Patricia Gabel Named to Vermont Public Television Board


July 5, 2007

Patricia Gabel of Stowe, Vt., and Montreal, Que., has been appointed to the board of directors of Vermont Public Television, Vermont's statewide public television network.

Gabel currently serves as the Vermont Supreme Court’s Director of Judicial Branch Education, following a 30-year career as a practicing lawyer. She also led her own consulting firm, specializing in negotiation, conflict analysis and dispute resolution.

A Fellow of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Gabel taught university courses in international relations and conflict resolution in Montreal.

Active in community service, Gabel was a member of the Women’s Leadership Board of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. She was founder and first president of both the Vermont Women’s Forum and the International Women’s Forum of Canada.

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Neil Hilt is producer of the series. Executive producer is Enzo Di Maio.

"Outdoor Journal" has been honored with Emmy nominations and has received Telly Awards and awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America. The program is intended to foster viewers' appreciation and respect for the environment and working landscape.

Production funding was provided by the USDA Rural Development.

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Vermonter Wins Fifth New England Emmy for Original Music


June 14, 2007

Boston MA - The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has recently awarded Peter Bruce Wilder the 2007 New England Emmy Award for original music. The Award is Wilder's fifth New England Emmy for original music composition since first entering in 1995. His work has been nominated for an Emmy every year since first entering the competition in 1995 and has won awards in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2006 and this year. The music was created for Vermont Public Television's local magazine programs and documentaries, including the interview program "Profile."

"Peter brings a fresh, original outlook to every project we present to him. He carefully finds the right theme and mood for each show to enhance the viewer’s experience. We are immensely proud of the work Peter has done for us over the years and delighted in this fifth Emmy award," said John King, president and CEO of Vermont Public Television.

Wilder creates music for television, film and radio, and also has a long track record of commercial graphic art and design, technical consulting and product development for well known multinational companies, and marketing design and implementation for clients in the U.S. and Canada.

Besides his busy home studio schedule, he also is the Marketing and Media Producer for Union Bank of Morrisville.

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In the outreach category, VPT won an award for its What About Teens? campaign, a statewide effort association with The Voices Project. At sessions around Vermont, teens and adults discussed issues concerning young people and brainstormed solutions that were presented to the Legislature. The campaign finished up with a week-long, multimedia event that gave Vermont teens a voice on public television, public radio, online and in print. VPT's community outreach director, Elizabeth Ottinger, headed the project, which was funded by a grant from the National Center for Outreach. Partners with VPT in the project were ASAP (Association of Student Assistance Professionals) of Vermont, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, Kingdom County Productions, NFI (Northeast Family Institute) Vermont, SRO (School Resource Officer)/Colchester Police Department, Spectrum Youth and Family Services, Vanguard Productions, Vermont Children's Forum, Vermont Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, Vermont Coalition of Teen Centers and the Young Writers Project.

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VPT was honored to have Paula Kerger, the new president and CEO of PBS, visit in late September.

Appointed president in March 2006, Paula heads the organization of 354 local PBS stations, headquartered in Arlington, Va. She made Vermont Public Television one of her first local station visits since taking the job.

We kept her busy meeting staff, board members, viewers and local media, as well as taping an interview with Fran Stoddard for VPT's "Profile." There were receptions in her honor at the VPT studio and in Montreal, and she managed to catch glimpses of our region's beauty and color along the way. 

Paula talked about her enthusiasm for the future of public television in a time of changing technology, pointing out many new service opportunities. A champion of the arts, she worked for the Metropolitan Opera before moving to New York City's PBS station, Thirteen.

She's particularly devoted to seeing that public television remains the place to find the performing arts and independent films. She told a touching story about meeting a New York dancer who told her he had been inspired as a child to dance after seeing his first ballet on Thirteen.

Paula's visit had been planned for months, and as the date approached, it became clear that VPT would be ready to launch digital service on its Burlington channel during her stay. So we enlisted her help. At a lunch with staff on Sept. 28, she and VPT president John King did the ceremonial honors to start digital channel 33. The Burlington channel was the last to go on, completing our network of four full-power digital channels.

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• "Regeneration," a two-part series, will showcase examples of Vermonters using sustainable lifestyles and business practices that are environmentally and economically sound.
  
  
• "Connecting Vermont," a documentary, will explore Vermont's transportation and digital infrastructures and their importance to doing business.
  
  
• "Feast in the Making," a five-part series, will look at the importance of specialty and value-added foods to Vermont's rural economy. Each program will include visits to farmers and food producers, and feature local chefs demonstrating how to transform local ingredients into fine meals.