WNET Hires New Executive Producer for American Masters series


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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO ENTERTAINMENT, NATIONAL, AND RADIO-TELEVISION EDITORS:

WNET Hires New Executive Producer for American Masters series

NEW YORK, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WNET, parent

company of New York's public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21

and operator of NJTV, announced the appointment of Michael Kantor as

executive producer of its American Masters series.

"We did a thoughtful and exhaustive search to find the right person

for this position," said Stephen Segaller, vice president of

programming at WNET. "And Michael has the talent and vision to

continue the great legacy of American Masters. He has a deep knowledge

of American culture - as his many award-winning films have

demonstrated - and the ability to get projects funded and filmed. We

are pleased and fortunate to welcome him to WNET." Kantor will begin

his new duties April 30.

A long-time producer and filmmaker for PBS who has also worked on

programs for HBO and other cable networks, Kantor has created a number

of award-winning programs with WNET. Kantor's six-part series

Broadway: The American Musical was hosted by Julie Andrews and won the

Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series. His Emmy-nominated

series Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America was hosted by

Billy Crystal and narrated by Amy Sedaris. Kantor has produced two

programs for WNET's Great Performances series, including Broadway

Musicals: A Jewish Legacy, which was narrated by Joel Grey and just

won a 2014 Peabody Award.

"This is an amazing opportunity," said Kantor, "I can't imagine a more

interesting and creatively challenging series to work on than American

Masters. I've been inspired by the remarkable films and the

extraordinary filmmakers that the series has brought to a broad

national audience. I'm honored to carry on this tradition as we plan

for the exciting evolution of the series."

"Michael's fine filmmaking and his history with WNET and PBS makes him

a natural choice for this position," said WNET President and CEO Neal

Shapiro. "I'm excited about the next chapter for American Masters, one

of the iconic series we produce for PBS, and I look forward to having

Michael on our team."

Launched in 1986, American Masters has earned 26 Emmy Awards -

including nine for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series since 1999 and five

for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special - 12 Peabodys, an Oscar, three

Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards, and many other honors. Now in its

28th season on PBS, the series is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS

LLC for WNET. To take American Masters beyond the television broadcast

and further explore the themes, stories and personalities of masters

past and present, the companion website

(http://pbs.org/americanmasters) offers streaming video of select

films, interviews, photos, outtakes, essays, and other resources.

About WNET As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent

company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings

quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than 5

million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed

PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS

NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries,

children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available

on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has

created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and

Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling

content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the

tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS,

Reel 13, NJTV News with Mike Schneider and MetroFocus, the

multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is

also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms,

including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS

content for free.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131218/DC35560LOGO

SOURCE WNET

-0- 04/16/2014

/CONTACT: Natasha Padilla, WNET, 212-560-8824 or padilla@wnet.org

/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131218/DC35560LOGO

/Web Site: http://www.thirteen.org

CO: WNET

ST: New York

IN: ENT TVN FLM

SU: PER

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-- DC06187 --

0000 04/16/2014 13:30:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

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