Tom Axtell, General Manager of Vegas PBS, received the America's Public Television Stations (APTS) Pillar of Public Service Award yesterday at the APTS Public Media Summit in Washington D.C. This award recognizes Axtell’s contribution and innovation in all three of public television's essential public service missions: education, public safety and civic leadership.
“Tom has been an innovative and relentless advocate for community service at its finest, both on television and through a host of non-broadcast initiatives,” said APTS president and CEO Patrick Butler. “He has set a standard of public service to which every public television station should aspire.
Since Axtell’s leadership began in 1994, Vegas PBS has launched a dozen new broadcast and cable channels, developed new technology services to serve K-12 education and workforce development, and pioneered innovative emergency communication services. Vegas PBS’s commitment to civic leadership is exemplified in programs such as the weekly local affairs show Nevada Week. For the last decade, the station has ranked as one of the three most watched PBS stations in the U.S.
“It has been my life’s privilege to work for innovative public media visionaries,” said Axtell. “They embraced their communities, emerging technology and public service. This model has guided my work in Las Vegas for the last 25 years. In that period, our region has tripled in population. Vegas PBS has grown by linking the high tech national content, which APTS helps fund, to local needs through high-touch station engagement.”
Born in Chicago, Axtell has worked at television and radio stations in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Fargo/Morehead, Spokane and Milwaukee. He has served as a college vice president for advancement, legislative aide to a state senator, political campaign manager and swimming coach. Axtell is a graduate of Gonzaga University Law School. He has been married for 42 years and has twin daughters.
About APTS
America's Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system that provides essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
About Vegas PBS
Vegas PBS is a member-supported public television service providing educational content for over 50 years. Vegas PBS builds community through television, education services, and unique experiences that create a sense of place, civic and social capital. For 11 consecutive years, Vegas PBS has remained among the top three most-watched PBS stations in the country. The station offers five unique secondary channels: Create, VEGAS PBS KIDS, WORLD, Rewind and Jackpot! The station collaborates with community partners to create award-winning content that examines informational, cultural, historic, and educational regional issues.
Vegas PBS provides a robust variety of education services that extend the educational experience beyond the broadcast. Resources and services include Vegas PBS’ Ready To Learn educational workshops for children and families, professional development for teachers, online learning courses and certifications for adults, multimedia educational support for educators, 25+ channels of educational and local news for in-classroom viewing, and a Special Needs Resource Library serving those with special needs throughout the state of Nevada.
Vegas PBS viewers can access their favorite shows across multiple platforms including broadcast, vegaspbs.org, the PBS Video App and the PBS KIDS Video App. For more information, visit vegaspbs.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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