ARLINGTON, VA – April 14, 2011 – Craig A. Sperling has joined the PBS staff as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. In his new role, Mr. Sperling is responsible for the protection of the organization’s legal interests. He will manage day-to-day operations of the PBS legal department, lead transactional projects and serve as a key strategic legal and business advisor to senior PBS executives. Mr. Sperling reports directly to Katherine Lauderdale, PBS Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
“PBS is committed to serving its mission and its audiences by extending distribution of its quality content from television to an ever-growing number of platforms,” said Ms. Lauderdale. “Craig’s extensive background working with clients that offer content over multiple media platforms, as well as his experience with a broad range of business transactions, makes him an excellent choice for this position.”
“I’m excited to be joining an organization that combines a successful track record of providing high-quality programming with a spirit of innovation, especially at a time when the need for public media is stronger than ever,” said Mr. Sperling.
Mr. Sperling joins PBS from the global law firm Morrison & Foerster, where he was Of Counsel in the Corporate and Technology Transactions practice groups, advising clients on a broad range of corporate, finance, technology and media matters. During his six-year tenure, he represented clients on a variety of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and debt and equity financings, and on general corporate matters. He also counseled clients on complex technology transactions, such as intellectual property licenses, development agreements, distribution arrangements and outsourcing. In addition, Mr. Sperling advised clients in the media and entertainment industries with respect to licensing, content acquisition and distribution across various platforms, including online, mobile and cable.
Prior to Morrison & Foerster, Mr. Sperling was Director, Legal Affairs, at Discovery Communications where he negotiated agreements with cable operators for the distribution of Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and other networks, and provided legal and business counsel on a range of activities. He began his career practicing communications and corporate law in the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Wiley Rein.
Mr. Sperling received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and holds a B.A. in Government from Cornell University.
About PBS
PBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans — from every walk of life — the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches 124 million people through television and 20 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBSPressroom on Twitter.
Media Contact: Jan McNamara PBS jmcnamara@pbs.org 703-739-5028
