WETA Producer Jeff Rathner to be Inducted into Prestigious Silver Circle

Washington, D.C. — Jeff Rathner, a producer/photographer at WETA TV 26 for 25 years, will be inducted into The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ (NATAS-NCCB) prestigious Silver Circle on Saturday, November 22, 2008.

“We congratulate Jeff on his induction into the 2008 Silver Circle,” said Kevin Harris, WETA vice president and station manager. “His shared commitment to serve the Washington area with compelling television that recognizes viewers’ intelligence, curiosity and interest in the world around them for 25 terrific years is greatly admired by his colleagues at WETA.”

Rathner has been a field photographer for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer since 1984, bringing his versatility, passion and creativeness to the WETA family. In his 25 years at the station, he has been to Cuba to visit Fidel Castro, shot a host of interviews with other world leaders, and traveled the country to film documentaries on topics ranging from infant mortality in the ghetto to the plight of a Chesapeake Bay Waterman, and from 9/11 at the Pentagon to a profile of Baryshnikov. He has also shot for several PBS programs including The Brain, In Performance at the White House, Van Gogh’s Van Gogh and Globe Trekker. Rathner’s artistic eye is also evident on episodes of the WETA documentary series WETA All Access and The WETA Guide. He has shot several promotion campaigns on film and has performed as spokesperson for WETA during pledge breaks.

Rathner has always felt that local television stations have a civic responsibility to their audience and should establish an identity by interacting with the community. With this in mind, he conceived the Emmy award-winning WETA Hometown Heroes, a project that celebrates the extraordinary contributions individuals make to the Greater Washington area.

The Silver Circle was established in 1987 to honor individuals devoting 25 years or more to the broadcast industry. This year’s honorees join a distinguished group of professionals who have made outstanding contributions to television in the Washington, D.C. area spanning from Baltimore through Richmond. These leaders, in their unique ways, have inspired excellence and innovation in every communications discipline. With the induction of this year’s 2008 honorees, the Silver Circle has recognized 205 individuals.

WETA TV 26 and Classical WETA 90.9 FM are public broadcasting stations serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with news and public affairs, educational, and cultural programming and related services, including four digital television channels. WETA is committed to producing programs that highlight the history and people of the Greater Washington area. WETA produces WETA All Access, The WETA Guide, WETA Around Town, WETA Neighborhoods and WETA Extras, spotlighting local people, places and events. WETA’s headquarters is located in Arlington, Virginia. For more information on WETA and its services, visit www.weta.org. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO of WETA.

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