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www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 18, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 3 Newsmakers EDITORIAL Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139, gbordonaro@HartfordBusiness.com Gregory Seay | News Editor, ext. 144, gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Matt Pilon | News Editor, ext. 143, mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com Sean Teehan | Staff Writer, ext 145, steehan@hartfordbusiness.com Joe Cooper | Web Editor, ext. 127, jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com Stephanie Meagher | Research Director Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer BUSINESS Joe Zwiebel | President and Publisher, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Donna Collins | Associate Publisher, ext. 121, dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com Lauren Stroud | Marketing & Project Manager, ext. 137, lstroud@HartfordBusiness.com Shannon Vincelette | HBJ Office and Events Coordinator, ext. 122, svincelette@hartfordbusiness.com David Hartley | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Christopher Mazzaia | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 128, cmazzaia@HartfordBusiness.com Kristen P. 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Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894 www.copyright.com HartfordBusiness.com (860) 236-9998 Jerry Franklin | President and CEO, Connecticut Public By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com Jerry Franklin, president and CEO of Connecti- cut Public, which includes public radio station WNPR, announced in May that he will retire at the end of June 2019, ending what by then will be 34 years at the helm — or about 31 more than he expected when he started in 1985. At that time, he had a $4 million budget and a $1 million deficit to resolve. By building market share and a fundraising model, the deficit was paid off within the year, he said. Connecticut Public's budget today is about $22 million and its staff has nearly doubled to 97 as the educational and news divisions have increased substantially, he said. Entering his last year, Franklin, 70, reflected on his long run at Connecticut Public, compris- ing Connecticut Public Television, Connecticut Public Radio, Connecticut Public Learning and other programs. What are you most proud of accomplishing at Connecticut Public? There are five things I am particularly proud of: 1. When experts said a purple dinosaur wouldn't penetrate the children's market, we proved them wrong by producing "Barney & Friends." Barney turned out to be the most popular children's show in public media history. Barney was not only an incredible public service, but also a sustaining income stream for us for more than 25 years. 2. I'm also proud to have brought UConn women's basketball to Connecticut television au- diences. Many people thought that wouldn't take hold, but it turned out to be the most popular local public media series in the country. 3. Switching from classical music program- ming on WNPR to an all-news and public affairs format was controversial in 2006, but we have more than doubled our audience. 4. I'm proud that I will leave Connecticut Pub- lic with a solid financial foundation, including an endowment of over $50 million. 5. The three women in my life, Ida, my wife and high school sweetheart, my daughter, Jennifer, and my granddaughter, Madison, are the not- too-secret, greatest joys in my life. Is there anything you didn't accomplish that you wish you would have? We haven't figured out how to penetrate Fairfield County in a way that matches our Hartford County presence. I'm confident that is still achievable. What's the biggest change you've witnessed in the media landscape? The incredible choices available to people to see and hear TV, radio and digital programming. How and where we watch has completely changed, but that is both a challenge and opportunity. The more dramatic change that concerns me is the lack of trust people have in their media. This idea that the media is the "enemy of the people" — that's a shock to me. That erosion of trust is bad for everyone. Is there a favorite story or program that stands out during your time there? Years ago, we broadcast a controversial show called "Death of a Princess." It was a drama-docu- mentary that contained content the Saudi govern- ment opposed, and there was political pressure to censure the broadcast. The president, the secretary of state, leaders of Congress all opposed us airing it. Since we are not in the business of censoring our content, we and many other PBS stations through- out the country did air it. We stood tall under pres- sure and I'm proud of that. What's one thing people don't know about you? I raise grass-fed beef on my farm in Savannah, Ga., and I have 75 rosebushes in my garden in Farmington. They say a man who grows roses is a happy man. 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES FACILITY SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We design, install, maintain, and protect systems in: Industrial Facilities Manufacturing Facilities Commercial Facilities Higher Education Facilities Healthcare Facilities Pharmaceutical Facilities Jerry Franklin outside CT Public's Hartford office. PHOTO | HBJ FILE