GPB CEO Bert Wesley Huffman on organization's new vision

Caption

Georgia Public Broadcasting's new logo.

Credit: GPB Media

Georgia Public Broadcasting's CEO Bert Wesley Huffman shared details about the organization's ambitious new vision and strategic plan as it celebrates its 65th anniversary this year.

At the heart of the plan is a renewed mission to connect and inspire all Georgians by reimagining the role of public media.

Learn more about GPB’s vision for the future and read the full strategic plan here.

TRANSCRIPT

Pamela Kirkland: It's Morning Edition. I'm Pamela Kirkland. As we celebrate a new year, we're also celebrating the future of Georgia Public Broadcasting. There are big changes underway that will guide our mission, shape our brand, and we hope, bring Georgians together from how we sound to how we look. GPB is reimagining what public media can be. Joining me this morning to discuss these exciting developments is Burt Wesley Huffman. Thank you so much for being here.  

Bert Wesley Huffman: Yeah, I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me, Pamela.  

Pamela Kirkland: So let's start with the big picture. What's at the heart of GPB's new plan and how does it reflect where GPB's going?  

Bert Wesley Huffman: Yeah, I mean, I think for me what's at the heart of the plan is that GPB is so much more than what people may think. And I think that was sort of what guided us through this whole exercise is that, you know, GPB is turning 65 this year and there are so many different fronts that you can connect with this company, whether it's television, radio, digital initiatives, classrooms with our educational content, communities across the state of Georgia. And it was really a great time to just sort of so all of those things together, you know, knit them together in some way so that we can start working toward one goal as a company as opposed to all these different goals. So that's really kind of the whole idea of this sense of unity that we're bringing hopefully to the state of Georgia, but then also internally to the people who work here.  

Pamela Kirkland: And change can sometimes be a scary word, depending on who you're talking to. What is going to stay the same? Because a lot of in terms of what is at the heart of GPB's core mission, to educate, to inform, to inspire, that's all going to stay where it is. But how are we going to expand that with this new mission?  

Bert Wesley Huffman: Think of it this way: Everything that, if you're a public radio listener and you come to us and you enjoy what you get from NPR and the local news coverage that you get from GPB, you're still going to get to hear that. Of course, that's going to be what we do. That is our core mission. We're here. We are a public media company and we're here to serve people with the very best of clear and concise news and information, as well as all the wonderful programing that comes our way and that we create here originally as well. But what we really need to do is ensure that public media has a future. And so ultimately what this is doing is just broadening the base of people who maybe come into public media. I think that's what's kind of inspiring about even this new brand that we're launching. It's so much more inclusive in the way that it in the way that it looks, it causes you to ask questions, you know, really kind of plays on that sense of curiosity that we all have as public media users. And I really think that what it hopefully does is begin to drive down the age of the people who want to use this product. You know, we need to get younger people coming into public media and finding that there is something here for everyone.  

Pamela Kirkland: And I think what's really cool about the new mission and I mean essentially what GPB has always done, but functioning as a connector. So we're trying to connect all Georgians. We're connecting all of our different departments and all the different things that GPB does to better showcase what we're doing, who we are, and how we can help. Are you excited about deepening that engagement with Georgians and just really showing off in terms of what GPB can do?  

Bert Wesley Huffman: Absolutely. I grew up in Georgia, you know, and I grew up on GPB, and that's part of my sense of calling to this work that I do here is that I want to give back to the kids in Georgia what I had as a child growing up on GPB. And I also think that, you know, we play this very important role. Right now, public media is so important to democracy. We're so important to what's — not only bringing you clear and concise news and information and, you know, allowing you to make up your own mind by hearing both sides of every story. But also we bring civility to every conversation. And I think that ultimately people will be seeking out that sense of calm that I think we can provide. And it's a — it's a really wonderful time to also be sort of re-envisioning what we can do to connect Georgians together. I think the most powerful piece of this whole thing, honestly, is our new vision statement, which is "To unite and uplift Georgia," which is a very powerful, short, poignant thing to say. But if public media can't do that, who can?  

Pamela Kirkland: Where can people go if they want more information about the new plan?  

Bert Wesley Huffman: Yeah, If you want to read the entire plan, you can go to gpb.org/strategic. That's going to have the entire plan, all the goals that are set forward and our mission critical areas that we'll be focusing on over the next five years.  

Pamela Kirkland: I'm really excited about these new changes and I'm excited to bring our listeners with us on this journey. Yeah. Bert Wesley Huffman, thank you so much for speaking with me on Morning Edition.  

Bert Wesley Huffman: Thank you, Pamela. I appreciate it so much.