Executive Vice President and COO
Mark Erstling has been with APTS since 2001 and currently serves as APTS’ executive vice president and chief operating officer. Erstling oversees the day-to-day activities and business functions of the Association. Among his activities on behalf of the Association, Erstling also manages the deployment of the Digital Emergency Alert System for the Department of Homeland Security; he is leading APTS’ work relating to consumer education for the DTV transition; and is the lead on the development of the American Archive for public broadcasting.
Prior to joining APTS, Erstling was the general manager of WPSX-TV and WPSU-FM, operated by Penn State University, serving 29 counties in central Pennsylvania, and New York. He also served as director of educational communications for the University, managing services in support of the institution's Outreach and Cooperative Extension mission. He successfully established strategic partnerships with the community and business and expanded the service area for public radio to unserved areas in central Pennsylvania. Erstling also served on the Pennsylvania Public Television Network Commission and was on the state advisory committee supporting the Governor’s economic outreach to the Ontario, Canada, provincial government.
Erstling held numerous broadcast management positions at WGBY-TV in Springfield, Mass., operated by the WGBH Educational Foundation, where he oversaw the development and production of many award-winning programs. He has produced and managed programming for local, regional and national distribution including Frontline, American Playhouse and national PBS specials, which have featured Bill Moyers, Paul Duke and Arlo Guthrie among others.
Earlier Erstling was a producer/director at WJCT where he was responsible for 3,000 hours of local content over a 3-year period. He also produced and directed one of the first multi-point satellite interconnected interviews on American television.
Erstling is a graduate of the University of Florida.
