Episode 040 – Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS

Today's episode of the Executives' Exchange features PBS' President and CEO, Paula Kerger. Paula is joined by guest host, Bill Kurtis, acclaimed television documentary producer and host. Paula talks about the vital role of public broadcasting and what it means to her to be the first woman leading PBS. Listen in to hear the challenges she's faced, the values PBS lives by, and the future of public media. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience.

00:00 – Intro 01:40 – Kerger details her childhood and her relationship to public broadcasting 04:00 – Kerger discusses her early career 08:32 – The role of mentor relationships 09:30 – Kerger details meeting hero and mentor Newt Minnow 13:40 – How public broadcasting is local, yet national 16:55 – How PBS lives its values and evolves 19:00 – How PBS will help solve climate change 21:58 – Message from our sponsor, Shure 22:26 – Importance of diversity in media 25:10 – How COVID-19 was the biggest challenge Kerger has faced 34:15 – Distribution of funding for public broadcast 39:05 – Kerger's favorite PBS program 40:55 – What PBS will look like in the next three years 43:30 – Outro

Episode Link: PBS | NPR

Guest Host: Bill Kurtis, Acclaimed Television Documentary Producer and Host

Producer: Eva Penar, Chief Content & Communications Officer, The Executives' Club of Chicago

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