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Remarks

Paula Kerger
Memphis Rotary Club Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Thank you, and good afternoon. It's good to be in Memphis today.

As Jim just shared with you, I've been at PBS for about four months now. And during that time, I've logged a lot of frequent flier miles, traveling the country to visit PBS stations and talk with public television groups.

And let me tell you, we have a lot of groups in our industry. And it seems like each one goes by a different acronym.

Let me illustrate my point.

Since I accepted this job, I have addressed the N.E.T.A., the N.C.O., the O.S.B.E. and the P.B.M.A.

I've held conference calls with the A.G.C., the M.M.G., the S.S.A. and the U.L.A.

I've spoken on panels with my counterparts from the C.P.B., A.P.T.S. and I.T.V.S.

And let's not forget the stations I've visited: W.N.E.T. in New York, W.G.B.H. in Boston, W.E.T.A. in Washington, W.P.B.T. in Miami, K.C.E.T. in Los Angeles, K.Q.E.D. in San Francisco, M.P.T. in Baltimore and now, W.K.N.O. here in Memphis.

If you're wondering what all these call letters and acronyms stand for, don't bother. You'll never remember. I've spent almost 15 years in this business and I have trouble keeping track of them all.

And please, make no mistake: I enjoy my job. I love public television. I admire and respect the people who work in it.

But sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in alphabet soup!

So when the invitation to speak to the Memphis Rotary Club crossed my desk, I didn't hesitate to accept.

An opportunity to visit with an organization that doesn't go by an acronym? Count me in.

I'm also excited to be here because – while I have spent a lot of time on the road during the past four months, talking with people in our industry – I haven't had as much of an opportunity as I would have liked to visit with our viewers.

So during the Q&A portion of our conversation today, I want you to feel free to share your thoughts on public television. I'm eager to hear how you think we're doing.

But before we get to that, I'd like to spend a few moments talking about what makes public television unique; its roots in localism and education; and why I am confident its best days lie ahead.

I'll begin with a few personal perspectives.

As Jim shared with you, before I joined PBS in March, I spent 13 years at WNET, the PBS station in New York.

But my experience with public broadcasting really goes back much further.

My grandfather was an electronics professor at what used to be called Baltimore Junior College in Maryland. In the early 1950s, he co-founded a classical music public radio station on the school's campus. The station allowed his students to take what they learned from him in his classroom and apply it in a real world setting.

It also provided my family with a big source of pride: "WBJC? That's my grandfather's station."

As a small child, I can remember sitting close to my grandfather at night, listening to radio signals from far away. To a little girl, it seemed like magic. And, indeed, it was.

Growing up, public broadcasting always played an important role in my life.

The first opera I heard was on public radio.

The first ballet I saw was on public television.

"Masterpiece Theater," "Great Performances," the Boston Pops – they were all part of my life, even before I joined this industry.

I'm afraid I'm a little too old to say that I am part of the original "Sesame Street" generation. I was in middle school when that program premiered. But my younger brother loved it, so it was a part of my childhood, too.

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