David Nevins Interviews Steven Schupak, Station Manager, MPT

Steven J. Schupak was recently named station manager at Maryland Public Television (MPT). He has served on the statewide public TV network’s executive team since 2003 and been its chief operating officer since 2014 . MPT operates four broadcast channels, is a producer of local and national content, streams content over a variety of digital and social platforms, and is the 10th largest in revenue among some 150 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member stations.

The promotion to station manager recognizes an expansion of his planning, content, operations, and financial oversight responsibilities, his leadership in expanding MPT’s position as a digital content provider, as well as his additional institutional and public-facing duties.

Schupak also recently created the business plan, launched, and now heads a new division within MPT called the Maryland State Ad Agency (MSAA). The new entity is dedicated to creating and executing advertising campaigns for state agencies. Recent MSAA campaigns have addressed the 2020 Census, COVID-19, and the opioid addiction crisis.

During Schupak’s tenure at MPT, the network has earned numerous television industry honors for its productions including Chesapeake Bay Week®, Maryland Vietnam War Stories, Outdoors Maryland, Maryland Farm & Harvest, Star-Spangled Spectacular: The Bicentennial of our National Anthem, Steven Raichlen’s Project Smoke, and MotorWeek. Included among MPT’s regional Emmy® Awards in recent years are the Overall Excellence award, earned in 2017, and the Community Service award, presented to MPT in 2017 in recognition of its MPT Salutes Vietnam Veterans initiative and in 2018 for its Breaking Heroin’s Grip: Road to Recovery documentary.

In November 2020, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter inducted Schupak into its prestigious Silver Circle. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the broadcast or cable industry for 25 years or more.

Prior to joining MPT, Schupak served as vice president at Henninger Media Services, a Virginia-based media company, running the firm’s TV production and distribution group. He launched his television career in the 1980s as a member of the production staff at the ABC Television Network.

Schupak is an alumnus of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in film and television. He holds a master’s degree in marketing from the Graduate School of Management & Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) and was honored with that school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2019, the highest alumni award bestowed at UMGC. Schupak is also a 2019 Leadership Maryland graduate.

Interview Questions:

Q1: Congratulations on your recent promotion to station manager at Maryland Public Television. Tell us about your expanded role at the statewide public TV network.

Q2: I want to hear more about the MD State Ad Agency, but first share with us what the impacts of COVID-19 have been on your operation?

Q3: With the huge growth of and transition to streaming of TV content, how is MPT adapting to meet the desires of public media viewers?

Q4: Tell us about the several original productions and initiatives is MPT offering — any surprise hits among them? What does MPT have in the works that we’ll be seeing down the road?

Q5: Back to the MD State Ad Agency, how was it started and where does it fit into a public TV operation such as MPT?

Q6: What else do you want viewers of this interview to know about the future of MPT?

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David Nevins is president & CEO of Nevins & Associates, a highly regarded strategic communications company and proactive public relations partner. The firm’s regional and national client base is a unique mix of organizations across a variety of industries including: healthcare, professional service firms, finance, not-for-profits, distributors, state agencies, national media companies, technology, political and grassroots campaigns, real estate development, sporting events, and more.

With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and community and government relations, David is a talented and seasoned executive. Prior to founding Nevins & Associates in 1983, David served as the Director of Marketing for both Towson University and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was tapped by the CEO of Comcast to employ his marketing expertise as President of the company’s regional sports network, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. David is a Past President of the Board of Governors for the Center Club and is a former Chairman of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, a position to which he was appointed by the Governor of Maryland. David has chaired the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission and the Maryland Higher Education Loan Corporation, served as President of both the Jewish National Fund and the Towson Business Association and was a member of the PNC Bank board.

David is highly involved in the business, civic, and political communities, and his many years of active leadership in numerous organizations have built a network of contacts that he regularly puts to use for the firm’s clients. For more information, visit www.nevinspr.com.

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Maryland Public Television names Steven Schupak station manager

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