WHUT’s Lawson A Public Television Leader

Jennifer Lawson, general manager of Howard University Television (WHUT), is a powerhouse in the public broadcasting industry. In May, she was elected board chair of American Public Television (APT), one of the most prominent national organizations for public broadcasting. For more than 46 years, APT has been a prime source of programming for the nation's public television stations, delivering more than 300 series to stations across the country. Lawson, who has been a member of the board since 2004, wants to continue to develop the organization’s reach.

“APT is a wonderful organization and as the board chair, my goal is to work with the president and the CEO to help the organization grow by increasing its program distribution to public television stations and also explore new services,” says Lawson.

In addition to leading APT, Lawson also serves on the PBS board, having been appointed in 2004 for a three-year term. She was just reelected to another three-year term and was also appointed to PBS’ executive committee in July.

“I am pleased to be reelected since this is a tremendous vote of confidence from my professional colleagues at the more than 170 public licensees across the country,” says Lawson, who previously served as the executive vice president of Programming and Promotion Services for PBS.

As a strong leader within the public television industry, Lawson has developed initiatives to give African-Americans and other minorities enriching opportunities for professional growth within the field.

“I have worked to consistently increase the number of leadership roles for African Americans. I am proud to have played a role in helping to create a leadership development project at PBS to increase the diversity of leadership in public broadcasting, particularly at the general manager level,” says Lawson. “For this program, we selected five individuals from across the country and they attended a management program at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the program will provide support for them to attend several major public broadcasting meetings.” For Lawson, serving as a mentor and helping to open doors for others is an important part of her career and her personal ambitions.

As general manager of WHUT, a post she has held since June 2004, Lawson has continued her mission of training African Americans and increasing the diversity of the field. Every year, WHUT holds a two-week summer program for media professionals from developing countries and also provides professional development opportunities for Howard students.

Lawson, who has full responsibility for overseeing WHUT’s growth and development, managing the funds, engaging in strategic planning, overseeing the programming and all other day-to-day administrative matters, is also leading the station’s transition to digital media. For this endeavor, she has raised more than $2 million, and continues to move towards the goal through the station’s many successful pledge drives.

A multi-talented professional, Lawson recently co-produced a one-hour documentary, “Security Versus Liberty: The Other War,” in association with ABC News Productions. The program premiered nationwide on PBS in April 2007. For more information about the film, go to http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_security_vs_liberty.html.

In addition to all of her many accomplishments, Lawson was recognized as one of the “101 Most Influential People in Entertainment” in 1990 by Entertainment Weekly and as one of the “Power 50,” or 50 most influential women in entertainment, by The Hollywood Reporter in 1994.

Lawson is a true pioneer in the public television arena. At Howard, she has consistently worked to raise the standards for the television station, reaching for the next rung on the ladder of programming success.