American Public Television President and CEO Cynthia Fenneman Selected as Only U.S. Banff World Television Festival Juror

BOSTON (May 22, 2008) -- Cynthia Fenneman, President and CEO of American Public Television (APT), will serve as the only U.S. member of the five-person International Award's Jury for this year's Banff World Television Festival, which takes place in Alberta, Canada, June 8-11, 2008.

As the sole representative from the United States, Fenneman joins four other distinguished media professionals from around the world, including International Jury Chair and award-winning actor Colm Feore, RAI's consulting editor Daniele Doglio, Banff Center director Kerry Stauffer and Welsh media executive Robert Thomas. The festival, in its 29th year, is considered one of the leading competitions among worldwide television producers.

"I am honored to serve as a juror alongside these talented and respected individuals from the international media community," says Fenneman. "This is an exciting and competitive festival. I hope my familiarity with the domestic and international television marketplace will add value to the panel's search for the most engaging and noteworthy programs of 2008."

As President and CEO of APT, Fenneman has gained invaluable experience in understanding the global television landscape. APT is one of the largest distributors of public television programs in the United States and its worldwide division plays a significant role in representing many stellar U.S. titles to the international community.

Fenneman has 32 years of broadcasting experience in commercial, public and network cable television. She has earned more than 30 international, national and regional awards, including 12 regional Emmys and a CableAce.

The Banff jury will meet one week prior to the start of the festival and will award six of the best programs – from more than 900 entries in 22 program categories from 44 countries – with Special Jury Prizes. The prizes will be awarded on Monday, June 9, 2008, as part of the Banff World Television Awards ceremonies.

In April, APT served as the Host Juror for Banff's Arts & Cultural category. The Arts & Cultural jurors included: Fenneman; Jennifer Lawson, general manager of WHUT/Washington; Susan Cohen-Dickler, chair of Banyan Productions; Greg Diefenbach, former senior vice president at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and Nelsa Gidney, head of Gidney International.

About American Public Television:
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation's public television stations for 47 years, distributing more than 300 new program titles per year. APT milestones include distribution of the first HD series on public television and the 2006 launch of Create – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert, Battlefield Britain, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves' Europe, Great Museums, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated, Broadway: The Golden Age, Lidia's Family Table, California Dreamin' – The Songs of The Mamas & the Papas, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Monarchy With David Starkey, and other prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs, children's series and classic movies. For more information about APT's programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

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