South Carolina ETV Names New President and CEO

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South Carolina ETV Names New President and CEO

For Immediate Release
November 18, 2010

Columbia, SC…The ETV Commission voted unanimously yesterday to accept the search committee's recommendation to hire Linda O'Bryon as President and CEO of South Carolina Educational Television.

''We are pleased to announce Linda O'Bryon as the new President and CEO of SCETV. Linda is regarded as a pioneer within the public broadcasting system, and her vast knowledge and experience will build upon the network's reputation as one of the finest in the country. SCETV is fortunate to have someone of her stature at its helm," said Commission Chairman Robert Rainey.
O'Bryon will assume her new duties on December 1.

“With its statewide reach, emphasis on education and quality content, SCETV has a proud history of outstanding service. I am delighted to be joining this organization and I look forward to building on its remarkable legacy,” said O'Bryon.

As the former Chief of Content Officer at KQED/Northern California Public Broadcasting in San Francisco, O'Bryon oversaw a team of television and radio producers, editors, reporters, educators, web content developers, management and technical personnel at television stations KQED/San Francisco, KTEH/San Jose and KQET/Monterey, as well as KQED 88.5 FM and KQEI 89.3 FM/Sacramento.

During her tenure, KQED Public Radio was consistently the most listened to public radio station in the nation, and KQED Public Television was among the nation's most watched public television station. NCPB stations garnered 22 regional EMMY's and numerous journalism awards including an Edward R. Murrow/RTNDA citation, and PBS' first award for Interactive Innovation.

Under her leadership, KQED launched a number of new productions, including the radio series California Money and The Do List, the PBS-distributed programs, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and San Francisco's Ballet's Nutcracker. She fostered extensive cross-platform efforts around QUEST, the nation's first multi-platform science and nature series. She also managed cross-platform initiatives for the 2008 elections, Climate Watch, Facing the Mortgage Crisis, Immigration in Focus and regional documentaries around Ken Burns' The War series.

O'Bryon is also the founding executive editor of PBS' Nightly Business Report (NBR) which debuted in 1979 and is still running strong, airing on more than 250 public television stations across the nation. It is widely regarded as the predecessor of daily business news programs on television. O'Bryon spearheaded the creation of NBR while serving as the news director for the Miami-based public television station WPBT.

In 2009, O'Bryon received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in Business and Financial Reporting by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Her work has earned her the distinction of being named as one of the 20th century's Top 100 Business News Luminaries by TJFR, an industry publication. In 2004, O'Bryon received the Distinguished Achievement Award by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers at the 41st annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas. In June of this year, she was named as one of the most influential women in the Bay Area by San Francisco Business Times.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., O'Bryon graduated cum laude from the University of Miami with a major in journalism and a minor in economics. She and her husband, Mike have one daughter, Jennifer, who received her Master's degree from the College of Charleston.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.