This Just In...

June 19, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT: Tracy Schario, (202) 994-3566, tschario@gwu.edu

GW ESTABLISHES GLOBAL MEDIA INSTITUTE

Veteran Broadcast Journalist, Network Executive, and GW Administrator

Michael Freedman to Lead New Initiative

Institute to Serve as Focal Point for Research on Journalism and the Media in the 21st Century, GW Broadcast Productions and Partnerships, and New Media Endeavors

WASHINGTON -- George Washington University President Steven Knapp has tapped Vice President for Communications Michael Freedman to lead the university's new Global Media Institute. Freedman, the multi-award winning former general manager of CBS Radio Network News and managing editor for the Broadcast Division of United Press International, has been named executive director of the institute and a professor of media and public affairs.

The George Washington University Global Media Institute will serve as the focal point for research on journalism and the media in the 21st century, as well as GW's broadcast productions and partnerships and new media endeavors. Through GW's School of Media and Public Affairs, the institute also will offer fellowships and professional development, special seminars and symposia for GW students and faculty, and student internship and enrichment opportunities in the United States and abroad. In addition, the institute will serve as the administrative hub for the operations of the GW Media and Public Affairs Building, which includes the network-ready Jack Morton Auditorium and the universitys flash studio (equipped for radio, television, and Web casts). Through its programming, the institute will provide cultural and public affairs content for student, professional, and general audiences, as well as context to the media's roles and responsibilities in a time of unprecedented change.

"By launching this important new institute, GW will be in a position to study the transformation currently underway across the worlds of print and broadcast media," said Knapp. "The institute will also forge new partnerships for media programming and combine ongoing broadcast projects within a single entity. I can think of no better person than Mike Freedman, given his rich background both in broadcast journalism and in higher education, to lead this effort."

Freedman has served for eight years as GW's vice president for communications and a professorial lecturer in journalism. During his tenure, he negotiated and managed the university's unprecedented five-year partnership with CNN resulting in nearly 800 telecasts from the Foggy Bottom campus. He also created and serves as executive producer of the highly acclaimed GW/National Press Club partnership series, The Kalb Report, with journalist Marvin Kalb, and the university's three weekly cultural public affairs programs airing on XM Satellite Radio.

Freedman and his teams at GW, CBS News, and UPI have earned more than 85 honors for excellence in broadcast journalism including 14 Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). Freedman also is a recipient of the RTNDA D.C. Area Chapter Peter Hackes Memorial Award for career contributions to broadcast journalism in the nation's capital. He is co-author of The Broadcast Voice Handbook and has contributed chapters to Broadcasting Through Crisis and Responsible Journalism.

"I am truly honored to be selected for this position by President Knapp and look forward to creating a premier institute for substantive programming, as well as research in areas including the historic transformation of the media," said Freedman. "This is an extraordinary opportunity to help prepare our students to become tomorrow's industry leaders while using multiple media platforms to present dialogues about the profession in transition."

"I am delighted to have Mike Freedman in this new faculty role," commented Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald R. Lehman. "I look forward to the whole new dimension he will bring to the program."

"Mike Freedman's new appointment is a wonderful development for the School of Media and Public Affairs," added GW School of Media and Public Affairs Director Lee Huebner. "For several years, Mike has taught one of our most successful classes, and we eagerly look forward now to working with him even more closely on an expanding range of exciting projects."

The George Washington University Global Media Institute initially will serve as home to:

• The Kalb Report public television/radio series on journalism and public policy. This highly acclaimed series, moderated by journalist Marvin Kalb, is funded by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and is produced by GW in partnership with The National Press Club and Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. The Kalb Report currently airs on over 40 public television stations and statewide networks, New England Cable News, XM Satellite Radio, and 3WT Radio in Washington, D.C. It also is distributed nationally by CBS Radio Network.
• Politics: From the Nation's Capital. This one-hour, weekly program, produced by GW in partnership with XM Satellite Radio, airs on XM's "POTUS" Channel 130 which is devoted to the 2008 presidential campaign. Hosted by network correspondent Sam Litzinger, the series features GW faculty experts and coverage of political/public policy events taking place on campus. The series also airs each weekend on 3WT Radio in Washington (1500 AM and 107.7 FM).
• GW Presents American Jazz. This two-hour, weekly program, is produced by GW in partnership with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. Hosted by GW's Dick Golden, this popular series airs each Sunday from 11am-1pm E.T. on XM Satellite Radio's "Real Jazz" Channel 70.
• GW Presents Beyond Category. This two-hour, weekly program is produced by GW in partnership with Tony Bennett's Exploring the Arts Foundation and XM Satellite Radio. Hosted by GW's Dick Golden, each themed program profiles an artist or entity that has made a difference in our world. This program airs on XM's "Fine Tuning" Channel.
• WRGW, the university's student-run, Web-based radio station.
• GW Television (GWTV), the university's student-run cable television channel.
• National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences annual Network News and Documentary Emmy Awards judging. GW serves as the host site in Washington for judging.
• American Women in Radio and Television annual Gracie Awards judging.

The institute also will serve as liaison for the administration in establishing and managing media partnerships and will support the efforts of the School of Media and Public Affairs and related institutes within the university.

GW's School of Media and Public Affairs is a dynamic, interdisciplinary program based in the heart of Washington, D.C., where media, public affairs, and politics intersect. The school's undergraduate and graduate programs combine elements of strategic communication, journalism and political communication with contemporary issues in domestic and international politics.

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation's capital. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 130 countries.

For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

-GW-