Larry Unger, president and CEO of Maryland Public Television, will retire from the organization June 30.
Edward H. Kaplan, Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission chair, appointed Vice Chair Richard Bodorff to lead the search for a new leader in January.
Unger, the fifth leader in MPT’s history, joined the state network in 1997. He held the titles of VP of administration and finance, CFO, EVP and COO before being named CEO in 2011, succeeding Robert Shuman.
During his tenure, Unger successfully advocated for legislative changes that protected MPT’s state appropriations. He oversaw the network’s expansion to four channels, its HBCU Week programming, and the providing of free audio of public affairs programs to local radio stations.
Unger also helped MPT introduce programming initiatives celebrating veterans and launched the Center for Maryland History Films and the Maryland Center for Media Literacy & Education. His leadership team concluded a $12.5 million capital campaign in 2019 and procured a $9 million gift from Irene and Edward H. Kaplan for a new studio expansion.
Before joining MPT, Unger was EVP of Baltimore Bancorp and its primary subsidiary, the Bank of Baltimore. He was also president of Atlantic Leasing & Financial Inc., EVP of the Maryland National Leasing Corp. and VP of CC Leasing.
Unger has served as an at-large board trustee for America’s Public Television Stations, a member of the National Educational Telecommunications Association’s board of directors, a board member and co-chair of the Organization of State Broadcasting Executives and a trustee and chair of American Public Television.