GARY EDGERTON QUOTED IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR ARTICLE ON PBS

Gary Edgerton, professor and chair of communications and theatre arts, was quoted in an article in today's Christian Science Monitor regarding the changes at PBS since Pat Mitchell has taken over as president and CEO.

A member of Old Dominion University's faculty since 1994, Edgerton is the author of the soon-to-be-released "Ken Burns's America" and has done extensive research in the areas of television and film and popular culture.

In the article he said, "Public television has been searching for itself over the last decade. ... A strong signal was sent when Pat Mitchell was hired because of her background behind and in front of the camera: 'Public television is going to do more original programming than ever before.'"

He added, "The best documentaries [on television] are still produced by PBS in terms of talent, budget, time spent making them, and in terms of alternative voices ... the most interesting and different voices of any comparable network."

Edgerton holds a doctorate and master's degree in communication from the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor's in English from the College of the Holy Cross.

View the full Christian Science Monitor article online at http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/05/04/fp13s1-csm.shtml.