American Public Television Announces New Board of Trustees Members in 2022
NPT’s Becky Magura, SCETV’s Anthony Padgett and Arkansas PBS’ Courtney Pledger bring a wealth of public media leadership to APTBOSTON, MA (July 15, 2022) – Following the most recent Board of Trustees meeting in June 2022, American Public Television (APT), the leading syndicator of content to U.S. public TV stations nationwide, today announced the appointment of new members of the APT Board of Trustees whose terms began within the past year: Becky Magura, president and CEO of Nashville Public Television (NPT); Anthony Padgett, president and CEO of South Carolina ETV (SCETV); and Courtney Pledger, executive director and CEO of Arkansas PBS.
Magura, Padgett and Pledger will serve three-year terms with the APT Board of Trustees, working with the APT leadership team to oversee and guide the strategic planning and direction for one of the top distributors of content to the public television system. The APT Board of Trustees are led by chair and Vegas PBS president and general manager Mare Mazur; vice-chair and Houston Public Media associate vice president and general manager Lisa Shumate; and treasurer and interim Public Television Major Market Group (PTMMG) executive director Linda O’Bryon.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Becky, Anthony and Courtney to the APT board,” said Mazur, “Their understanding of the system and station demands will be a tremendous asset in providing guidance as we address the future business needs of APT and its members.”
“For more than 60 years, APT has pursued programming excellence in service to the system, which is largely made possible through maintaining close partnerships with stations,” said APT president and CEO Cynthia Fenneman. “I am pleased to welcome Anthony, Becky and Courtney ̶ with their unique skill sets ̶ to the APT board so we can together continue this important work for years to come.”
Becky Magura was named the president and CEO of NPT in 2021, following a four-decade tenure at WCTE in Cookeville, TN where she held numerous production, educational outreach and management positions, rising to the position of president and CEO in 2006. Magura served for six years on the national PBS Board of Directors, including serving on the PBS Executive Committee and as Chair of the PBS Interconnection Committee. Other national board service includes the Association for Public Television Stations (APTS) Board, the National Telecommunications Association (NETA) Executive Board, the Small Station Association Executive Board and the Public Television Major Market Group (PTMMG) Board.
Since becoming president and CEO of South Carolina ETV and Public Radio in 2017, Anthony Padgett has led the organization to grow the dual-licensee station’s statewide impact and national reach, via production of locally- and nationally-distributed, expanding digital series, and utilizing broadcast infrastructure to address South Carolina’s existing digital divide in communities. He has also joined forces with Furman University’s Riley Institute to establish a diversity initiative for public media leaders. Padgett is an active member of national boards including NETA and its finance committee, the Public Media Business Association, and the Public Media Venture Group.
Courtney Pledger has been the executive director and CEO of Arkansas PBS since 2017, driving exponential growth in the state network’s efforts in multi-platform content creation and distribution as well as leading an expansion of its broadcast footprint. She has forged relationships with diverse independent makers and provided increased opportunities for local stories to be told for a national audience. Prior to joining Arkansas PBS, she worked for more than three decades in international film and television development and production. Pledger currently serves on the PBS Board of Directors, as chair of the NETA Executive Board, and is a past co-chair of the Organization of State Broadcasting Executives (OSBE).
Magura, Padgett and Pledger will participate in five board meetings and committee sessions throughout the year on an annual basis.
The current APT Board of Trustees are:
| Mare Mazur, board chair President and General Manager Vegas PBS |
John Ford President John Ford Media, LLC |
| Lisa Shumate, board vice-chair Associate Vice President and General Manager Houston Public Media |
Becky Magura Principal, O’Bryon Media, LLC Nashville Public Television |
| Linda O’Bryon, board treasurer President and CEO Interim Executive Director Public Television Major Market Group |
Steve McGowan President Macatawa Media Partners |
| Ronnie Agnew, board chair emeritus General Manager WOSU Public Media |
Anthony Padgett President and CEO South Carolina ETV |
| Don Boswell Former President and CEO WNED Buffalo Toronto |
Jim Pagliarini Pagliarini + Others Former President and CEO, Twin Cities PBS |
| Cynthia Fenneman President and CEO American Public Television |
Ron Pisaneschi Former General Manager Idaho Public Television |
| Courtney Pledger Executive Director and CEO Arkansas PBS |
Neal Shapiro President and CEO The WNET Group |
| Candice Seiger Marketing Consultant |
Larry Unger President and CEO Maryland Public Television |
| Dan Schmidt Former CEO WTTW Chicago |
Lloyd Wright Former President and CEO WFYI Indianapolis |
About American Public Television
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. Doc Martin, Midsomer Murders, America’s Test Kitchen, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Pacific Heartbeat, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Legacy List with Matt Paxton, Front and Center, Lidia’s Kitchen, Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, James Patterson’s Kid Stew and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.