Remarks by Cheryl Halpern

CPB Board of Directors Meeting

Phoenix, Arizona
September 18, 2006

I would like to thank the board for their unanimous support. It is gratifying to be re-elected, and I hope this vote of confidence will result in even greater momentum for the important work that we have been doing for the past 12 months.

Later this week, the Senate will begin consideration of the nominees to serve on the board. I hope they are given a speedy confirmation vote, and are able to join us for the next meeting.

I want to review what I hope will be the agenda these new members will help us accomplish.

We have laid the foundation for a stronger corporation, and a more effective and cohesive board. We have some great opportunities ahead of us. And we must continue to meet our vital mission.

I want to remind all of us here that a year ago, the Board faced a significant challenge because our corporate governance standards and internal controls were not as strong as they should have been.

Through our active efforts, deliberations, and the implementation of Project Champion, we have raised those standards, and strengthened our controls. Most importantly, we have established on the board a spirit of cooperation, so that we can meet future challenges without rancor. We may disagree from time to time, but we are all focused on the same goals, and on achieving those goals as efficiently as possible. In the year ahead, I will want us to continue to focus on setting high standards for the Board and at the Corporation –- and meeting those standards.

We have turned our efforts outward, and have raised public awareness of excellence in our programming. By reaching out to local station boards, conducting station visits, drawing in members of Congressional delegations, and doing regular outreach, we are making ourselves effective diplomats on behalf of all public broadcasters. We need to continue to engage the public –- not just viewers and listeners -- but those who simply do not know about the excellence that exists every day on America's broadcasting stations. That work must be done by all of us, and I hope you will continue to travel, talk to your colleagues, reach out to the public, and yes, scream from the rooftops if you have to, and give voice to a simple message: Public Broadcasting is quality broadcasting.

We have launched an effort to improve the internal communications within the public broadcasting community. We have made initial steps, and I think we can do more. What we lack is not the technology to connect our community –- what we lack is the awareness of what such communication would mean.

One of the byproducts of such improved communication, I believe will be a more effective use of digital technology to get our programs into televisions, streaming internet, iPods, satellite radio receivers, and other tools of modern technology.

We have before us an unfolding media revolution, and public broadcasters have enormous opportunities to find new audiences, and new ways to reach their traditional audiences. Myself, and I am not technologically proficient, but I know what I see: media is more mobile than ever, and people no longer make an appointment to get news and entertainment. They watch what they want to watch when they want to watch it –- sometimes on screens so small they could fit in your coat pocket.

Some of our local stations have been highly effective in adapting to these changes, others still need to improve. Improved communication among stations, combined with a greater focus on the technological opportunities ahead, will help us achieve great things in this area.

And finally, I hope we can continue this habit of meeting away from Washington, D.C. Nothing against our nation's capitol –- it is a fine city. But we must continue to hear from the people who are the foundation of public broadcasting: our local listeners and viewers. We need to see local stations up close, understand their challenges, and help them find solutions.

In gratitude to your willingness to travel more, and because the new carry-on restrictions practically require us to check our bags, I have decided to give you all CPB luggage tags. Please use them in good health and safe travels –- and use them often.

Thank you again for your support.