Veteran Media Executive to Lead PBS Corporate Legal Affairs After 20 Years at Parent Company of WTTW/Chicago
ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 9, 2002 -- Katherine Lauderdale, senior vice president, strategic partnerships and general counsel for Window to the World Communications, Inc. (WWCI) in Chicago, will join the staff of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as senior vice president and general counsel on June 10. The announcement was made today by PBS president and CEO Pat Mitchell. For nearly 20 years, Ms. Lauderdale has served as the chief legal officer for WWCI, the parent company for Network Chicago, the multi-media service that includes public television station WTTW/Chicago, commercial radio station WFMT-FM, CityTalk newspaper and networkchicago.com.
"Katherine brings a wealth of experience, insight and knowledge of public broadcasting, multi-media and education services to this key position, and we are delighted to have her join the senior staff," said Ms. Mitchell. "The two decades she spent successfully guiding the legal affairs of WWCI will be an invaluable resource to PBS as we shape multi-year strategies to better support PBS stations and the communities they serve."
In her new role, Ms. Lauderdale will oversee and manage all corporate legal affairs for PBS, providing legal perspective and advice on a wide range of business issues that arise in the course of the company's activities as a public broadcaster, national television program funder and distributor, business corporation and non-profit, tax-exempt membership organization. Her major practice areas will include business transactions, intellectual property issues, legislative and regulatory matters, litigation and risk management. Ms. Lauderdale will supervise the staff members of the general counsel's office and the business affairs department and will work closely with the PBS board of directors.
"This agreement builds on our commitment to ensure that our unique noncommercial programming and education services are available to all viewers through their local public TV stations' digital signal across a variety of platforms," said PBS President and CEO Pat Mitchell. "We applaud Insight Communications for recognizing the value that public television's comprehensive array of digital services will bring to their customers in communities nationwide."
As senior vice president, strategic partnerships and general counsel of WWCI, a position she has held since 2000, Ms. Lauderdale is responsible for the oversight of all legal and business affairs of the company, including labor negotiations, FCC and other regulatory matters, employment law issues and the structuring and negotiating of production and distribution contracts. She is also responsible for establishing strategic partnerships with leading Chicago-area cultural and civic institutions and corporations that extend the impact of WWCI's programming while providing community service, decreasing expenses and generating revenue. Ms. Lauderdale has also successfully developed or implemented ancillary revenue streams through such entrepreneurial ventures as book publishing projects, the creation of a stock footage library, licensing programs and new technology projects.
Ms. Lauderdale joined WWCI in 1982 as director of legal and business affairs. She was promoted to general counsel the following year and in 1989 added vice president to her title. In 1993, Ms. Lauderdale was named senior vice president and general counsel. She was appointed senior vice president, new ventures and general counsel two years later, and in 2000 she began her duties as senior vice president, strategic partnerships and general counsel, her current title.
A graduate of New York University School of Law, Ms. Lauderdale holds a B.A. degree from The Ohio State University. She currently serves on the University of Chicago Women's Board, The Ohio State University President's Advisory Council and is also a member of Lawyers for the Creative Arts. Ms. Lauderdale began her career as an Associate at Schiff Hardin & Waite in Chicago and formerly served with the Mentium 100 and LINKS mentoring organizations, the Lawyers Committee of Grant Memorial A.M.E. Church and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
PBS, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations. Serving nearly 100 million people each week, PBS enriches the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services on noncommercial television, the Internet and other media. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org
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Contact:
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