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Paula Kerger joined the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as its sixth president and chief executive officer in March 2006. Ms. Kerger directs the operations of the nation's largest noncommercial broadcasting service, comprising 354 member stations reaching more than 99 percent of U.S. television households. Ms. Kerger came to PBS from the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), the parent company of Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York two of the nation's largest public television stations; where since 2004 she was the executive vice president and chief operating officer and a member of the office of the president, a position carrying both internal and external responsibilities.
Ms. Kerger joined EBC in 1993 as vice president and director of development and government affairs for Thirteen/WNET. Under her stewardship, the station's Campaign for Thirteen completed in 1997 raised $79 million, the largest endowment campaign ever undertaken by a public television station.
In 2002, Ms. Kerger was promoted to vice president and station manager of Thirteen/WNET. In this role, Ms. Kerger oversaw local program acquisition, broadcast scheduling, communications, on- air promotion, and pledge production. In addition, she supervised individual giving, as well as Thirteen's volunteer program, viewer and member services, and government affairs. Ms. Kerger also directed the launch of four digital channels: ThirteenHD, Kids Thirteen, World and Create. The latter, launched in January 2006 through a partnership with WGBH/Boston and American Public Television, is public television's first 24-hour lifestyle channel.
Before joining EBC, Ms. Kerger was the director of principal gifts for the Metropolitan Opera. She also served as director of development and alumni affairs for International House in New York, and as program development officer for the U.S. Committee for UNICEF.
Prior to joining PBS, Ms. Kerger was vice chairman of American Public Television and vice chairman of the Association of Public Broadcasting Stations of New York. She is a founding trustee of the PBS Foundation and former chairman of the PBS Development Advisory Committee. In 1997 she received the Outstanding Grassroots Advocate Award from the Association of American Public Televisions Stations (APTS). In 2000, she received the Frances P. Schuman Award from the National Friends of Public Broadcasting and in 2001 was named PBS Development Professional of the Year. In 2005, Ms. Kerger was named to the Women's Forum, an organization of 300 leading women in the professions, arts and business life of New York. | 