PBS has appointed John McCoskey as its first chief technology officer.
McCoskey comes to PBS from the Comcast Media Center, where he has served as vice president for product development since 2004. He is an inventor on 40 issued/published utility patents related to satellite communications, media distribution, digital media systems, targeted advertising, digital rights management, Internet video, electronic books and media search and delivery. He has also held executive positions with Brief Original Broadcasts, Your Choice TV, Discovery Communications as well as positions at GTE Spacenet and Communications Satellite Corp. McCoskey is a graduate of John Hopkins University where he holds two M.S. degrees--one in Management and one in Computer Science.
In his new position, McCoskey will be responsible for leading, managing and providing technical guidance for broadcast technology and IT systems at PBS, overseeing a team of 130. He will oversee development of key projects such as the Next Generation Interconnection System, the infrastructure of public television; broadcast distribution systems development, implementation of a new rights management system, as well as corporate business continuity and disaster recovery.
"PBS has always been a leader in broadcast engineering and technology," McCoskey said. "I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to join PBS and look forward to working with member stations across the nation as well as the exceptional team at PBS to build on this outstanding legacy."
McCoskey will report to PBS Chief Operating Officer Wayne Godwin and will be a member of PBS President Paula Kerger's core management team. He will start April 2.
