When Bruce L. Christensen, president and chief executive officer of the Public Broadcasting Service in Washington, D.C., returns to Brigham Young University as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, he will bring "incomparable experience in a medium that promotes science, learning, and the arts like no other medium," said BYU President Rex E. Lee.On Sept. 1, Christensen will replace James A. Mason, who will retire from the dean's post and become the first director of BYU's new art museum, scheduled to open in October.
Christensen is an Ogden native who holds degrees in journalism from the University of Utah and from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He served for two years as assistant to the director of university relations at BYU, beginning in 1970, and then managed KBYU-TV and KBYU-FM on campus.
Between 1979 and 1982, he managed the public television and radio stations (KUED-TV/KUED-FM) at the University of Utah and served as director of media services there.
"He will serve us well as dean of fine arts and communications," said Lee.
During his tenure at PBS, Christensen spearheaded an industry-wide refocusing of resources on serving educational needs through telecommunications.
Christensen has served in a wide range of professional and management positions in broadcasting, including nearly two decades in public broadcasting. He began his media career in 1965 as a reporter for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. In 1968, he joined WGN-TV in Chicago as a sportswriter and producer. The following year, he returned to KSL as Statehouse correspondent.
In 1982, Christensen moved to Washington as president of the National Association of Public Television Stations, where he served for two years. The PBS Board of Directors unanimously elected him their president and CEO in May 1984.