WASHINGTON – February 28, 2023 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented the 2023 Excellence in Innovation Award to Dolores Fernandez Alonso, President and CEO of South Florida PBS in Miami, Florida, for her groundbreaking leadership in the creation and ongoing success of the Health Channel.
Created by South Florida PBS in 2018, the Health Channel is the first TV channel of its kind, connecting viewers with medical and well-being specialists in real time and promoting healthier lifestyle options. In partnership with local organizations including Baptist Health South Florida and Miami’s Community News, the service provides the latest health information to enable viewers to better manage their own health. To complement the 24/7 broadcast and live interactions with medical and well-being specialists, the Health Channel offers a robust companion digital platform that provides access to specialized services.
“Under Dolores’s innovative, dedicated and passionate leadership, South Florida PBS and the Health Channel are offering their community – and Americans across the country -- a wealth of trusted information on everything from the coronavirus to mental health and medical breakthroughs to help people live healthier lives,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations. “This is truly pioneering work, and it’s one more excellent example of the power of public television to invent a better future for all of us.”
“I am very honored to be recognized by APTS for South Florida PBS’ pioneering spirit and quest to better serve the South Florida community and beyond in ways that are essential and crucial,” said Fernandez Alonso. “In order to do this, we have to find innovative ways to effect impact. And if impact is the measurement of success, I am deeply gratified with the success of the Health Channel.”
Dolores Fernandez Alonso serves as the President and CEO of South Florida PBS, the merged organization that brings together WPBT and WXEL to collectively represent the 7th largest TV market in the United States. She is one of the first women in the public television system to have led a station merger. In addition, she has quadrupled the size of the South Florida PBS endowment.
Fernandez Alonso is a visionary and a leader in NEXTGEN TV and immersive media, preparing her stations to meet the demands of ATSC 3.0 and ensuring that South Florida PBS was a part of the Miami NEXTGEN TV launch that occurred in January 2023. She is a strong proponent of experiential learning and as such, has made it an integral part of South Florida PBS’s mission. This has resulted in the creation of Emmy award-winning 360-degree content and educational apps. Her leadership in integrating the digital space into all station productions has propelled exponential growth on South Florida PBS’s streaming and social media platforms. Through her solid stewardship, she has secured the funding for the expansion of the South Florida PBS’s studios in Palm Beach County to include an Arts and Cultural center complete with an immersive igloo for experiential learning opportunities for the South Florida community.
Fernandez Alonso currently serves as a Board Trustee of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and a member of its Finance and Membership Committee; Board Director of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); Member, The Strategic Forum; Member, NSU Levan Ambassadors Board; Member, FIU School of Communication, Architecture and Arts Advisory Board; past Chair and current Board Member of Florida Public Media, a statewide consortium of Florida public television and radio stations; past President, International Women’s Forum (IWF) Florida Forum and current Board Member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) North America Global Forum; past Chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) Nonprofit Business Committee, and of the GMCC Creative Industries Committee.
As a proud bilingual Hispanic, Fernandez Alonso earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish Literature from Columbia University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Miami.
The 2023 Excellence in Innovation Award was presented to Dolores Fernandez Alonso during the APTS Public Media Summit on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.
###
About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org