From Hagerstown to Ocean City, PBS viewers have relied on Maryland Public Television (MPT) to bring them educational and informational programming across its noncommercial broadcast TV stations. Now, MPT has named a new head, and it is the current EVP/Station Manager.
Steven J. Schupak will become the sixth president and chief executive to lead 55-year-old MPT effective July 1.
He will succeed retiring CEO Larry D. Unger and was selected for the role by MPT’s governing body, the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, following a nationwide search. Commission Vice Chair Richard J. Bodorff led the search committee.
Schupak joined MPT in 2003 and was named Chief Operating Officer in 2014, gaining his duties as Station Manager in 2021. This put him in charge of content creation, educational services, and development activities in addition to overseeing MPT’s finance and accounting operations. He began his TV career at the ABC Television Network.
In addition, he created the eight-year-old Maryland State Ad Agency division of MPT to provide advertising and media buying services for Maryland state agencies and other governmental clients. More recently, he oversaw the launch of the Maryland Center for Media Literacy & Education, an education division that includes programs and services to enhance media literacy statewide and, in particular, among school-age children.
MPT is the largest in total revenue among the 18 state-licensed public TV stations in the United States.
