PBS Foundation

News & Information

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Remarks

Paula Kerger
Ready to Lead in Literacy Fall Conference
Friday, Oct. 20, 2006

Good afternoon, and thank you, Joyce, for that introduction.

Joyce has been a good friend for a long time. For years, we had a bet about which one of us served on more public television panels and committees.

When I accepted the job at PBS, I was concerned I might not see Joyce as much. I know now that I had nothing to worry about.

I think I probably see Joyce more now than ever. And that's great, because she is an asset to the public television system. We are lucky to have her.

We are also fortunate to have each one of you in the system, too. And that's what I want to focus on this afternoon.

I want to acknowledge the remarkable work that the people in this room do and share some thoughts on how I see it fitting into the broader mission of public television.

I also want to spend a few moments talking with you about the work PBS is doing nationally to support your efforts at the grassroots level.

And then if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

I want to begin with one of my favorite quotes.

"Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another."

G.K. Chesterton, the noted British author, said that in 1924, and it's as true now as it was then.

I love the expression because I think it underscores the importance of education in our culture, and it speaks to the value we place on education in public television.

You know, when you look back on the history of public television, it becomes pretty clear that this medium was created as an instrument for teaching and learning.

Our call letters tell the story.

A.E.T.N. – The Arkansas Educational Television Network.

K.E.T. – Kentucky Educational Television.

N.E.T. – Nebraska Educational Telecommunications.

O.E.T.A. – The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority.

W.E.T.A. – The Greater Washington Educational Television Association.

The Educational Broadcasting Corporation – the parent of both W.N.E.T. and W.L.I.W. in New York.

The list goes on.

This is why I have such tremendous respect for this group.

You are keeping the original spirit of public television alive and fulfilling the promise of this medium from its earliest days.

Because every time you organize an event in your community around "Sesame Street" or "Between the Lions..."

Every time you conduct a literacy campaign or host a reading workshop ...

Every time you teach a parent the value of reading to their children ...

You are living the legacy of the founders of public television.

And so I want to acknowledge and applaud the work that you do to reach out to the communities you serve.

The work you do to support early childhood literacy and school readiness represents one of the highest callings in our world.

As I like say, our work as public broadcasters doesn't end when the credits roll on our shows.

And you prove that point every day.

The partnerships you form with ...

Schools ...

Libraries ...

Social services agencies ...

Family literacy centers ...

And Head Start organizations help us extend public television's scope.

You help us do what we do best: Touch lives and open minds.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4