Condolences

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Thursday, June 6, 2024

unanimously

RESOLVED,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

DAVID H. PRYOR

 U.S. Member of Congress, 1966-1973

Arkansas Governor, 1975-1979

U.S. Senator, 1979-1997

CPB Board Member, 2006-2014

CPB Board Vice Chair, 2010-2011

CPB Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, 2019

We will long remember with gratitude David H. Pryor, a true statesman and public servant whose principled, effective leadership as a member of the CPB board strengthened our stewardship and governance on behalf of public media.

David Pryor served on the CPB Board from 2006-2014, including as its vice chair and as chair of its Corporate Governance Committee.

On the CPB board, just as he was in elective office, Senator Pryor was the voice of reason and wisdom. He fostered bipartisanship and civility as we addressed economic and political challenges impacting public media. His intellectual curiosity inspired his fellow board members and management alike and left a lasting mark on public media.

He helped establish the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, the outcome of a CPB initiative to salvage significant history recorded by public television stations that was being lost at an alarming rate as aging film and videotapes deteriorated in storage rooms across the country. Today, the Library of Congress and GBH (Boston) are the permanent stewards of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.

In recognition for his numerous contributions to public media, David Pryor received CPB’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Senator Pryor’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his wife, Barbara, and their sons, former Senator Mark Pryor, David Jr., and Scott, and his many friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Thursday, June 6, 2024

unanimously

RESOLVED,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

ROBERT “ROBIN” MACNEIL

 Host, Washington Week in Review, 1971-1974

Anchor, “The Robert MacNeil Report;” co-anchor, “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report” and

“The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” (1975-1995)

Co-recipient, with Jim Lehrer, CPB Ralph Lowell Medal, 1989
 

We will long remember with gratitude public media pioneer and journalistic icon Robert “Robin” MacNeil. Robin was the founding anchor of PBS’ daily evening news program, “The Robert MacNeil Report,” which set the standard for trusted, in-depth, objective journalism that set public media apart and was the forerunner to today’s ‘PBS NewsHour,’ a program that continues to exemplify journalistic excellence.

In his long and distinguished career, Robin covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 for NBC News; moderated PBS’ ‘Washington Week in Review’ from 1971-1974; won an Emmy Award for his coverage of the 1973 Watergate hearings on PBS; and teamed up with Jim Lehrer to start ‘The Robert MacNeil Report’ in 1975. After serving 20 years on the program, renamed ‘The MacNeil/Lehrer Report’ and then expanded to the 60-minute ‘MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour,’ he retired from anchoring in 1995. He later contributed to PBS coverage of the September 11, 2001, attacks for PBS and hosted a PBS miniseries ‘America at a Crossroads’ in 2007.

Together with Jim Lehrer, Robin MacNeil was the recipient of many journalism and broadcasting awards, including CPB’s Ralph Lowell Medal.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Robin MacNeil’s leadership, professionalism, and commitment to journalistic integrity with deep respect and appreciation. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and his many friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Thursday, June 6, 2024

unanimously

RESOLVED,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

JOANNE CHURCH

 Pioneering Public Radio Thought Leader

Co-Author of Audience Ratings: A Primer for Non-Commercial Stations

President, Radio Research Consortium

We will long remember public radio researcher Joanne Church, who dedicated her professional life to strengthening public radio through research and the strategic use of audience metric that demonstrated the value and impact of public radio to sponsors, donors, supporters, and listeners.

Joanne and her husband Tom founded the Radio Research Consortium in Olney Maryland in 1981, with the goal of introducing audience research to public radio.

They educated public radio managers and programmers about audience metrics, helping public radio to better meet the needs of their audiences.

Joanne became president of RRC in 2005 and was a driving force in ensuring public radio had access to Arbitron and Nielsen ratings.

In 2009, Joanne received the Public Radio Regional Organization’s PRRO Award.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Joanne Church’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Thursday, June 6, 2024

unanimously

RESOLVED,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

JAC VENZA

 Founder, New York Playhouse

Founding Executive Producer, Great Performances

Director of Cultural and Arts Programs, WNET/New York

CPB Ralph Lowell Award Recipient, 1997

We will long remember with gratitude Jac Venza, for making entertainment and culture part of public media’s mission and described in the New York Times as “probably the person most responsible for the performing arts being on American television.”

Mr. Venza was part of a core group of television producers who helped create National Educational Television, the precursor to PBS.

At NET, then WNET, Mr. Venza brought artistic and cultural programs to public television, including “NET Playhouse,” “Theater in America,” “Live From Lincoln Center,” “New York Playhouse” and “Great Performances.” He also imported popular BBC productions like “Brideshead Revisited.” Talented performers such as Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Steep made their first significant television performances in Mr. Venza’s productions.

Mr. Venza won 10 Primetime Emmys, and the programs he produced for WNET received a total of 57 Emmy nominations. Mr. Venza’s many awards include an International Emmy and a Governor’s Award, both for lifetime achievement, and the CPB Ralph Lowell Award.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Jac Venza’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

7 in favor; 1 absent

Resolved,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

RONALD C. BORNSTEIN

 Vice President for Telecommunications, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Acting President, National Public Radio 

CPB Edward R. Murrow Award Recipient, 1982

We will long remember with gratitude Ronald C. Bornstein. a visionary leader whose influence on public media was both broad and deep. 

Mr. Bornstein’s many public media roles included serving as production manager of the University of Michigan Television Center, assisting in the development of Hawaii Public Television, serving as general manager of WHA Radio and Television and Director of Telecommunications for the University of Wisconsin-Extension. He also served at CPB as vice president for Telecommunications, overseeing both television and radio. 

Mr. Bornstein organized a merger of NPR and the Association of Public Radio Stations in 1977, expanding NPR’s reach to more audiences, increasing access to rural areas, and adding services to member stations. In 1983, he was appointed Acting CEO of NPR to save NPR from insolvency when it was in financial crisis and broker a solution. He went on to serve as a founding partner of NETA Consulting and served on the boards and executive committees of APTS, PBS and NPR.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Ronald Bornstein’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

7 in favor; 1 absent 

Resolved,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

JOYCE SLOCUM

 Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel, and interim CEO, NPR

and President and CEO, Texas Public Radio

We will long remember with gratitude Joyce Slocum as an inspiring leader in public radio at both the local and national levels. She understood the promise and power of public media and the mission of journalism in the public interest.

Joyce Slocum was an attorney who began her public media career at NPR, where she served a variety of key leadership roles, including chief administrative officer, general counsel and chief ethics officer. She became interim CEO in 2011, bringing stability to the organization at a tumultuous time.

In 2014, she returned to her beloved Texas to become president and CEO of Texas Public Radio, leading the organization as it grew to a nationally recognized powerhouse, producing meaningful, award-winning news, arts programming, and public events. She led a capital campaign and the completion of a new headquarters in downtown San Antonio, led the growth of local journalism and the expansion of podcasts and Spanish-language news at the station. 

The CPB Board of Directors marks Joyce Slocum’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

 unanimously

Resolved,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

Nellie Moore (Iñupiaq)

Pioneering Alaska Native Public Media Journalist

We will long remember with gratitude Nellie Moore, one of Alaska’s first Indigenous reporters.

At 19, Nellie became the first news director at public radio station KOTZ in Kotzebue, Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, in 1973, when many Alaka communities depended on radio to communicate with the outside world. In a career spanning 44 years, she also worked as a reporter for KUAC in Fairbanks and KNBA/Alaska Public Media in Anchorage, the first urban Native radio station in the nation, where she was one of the early hosts of National Native News. She also worked as a consultant to Children’s Television Workshop to produce six television segments on the Inupiat people for “Sesame Street.”

Throughout her long career, she introduced local news to Native communities and was a voice for Native people.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Nellie Moore’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

 unanimously

Resolved,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

Gary Fife (Creek)

Founding host of National Native News

We will long remember with gratitude Gary Fife, the pioneering journalist who served as the first host of National Native News, which launched in 1987 as the first national public radio program to cover Indian Country and continues to this day.

A radio journalist living in Minneapolis, Gary was recruited by the Alaska Public Radio Network to start the program because he had reporting and broadcast experience, a deep knowledge of Native history, politics and issues, and was well-connected across Indian Country.

Gary embraced the challenge because he believed that media was a modern extension of traditional storytelling and could be used to uplift what was then an invisible minority of Native Americans. He used his platform to educate journalists about the diversity and complexity of Indian Country.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Gary Fife’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

 unanimously

Resolved,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

 Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

 to the Family and Friends of

Bob Edwards

“Morning Edition” Host, 1979-2004

We will long remember public radio host Bob Edwards, whose wide-ranging interviews shaped NPR’s “Morning Edition” over nearly a quarter of a century and helped give NPR its gravitas and credibility.

Bob joined NPR in 1974 and co-hosted “All Things Considered” before being tapped to host “Morning Edition.” His authoritative baritone voice and understated delivery set the tone for what became the network’s flagship morning program. He conducted more than 20,000 interviews for “Morning Edition,” including regular talks with cowboy poet Baxter Black and former Major League Baseball announcer Red Barber, which made the program what he called “a little island of civility and purpose.”

Bob was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peabody Award, the Alfred I duPont-Columbia University Award and CPB’s Edward R. Morrow Award for outstanding contributions to public radio. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2004.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Bob Edwards’ leadership and extraordinary service to public radio and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

RESOLUTION
PUBLIC SESSION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Monday, December 11, 2023

unanimously

Resolved,

That the Board of Directors

of the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Expresses its Heartfelt Condolences

to the Family and Friends of

Samuel C. O. Holt

Author of the Public Radio Study

Senior Executive of PBS and NPR

Winner of the 1983 Edward R. Murrow Award

We will long remember with gratitude Samuel C. O. Holt as a visionary researcher who helped lay the foundation for NPR and PBS’ national programming services.

In late 1968, Sam Holt was commissioned by CPB and the Ford Foundation to report on the state of educational radio and make recommendations to build the new public radio system. Many of his recommendations from his 1969 Public Radio Study were implemented when National Public Radio was founded the following year.

As a founding member of PBS’ staff in 1970, Holt coordinated programming, helping to create programs including “Masterpiece Theatre” and “The MacNeil-Lehrer Report.” In 1977, he joined NPR as Senior Vice President for Programming and helped launch such celebrated programs as “Morning Edition.” He won the Edward R. Murrow Award from the CPB in 1983, which recognizes outstanding contributions to public radio.

The CPB Board of Directors marks Samuel Holt’s leadership, vision, and extraordinary service to public media and the American public with deep respect and appreciation and offers our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.