New Interactive Learning Division Will Build On Web Leadership
Consolidates Media Relations Team Into Brand Management Division
ALEXANDRIA, VA, September 6, 2002 - PBS President and CEO Pat Mitchell announced today a reorganization of senior management at the nation's public television broadcaster. The plan will capitalize on growing synergies among several offices, enhance productivity and benefit PBS's 349 member stations and its viewers around the country.
"We operate in a dynamic business environment and are always evaluating how we can maximize the talents of our staff and benefit our member stations," said Ms. Mitchell. "This reorganization is part of a strategic evolution to build a more efficient and more effective PBS, and that's good news for all our staff and the people we serve."
The key components of the plan, which takes effect immediately, are the creation of a new Interactive Learning division and the consolidation of several media relations offices under the Brand Management, Promotion and Media Relations division. Wayne Godwin, PBS Executive Vice President and COO, outlined the reorganization to all PBS staff and its member stations today.
The new Interactive Learning division will be headed by Senior Vice President Cindy Johanson and include PBS Interactive, TeacherLine, TeacherSource and Digital Content Planning. The new division is expected to build on PBS's Internet leadership and its use of technology to serve its educational mission at the national and local levels. Today, pbs.org is the most visited dot-org Web site in the world with more than 160 million page views each month, and it is the national leader in online education, serving students and educators at all levels.
"The creation of Interactive Learning will both leverage internal efficiencies and better serve our growing audience of teachers and learners through digital media," said Ms. Johanson. "With 24 percent of pbs.org's audience designating themselves as educators and my role on the Senior Programming Team, this reorganization is a natural evolution."
The reconstituted Brand Management, Promotion and Media Relations department will be led by Senior Vice President Lesli Rotenberg. Program Press Relations, Education and Online Communications, Viewer Services and Special Events, formerly under the corporate communication division, will now be part of Brand Management, Promotion and Media Relations. This change consolidates several offices with similar and converging activities that will benefit from the efficiency of a single management team.
"The merging of Brand Management and Media Relations allows PBS to take best advantage of the natural synergies between these two disciplines," said Ms. Rotenberg. "PBS stations will ultimately benefit from our increased ability to tell the PBS story in a more consistent and powerful way."
Mr. Godwin announced other changes, as well. Among those are that Andre Mendes will return as PBS Chief Technology Integration Officer; that PBS will post for a new position of Vice President of Media Relations within the Brand Management, Promotion and Media Relations division; that Human Resources will report to the Corporate Finance Officer; and that PBS will establish a new Management Committee of senior staff.
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, the leading dot-org Web site on the Internet.
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Contact:
George Abar, PBS
703-739-5031