Stephen Salyer
Encyclopedia
Stephen Salyer is president and chief executive officer of the Salzburg Global Seminar, an independent, non-governmental organization based in Salzburg
, Austria
and Washington, D.C.
. He has been president and chief executive officer of Public Radio International (PRI)
and senior vice president at WNET/Thirteen
in New York City, the flagship producer for the PBS television network.
who wanted to create a “Marshall Plan
of the Mind,” Salzburg facilitates cross-sector development of strategic solutions, conducts international leadership development programs for rising stars in government, business, NGOs and academe, and offers model curricula and content to policy and education networks worldwide. Though an American organization, Salzburg’s program is centered at the historic Schloss Leopoldskron on the southern outskirts of Salzburg.
, the business program with the largest audience in U.S. radio or television; PRI’s The World
, the only daily international news hour produced for the American market; and Studio 360
, the pre-eminent arts and culture magazine on public radio. He brought global news to American listeners by forging an expansive partnership with the BBC World Service
to make its 24-hour news channel available to PRI’s 800+ stations nationwide. Salyer also co-founded Public Interactive, LLC, the leading force in public broadcasting enabling on-line community and audience interaction, and chaired its Board from 1999-2005. PRI recently reached agreement with NPR
to extend Public Interactive’s tools and services to all public stations in the United States.
Salyer also served for nine years as a vice president and then as senior vice president at WNET|WNET/Thirteen in New York City
, the flagship PBS producer, where he led departments responsible for national program development, international co-production, education, and communications. As head of the station’s Education Division, he formed in 1983 an experiential design department, the WNET Learning Lab, which pioneered early computer-based, interactive media instruction. Before joining public broadcasting, Salyer directed the Population Council's
Public Issues Program, and was the youngest person ever appointed to a presidential commission, serving while still an undergraduate at Davidson College
as a member of the Commission on Population Growth and the American Future.
Salyer's recent board service includes Guidestar USA, Inc., Davidson College, MacPhail Center for Music, Salzburg Global Seminar, Public Interactive, LLC and Public Radio International.
Among the programs launched and personally led by Mr. Salyer are initiatives on “Strengthening Independent Media” and “Optimizing Institutional Philanthropy.” Both are drawing together leading donors and thought leaders from all parts of the world to challenge current strategy and to chart innovative alternatives. In addition, Salyer proposed establishment of the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change. Students and faculty from five continents have participated each of the past three summers, creating a media literacy curriculum co-distributed by UNESCO
worldwide and establishing a unique research network to examine how media frame vital global issues. With Salyer’s encouragement, a new relationship has been formed with the world-renowned Salzburg Festival, bringing leading artists and writers to Schloss Leopoldskron for readings, lectures and discussions in August of each year. Among participants in this "Writer in Residence Program" have been Nobel Prize
Winner Orhan Pamuk
and Pulitzer Prize
Winners Richard Ford
and Jeffrey Eugenides
.
(1976-1979); Administrative Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
(1975); Thomas J. Watson Fellow (1974). He is a graduate of Davidson College from which he also received an honorary doctorate in 2003, and of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He has been president and chief executive officer of Public Radio International (PRI)
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
and senior vice president at WNET/Thirteen
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
in New York City, the flagship producer for the PBS television network.
Biography
Salyer was elected president and chief executive officer of the Salzburg Global Seminar in September 2005. Founded in 1947 by a young Austrian studying at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
who wanted to create a “Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
of the Mind,” Salzburg facilitates cross-sector development of strategic solutions, conducts international leadership development programs for rising stars in government, business, NGOs and academe, and offers model curricula and content to policy and education networks worldwide. Though an American organization, Salzburg’s program is centered at the historic Schloss Leopoldskron on the southern outskirts of Salzburg.
Professional career
Prior to assuming the Salzburg presidency, Salyer served as president and chief executive officer of Public Radio International (PRI). Under his leadership PRI became a leading developer and distributor of programs with a global perspective, and a leader in using digital technology to reach younger audiences. His vision defined PRI’s mission: to help Americans understand their diverse, interdependent world. Salyer played a leadership role in designing and launching such ground-breaking programs as: MarketplaceMarketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
, the business program with the largest audience in U.S. radio or television; PRI’s The World
The World (radio program)
PRI's The World is a global news radio, audio and multi-platform program created by Public Radio International based on the program's congruence with PRI's mission, and in order to fulfill the critical need for more original global news created for and provided to Americans. This was partly a...
, the only daily international news hour produced for the American market; and Studio 360
Studio 360
Studio 360 is an American weekly public radio program about media, the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by PRI Public Radio International and WNYC in New York City. The program's stated goal is to "Get inside the creative mind" and uses arts and culture as a lens to...
, the pre-eminent arts and culture magazine on public radio. He brought global news to American listeners by forging an expansive partnership with the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
to make its 24-hour news channel available to PRI’s 800+ stations nationwide. Salyer also co-founded Public Interactive, LLC, the leading force in public broadcasting enabling on-line community and audience interaction, and chaired its Board from 1999-2005. PRI recently reached agreement with NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
to extend Public Interactive’s tools and services to all public stations in the United States.
Salyer also served for nine years as a vice president and then as senior vice president at WNET|WNET/Thirteen in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the flagship PBS producer, where he led departments responsible for national program development, international co-production, education, and communications. As head of the station’s Education Division, he formed in 1983 an experiential design department, the WNET Learning Lab, which pioneered early computer-based, interactive media instruction. Before joining public broadcasting, Salyer directed the Population Council's
Population Council
The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its research relates to HIV and AIDS; its other major program...
Public Issues Program, and was the youngest person ever appointed to a presidential commission, serving while still an undergraduate at Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
as a member of the Commission on Population Growth and the American Future.
Salyer's recent board service includes Guidestar USA, Inc., Davidson College, MacPhail Center for Music, Salzburg Global Seminar, Public Interactive, LLC and Public Radio International.
Salzburg Global Seminar
After joining the Salzburg Global Seminar in September 2005, Salyer initiated a strategic review of the institution’s mission, goals, strategy, measures of success, financial sustainability and governance. Since its adoption, the resulting strategic plan has guided Salzburg’s emergence as a reinvigorated institution – encouraging a cross-cutting focus on issues and outcomes, attracting new financial support, and creating a platform on which its 25,000 Fellows in 160 countries can engage and collaborate.Among the programs launched and personally led by Mr. Salyer are initiatives on “Strengthening Independent Media” and “Optimizing Institutional Philanthropy.” Both are drawing together leading donors and thought leaders from all parts of the world to challenge current strategy and to chart innovative alternatives. In addition, Salyer proposed establishment of the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change. Students and faculty from five continents have participated each of the past three summers, creating a media literacy curriculum co-distributed by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
worldwide and establishing a unique research network to examine how media frame vital global issues. With Salyer’s encouragement, a new relationship has been formed with the world-renowned Salzburg Festival, bringing leading artists and writers to Schloss Leopoldskron for readings, lectures and discussions in August of each year. Among participants in this "Writer in Residence Program" have been Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Winner Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....
and Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
Winners Richard Ford
Richard Ford
Richard Ford is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel The Sportswriter and its sequels, Independence Day and The Lay of the Land, and the short story collection Rock Springs, which contains several widely anthologized stories.-Early...
and Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Kent Eugenides is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and short story writer. Eugenides is most known for his first two novels, The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex . His novel The Marriage Plot was published in October, 2011.-Life and career:Eugenides was born in Detroit, Michigan,...
.
Education
Salyer has received numerous awards and fellowships, including U.S.-Japan Leadership Fellow (1996); British-American Fellow (1990); Root-Tilden Scholar, New York University School of LawNew York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
(1976-1979); Administrative Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1975); Thomas J. Watson Fellow (1974). He is a graduate of Davidson College from which he also received an honorary doctorate in 2003, and of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.