College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
CLASS Distinguished Alumnus 2003
Jerry Franklin
A leader in mass media for more than 26 years, Jerry Franklin is the
president and CEO of 
Connecticut
Public Broadcasting (CPB), Inc., a position he has held since 1984. He
manages the state network of five television stations, four radio stations,
and a cable channel service; a for-profit production company, MediaVision;
a publishing partnership with Connecticut Magazine; and a national satellite
uplink service. Under his leadership, Connecticut Public Television has
won 43 Emmy Awards, two George Foster Peabody Awards, and two Ohio State
Awards for Broadcast Excellence; Connecticut Public Radio has earned three
Mark Twain Awards from the Associated Press. Mr. Franklin was directly
involved with the creation of Barney & Friends and numerous other programs.
A frequent speaker for legislation before the U.S. Congress and Connecticut State legislature, Mr. Franklin has served on countless state, national, public, and private committees and task forces. He serves on the board of trustees of American Public Television, a national program provider to public television, and is a governing partner of SINA (Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance), an award-winning, education-based urban partnership that has received national recognition and raised over $120 million to strengthen Hartford’s neighborhoods.