PBS

April 19, 2023

OGL 355 Leading Organizational Innovation and Change
Professor Brent Scholar
Agenda
● Introduction
● PBS Organizational structure / Leadership
● Environmental analysis
- Break down of analysis
● SWOT analysis
- Breakdown of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
● Competitive advantages
● Recommendations
● Summary and conclusion
 Introduction

Started in 1969, The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is

a non-profit organization that provides commercial free,
diverse, educational, and children's programming. As of
2020, PBS has nearly 350 affiliate stations across the US
and reach 86% of all U.S. television households—over
230 million people—watch PBS. Their mission statement
is to, “educate, inspire, entertain and express a diversity of
perspectives.”
 Organizational Structure
Senior Management Team
Paula Kerger
President/CEO

Sylvia Bugg
Jonathan Barzilay
Chief Programming
Chief Operating Officer
Officer

Ira Rubenstein
Katherine Lauderdale Tom Tardivo Rhonda Holt
Chief Digital/Marketing
Chief Legal Officer Chief Financial Officer Chief Technology Officer
Officer

Jeremy Gaines Sara DeWitt Scott Nourse

Mike Jacobson Jim Dunford
Sr. VP Corporate Sr. VP/General Manager, Sr. VP,
Sr. VP Human Resources Sr. VP, Station Services
Communications PBS Kids Product/Innovation
Leadership - Board of Directors
➢ Maxine Clark
➢ Mark Contreras
➢ Rob Dunlop
➢ Dolores Fernandez Alfonso
➢ Mildred Garcia
➢ Chuck Hagel
➢ Shae Hopkins
➢ Marvin Irby
➢ Larry Irving
➢ Michael Isip
➢ Franz Joachim
➢ Gunjan Kedia
➢ Paula Kerger
➢ Kevin Martin
➢ Sandra Cordova Micek
➢ Molly Phillips
➢ Jorge Plasencia
➢ Courtney Pleger
➢ Vivian Riefberg
➢ Catherine Robb
➢ Geoff Sands
➢ Tina Sharkey
➢ Amy Shaw
➢ Jayme Swain
➢ Holden Thorp
➢ Ed Ulman
Environmental Analysis
LOW
Threat of New
Entrants

HIGH HIGH
Bargaining Power of Bargaining Power of
Suppliers Buyers

HIGH
Threat of Substitute
Products
Environmental Analysis
Environmental Analysis

● Taxpayer and Government

Involvement
● Public Broadcasting Act/
Corporation for Public
Broadcasting
Environmental Analysis

● Alternative
Programing
● Viewer Loyalty
Environmental Analysis

● Programing Content
● Licensing Content
● Commercial-free
Programing
Environmental Analysis

● Programming Options
○ Children
○ Adults
 Strengths (Internal)
SWOT ●
●
Free to the public
Trustworthy brand
● Informative and educational
content
● Financially transparent
Opportunities (External Influence)
● Local, regional, and national
partnerships
● Programming from foreign
markets
● Diverse audience
● Cross-platform streaming
service partnerships
Weaknesses (Internal)
● Declining membership
renewals
● Donor dependent
● Weak marketing/advertising
● Consistent broadcasting issues
Threats (External Influence)
● Aging viewer demographic
● Competition from commercial
media sources
● 28% funded by government
● Competing streaming services
(Netflix, Hulu)
Competitive Advantage
Differentiation Strategy - How PBS maintains a competitive advantage

● PBS competes by providing unique (different) products with features

that customers value, perceive as different, and are willing to pay a
premium for

RBV (Resource Based View) - The use of these internal resources are what
differentiates PBS from competitors

● established reputation for creating dependable and trustworthy

information
● collaborations which give additional access to tools and knowledge
● hundreds of programs and educational services for a diverse audience
 Recommendations
● Advertise to younger audiences by
marketing resources and streaming
relevant programs
● Propose streaming partnerships to big
name competitors to reach more viewers
(more viewers = more funding)
● Invest in high quality technology and
equipment to ensure consistent
broadcasting and live streams
Conclusion/Summary

“Educate, inspire, entertain and express a diversity of perspectives.”

This is the mission of our chosen corporation, which aims to provide free educational
content for our viewers. We hope to see growth in viewership by finding more ways to
connect to needs and demands for all. We are well versed in our strengths and weaknesses
in our field that will aid in creating a competitive edge. We will continue to strive for
excellence and build on our services to best serve the communities we reach.
Investing in our future is investment into yours.
References
● PBS. (2023, April). PBS Mission and Values. Retrieved from PBS.org: https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/mission-values/
● PBS.org. (2023, April). About PBS- Board of Directors. Retrieved from pbs.org:
https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/board-directors/
● PBS “9 Reasons to Value PBS.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 12 February 2020,
https://www.pbs.org/foundation/blogs/value-pbs/9-reasons-to-value-pbs/.
● PBS funding standards & practices. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2023, from
https://www.pbs.org/about/producing-pbs/funding-standards.pdf

● Wellman, D. (2023, April). Who Watches PBS - A Breakdown of Demographics. Retrieved from Market Enginuity:
https://blog.marketenginuity.com/who-watches-pbs-a-breakdown-of-demographics#:~:text=PBS%20Viewers%20as%20Professi
onals,to%20hold%20a%20doctorate%20degree
.

● Porter, Michael E. “The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 June 2008,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYF2_FBCvXw&t=84s.
● Jensen, Elizabeth. “PBS Showed TV the Future. but What Does Its Own Look like?” The New York Times, The New York
Times, 13 Oct. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/television/pbs-future.html#:~:text=PBS%20is%20an%20odd
%20entity,all%20local%20public%20television%20stations.
● Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). Discover the impact of PBS. PBS. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from
https://www.pbs.org/value/