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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting Honors Rep. Earl Blumenauer with Lowell Award

• For Immediate Release on November 18, 2011

Washington, D.C. -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) yesterday presented Representative Earl Blumenauer with the Ralph Lowell Award, the most prestigious public media award honoring an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to public television.

Blumenauer was recognized for his dedication to strengthening public media and supporting the continued growth of public broadcasting stations around the country.

He is one of the founding members of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, formed in 2001, which has been committed to a strong and financially secure universal, educational, noncommercial broadcasting service for every American citizen.

Blumenauer also works closely with public media national organizations and stations, both in his home state of Oregon and around the country, to support and enhance the content and services they provide to their local communities.

“Rep. Blumenauer is dedicated in his support of public media,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “He understands the value delivered to every American citizen through public service media, on air, online and in the community, and the important role that each public television and radio station – locally-owned and -operated – plays in strengthening our civil society.”

“During his tenure in Congress, Rep. Blumenauer has worked to strengthen the service public media provides to our country and ensure every American has access to free and trusted content that educates, informs and enriches our society” said Elizabeth Sembler, member of the CPB board of directors. “On behalf of the entire public media system – including the more than 1,300 local public television and radio stations that serve communities across the country – CPB is very pleased to present Rep. Blumenauer with the Lowell Award.”

“Earl Blumenauer is without equal in his passionate support for public broadcasting and the work it does to benefit the lives of so many, not just in Oregon, but all across the nation,” said Steve Bass, president and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting.

“Every month, more than 170 million Americans turn to their local public broadcasting stations for free, high-quality programs that focus on the issues most important to them – what’s happening in their communities,” said Rep. Blumenauer. “Not only do our public broadcasting stations provide us with valuable information, but they also directly support 21,000 jobs in hundreds of communities across America. Americans rank investment in public broadcasting second only to funding for our troops as the best use of taxpayer dollars, and public broadcasting remains the most trusted institution in news. I am honored to receive this award and will continue to fight for the future of this treasured institution in American media.”

(left to right) Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN); Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB; Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY); Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), Elizabeth Sembler, CPB board member; Steve Bass, president and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Blumenauer received his award at a ceremony held last evening in Washington, D.C.

A lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) has devoted his entire career to public service.

He was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1972, where he served three terms and chaired the House Education and Revenue Committee in 1977-78. In 1978, he was elected to the Multnomah County Commission, where he served for eight years before being elected to the Portland City Council in 1986.

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, Blumenauer served on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Foreign Affairs Committees, and as vice-chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2010. He is currently a member of the Ways and Means and Budget Committees.

Congressman Blumenauer earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

The Ralph Lowell Award, named after the late Boston philanthropist and banker, was created by the Lowell family in 1970 to commemorate the pioneer public broadcaster’s 80th birthday. Lowell was a founder of the WGBH Educational Foundation, licensee of WGBH-TV, Boston, serving as its first president from 1951 until he became 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. Lowell was chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Educational Television and Radio Center during its formative years.

Click here for a list of past Lowell Award recipients.

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.