PBS Fort Wayne announced a new president today, following the retirement of its previous long-time president.
Edward Leon has already begun his tenure as CEO of the local public TV station, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience from across broadcasting, both public and commercial. Leon previously served as COO of Arkansas PBS, a state wide broadcasting station.
Leon’s appointment comes less than a week after Congress voted to remove funding from PBS. He said he hopes to lean on the community as well as new fundraising sources PBS Fort Wayne hasn’t tapped into before.
“This is the first time in the history of PBS that it has been unfunded," Leon said. "So, it’s forced us to make some difficult choices, but it’s also a challenging opportunity to transition into a new era of what public media means to a community.”
Leon said there’s a great opportunity for new local programming and reinforced the station’s commitment to the community. He said he’s working right now on getting to know the community and understanding what new services they need from PBS.
Leon replaces former president Bruce Haines who served as president for 17 years.
