Robert
J. Shuman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Maryland Public Television
Mr. Shuman joined Maryland Public Television in late 1996 with an already-distinguished
career in business, broadcasting, and community service. He is the fourth
president of the 33-year-old MPT.
Prior to coming to MPT, he founded and was president and CEO of Civic
Network Communications, Inc., a nonprofit satellite communications network.
In the early 1980s, Mr. Shuman co-founded and served as president of
The Learning Channel (TLC), a cable television channel which reaches
an estimated 45 million subscribers. Under his 10-year leadership, The
Learning Channel grew to be one of cable's most prestigious channels,
providing educational programming nationwide from headquarters in Virginia.
Mr. Shuman also served as president of the American Community Services
Network (ACSN), a Washington, DC-based organization which founded The
Learning Channel in 1980.
During his tenure at ACSN and TLC, Mr. Shuman developed numerous education
and public television projects including Civic Network Television; the
award-winning series The Merrow Report and Learning Matters
with distinguished media journalist John Merrow; and The Independents,
a national showcase for independent filmmakers.
Mr. Shuman was active in the early development of distance learning
when he served from 1972-79 as deputy director of the federally funded
Appalachian Educational Satellite Project. This telecommunications initiative
helped pioneer use of satellite technology to serve teachers and schools
in isolated regions. Prior to that, he worked at the U.S. Department
of Defense and as a consultant for satellite communications systems
development.
Today, Mr. Shuman is nationally recognized for his leadership in the
public television industry. He is chairman of the Public Television
Major Market Group (PTMMG), a confederation of the nationýs top public
TV stations. He serves as board secretary for and is incoming chair
of the PBS Sponsorship Group, and he is a board member of the National
Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA). He is a member of
the board of two other prominent industry groups, the Association of
Public Television Stations (APTS) and the Organization of State Broadcasting
Executives (OSBE). Mr. Shuman is a member of the APTS executive committee
and chairs the organizationýs Legislative and Advocacy Committee. He
also is board member of numerous nonprofit and educational groups including
the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. He also serves on the
technology committee for the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Mr. Shuman is a member of the Education Committee of the Greater Baltimore
Committee, the Governor's Commission for Technology in Higher Education
in Maryland, and Maryland's Information Technology Board and is past
governor of the National Academy of Cable Programming. Among his programming
awards is the Cable ACE award for The Independents of which he
was executive producer.
Mr. Shuman earned his undergraduate degree at Catholic University and
holds a master's degree from American University, both of Washington,
DC.
He resides with his family in Potomac, Maryland.
