CPB Statement on the Death of David Pryor
April 20, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 20, 2024) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) released the following statement from President and CEO Patricia Harrison regarding the death of former Arkansas Governor and United States Senator David Pryor.
“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting mourns the death of David Pryor, a true statesman and public servant whose principled, effective leadership as a member of the CPB board strengthened our stewardship and governance on behalf of public media.
“Senator Pryor served on the CPB Board from 2006-2014 in several important capacities, as its vice chair in 2010 and 2011, and as chair of its Corporate Governance Committee.
"Senator Pryor was always the voice of reason and wisdom. He fostered bipartisanship and civility as we addressed economic and political challenges impacting public media. His intellectual curiosity inspired his fellow board members and management alike and left a lasting mark on public media.
"He helped establish the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, the outcome of a CPB initiative to salvage important history recorded by public television stations that was being lost at an alarming rate as aging film and videotapes deteriorated in storage rooms across the country. Today, the Library of Congress and GBH (Boston) are the permanent stewards of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.
"In recognition for his numerous contributions to public media, he received CPB’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
"On behalf of CPB’s Board of Directors and our entire staff, we offer our heartfelt condolences and wishes to his wife, Barbara, and their sons, former Senator Mark Pryor, David Jr. and Scott, that his memory be a blessing to them and all who knew him."
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe for other updates.