Why NGL?

Diversity is a cornerstone value for public media, dating back to the system’s founding document, the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which declares that public telecommunications services “will constitute an expression of diversity and excellence.”

Fifty years later, as American demographics become even more varied, the communities and audiences we serve are always diverse, and we are always looking to support that diversity in our workplaces and our productions.

One of the ways public media fosters diversity is through training.  Past and current efforts have included the CPB/PBS Producers Workshops at WGBH, Firelight Media’s Producers Lab, ITVS’s Diversity Development Fund, The National Minority Consortia, mentoring programs at NPR, and more. 

Now, with Next Generation Leadership, public media has created a new initiative that is designed to develop leadership diversity at a senior programming level, in television, radio, and digital platforms. 

NGL will prioritize hands-on learning in public media production environments, creating opportunities to learn leadership skills that can propel the participants’ careers as senior and executive producers, and as other top-level content managers. 

It is also designed to offer public media organizations tools and strategies for building new audiences and creating greater sustainability in today’s media landscape.