Frederick L. DeMarco, CPB Executive, Receives Lowell Award

For Immediate Release on May 19, 2006

Public Television's Most Prestigious Award Recognizes Outstanding Individual Contribution

ORLANDO, FL -- Frederick L. DeMarco, executive vice president, senior advisor to the president, and acting chief operating officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the recipient of the Ralph Lowell Award for 2005. The award, public television's most prestigious, was presented by CPB board member Frank Cruz.

Cruz credited DeMarco for building a strong and mutually respectful relationship between CPB and the rest of the public broadcasting system, especially the local stations. Noting DeMarco's "deep appreciation of the role of the public broadcasting station as a community institution," Cruz said, "He understands that each station is different -- different in its history and in its model of service -- but each is important to its own community. And because he so deeply respects those differences, he has made sure to bring many viewpoints to the table, and to let many voices contribute to the decisions that were being made."

Through his nearly two decades at CPB, DeMarco has focused on improving the health of the public broadcasting system by working with the station community in a collegial way. He has led numerous system consultations, including television CSG reviews in 1995, 1998, and 2001, and has worked to implement the findings of the McKinsey study, including development of the Major Giving Initiative and the station-based strategic planning effort. He was instrumental in the creation of the Affinity Group Coalition, which ensures that all stations have a voice as decisions affecting them are made.

DeMarco credited his colleagues for their contributions to his career, saying "In the end, it is not only about the content and services we supply to all Americans, it is about the relationships -- the colleagues you respect, the friends you make and the victories and defeats you share together."

DeMarco joined CPB in 1988 as vice president and treasurer, and became senior vice president, system and station development in 1994. He was promoted to executive vice president in 1998, and became chief operating officer in 2000. In 2002, he was promoted to executive vice president and senior advisor to the president. He has been acting COO since fall 2005.

Prior to joining CPB, DeMarco held executive positions at NBC stations in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. He is a 1965 graduate of Curry College in Milton, MA, and earned an MBA in finance at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY.

The Lowell Award is named for philanthropist and banker Ralph Lowell, who was a founder of the WGBH Educational Foundation, licensee of WGBH Boston, and served as its first president from 1951 until he became its chairman in the mid-1970s. He was instrumental in the formation of the Carnegie Commission on Educational Television, which led to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 and the establishment of CPB.

About CPB

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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