7116 Sycamore Avenue, Takoma Park, MD
Chet Tomczyk, President & General Manager, WTVP, Peoria, IL
Joanne Winik, President & General Manager, KLRN, San Antonio, TX
Lloyd Wright, President & General Manager, WFYI, Indianapolis, IN

Consultants from BMR Associates

BMR Associates, a San Francisco Bay Area management consulting firm specializing in media organizations [website], facilitated the creation of the Forum. The firm was chosen for the project by the APTS Board of Trustees in a competitive selection process in the spring of 1996.

The BMR project team included four senior associates:

  • Peter Kiers, company president and overall project director;
  • Eric Douglas, project manager;
  • John Hershberger, veteran public broadcasting professional, and
  • Ken Macher, a leader in helping organizations improve their decision-making and governing processes.

BMR, based in Corte Madera, Calif., also incorporated into the project a Senior Advisory Panel consisting of four organizational and change-management specialists:

  • Linda Applegate, co-chair of the Harvard Business School MBA program;
  • Dee Hock, founder of VISA International;
  • Bill O’Brien, retired CEO of Hanover Insurance Companies; and
  • Ray Miles, dean emeritus of the Walter A. Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

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