A Conversation with Mr. Wick Rowland, President Emeritus, Colorado Public TV

With this conversation, we are joined by Mr. Wick Rowland, President & CEO Emeritus of PBS12 (formerly Colorado Public Television and KBDI) in Denver, and Dean and Professor Emeritus of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Mr. Rowland details his time at Stanford University, where he earned an MA in communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, also his Ph.D. from the Institute for Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

He spotlights his Presidency at Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) Channel 12, where he refocused station strategy and management, resulting in increased community partnerships and revenues. He also discusses his oversight of the station from transition to digital, multi-channel, and interactive television. 

With his award as a Fulbright Specialist for broadcasting, Mr. Rowland talks about his work in media policy development and communication and journalism education in Ethiopia. He also reflects on his service in the Peace Corps in Jamaica, where he specialized in both instructional broadcasting and adult literacy, which included a more critical and culturally conscious approach to media history and policy issues, particularly with regard to public service questions. 

Mr. Rowland compares and contrasts the American media today in 2021 with that of the pre internet age.   

In closing, Mr. Rowland highlights his recommendations for aspiring broadcast journalists.