ARLINGTON, VA, January 02, 2007- Following a nation-wide search, Internet pioneer Jason Seiken has been appointed PBS' Senior Vice President, Interactive. Seiken will report to PBS' Chief Content Officer, John Boland, and will begin his tenure at PBS headquarters in Arlington, VA this month.
In his new role, Seiken will oversee PBS' award-winning new media content and services, including pbs.org, pbskids.org, pbskidsgo.org, pbsparents.org, as well as emerging broadband and mobile delivery platforms.
"Jason brings to this position an exceptional track record of digital strategy, design and content development," said John Boland, Chief Content Officer. "We are extremely fortunate to have such an extraordinary professional joining us to help lead PBS into the digital future."
"I'm thrilled to be joining the outstanding team at PBS," Seiken said. "I'm a huge fan of the quality and integrity that PBS stations bring to the world of television, and it's an honor to help expand and grow that quality and integrity in the world of new media."
Seiken was the founding Executive Editor of washingtonpost.com, where he led the creation of one of the premier newspaper Web sites in the world. Later, he moved to AOL, where he ran AOL's channel programming group, which produced what at the time were 9 of the top 10 online news and entertainment sites, as ranked by Media Metrix. Before coming to PBS, he was based in London, where he led content development for AOL's businesses in the UK, France, and Germany as Vice President, Content and Programming for AOL Europe.
Earlier in his career, Seiken was an award-winning reporter, editor, and columnist at newspapers in New York and Massachusetts. In 1993, he was named a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University. He is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady, NY.
About PBS
PBS is a media enterprise that serves 354 public noncommercial television stations and reaches over 75 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is a leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of other educational services. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (www.pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.
-PBS-
CONTACT:
Kevin Dando, 703/739-5073, kdando@pbs.org