South Carolina ETV's Henry Cauthen Honored with CPB Lifetime Achievement Award

For Immediate Release on November 17, 1997

COLUMBIA, SC, Nov. 17, 1997 -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Board of Directors last night awarded Henry Cauthen, President of South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) and fellow Board member, the CPB Lifetime Achievement Award. Cauthen, only the second person to receive this award, was honored in a special ceremony at Lace House here for nearly 40 years of pioneering work in the public broadcasting industry. Cauthen, who announced he will retire in 1998, is one of the driving forces behind the South Carolina Educational Television experiment. In 1958, he foresaw television's potential to educate -- many years before most people considered the concept of public television. In 1959, he negotiated the first special rate tariff for educational television anywhere in the United States, making possible South Carolina's statewide closed circuit instructional television network for public schools. After serving as director of production and engineering for the network named South Carolina ETV, he was named President in 1965 and has served in that post since that time.

Under Cauthen's leadership, SCETV has grown considerably in both size and stature over the years. The network now consists of 11 television stations, eight radio stations, a multichannel, statewide Instructional Television Fixed Service system and a 32-channel digital satellite system, that reaches schools, colleges, technical education centers, and hospitals nationwide. SCETV is also a major producer of PBS programs, including Firing Line, Great Performances, American Playhouse, and The Magic School Bus. SCETV is a model network in the public television industry for using state-of-the-art technology to provide educational services to its community.

"Many of us can measure our accomplishments by the day, or the month -- or even the year. Few, very few, people can measure achievement over a lifetime. Henry, we are humbled by your sense of purpose, and your tremendous record of public service to your state and to your nation," said Diane Blair, CPB Board Chairman, in presenting the award. "On behalf of the CPB Board of Directors, I present the CPB Lifetime Achievement Award for your leadership, dedication, and service to American public broadcasting."

"SCETV is a state-of-the-art broadcasting powerhouse that provides educational resources to schools, businesses and individuals through technology. SCETV is the dream of educational television realized -- and today it leads the nation," said Robert T. Coonrod, CPB President and CEO in paying tribute. "Thank you Henry for your vision of television that teaches and inspires."

Cauthen has held leadership positions on many major industry organizations. He was a member of the Carnegie Commission on the Future of Public Broadcasting. He has also served on the Boards of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), America's Public Television Stations (APTS), American Program Service (APS), Southern Educational Communications Association (SECA) and INPUT, the international association of public television networks. In addition, Cauthen has been a member of the CPB Board since 1990 and served as Chairman in 1994-1995. His term expires in 2000.

The CPB Board is holding its November meeting, which begins today at 1 p.m., at South Carolina ETV headquarters.

CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, to oversee the development of public radio, television and online services for the American people. The Corporation is the industry's largest single source of funds for national public television and radio program development and production. CPB, a grantmaking organization, funds more than 1,000 public stations.

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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,300 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.

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