CHESHIRE RESIDENT NAMED TO STATEWIDE TASK FORCE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION & PRIVACY

A Cheshire resident has been named to a new 17-person State task force on public information and privacy. Klarn DePalma is one of four media members – and one of two representatives of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association – to be appointed to the task force by the Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (CTSPJ), as part of the State’s Newtown public records legislation.

 

DePalma is Vice President and General Manager of WFSB-TV 3 Hartford and WSHM-TV 3 Springfield, Mass. He also oversees the National Sales team for the Local Media Group of the stations’ parent company, Meredith Corporation. The Cheshire, Conn. resident joined WFSB as a Sales Account Executive in 1993 and became the station’s Local Sales Manager in 1998. In 2002, he rose to Director of Sales of both WFSB and WSHM and, in 2005, was promoted to Vice President and General Manager for both stations. DePalma is the current Chair of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Science Center and the Channel 3 Kids Camp, and is a faculty member at Howard University.

 

The other member of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association named to the panel is Don DeCesare, President and General Manager of WLIS-AM in Old Saybrook and WMRD-AM in Middletown. A journalist for more than four decades, he spent many years at CBS Broadcasting in New York City, where he went from editing radio broadcasts to overseeing television news coverage. The Norwalk resident served as Chair of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association from 2005 to 2007, during which time the association led the effort to adopt a strong Shield Law for Connecticut. A past Treasurer for CT-N, he is a member of the Media Center Advisory Board at Middlesex Community College.

 

DePalma and DeCesare are joined on the new task force by journalists Brian Koonz, Metro Editor for the Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, and Jodie Mozdzer Gil, President of the Connecticut SPJ Board and Assistant Professor of Multimedia Journalism at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Conn.

 

The task force includes 13 other members, including a representative from the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information (CCFOI) and the Executive Director for the FOI Commission. Connecticut Speaker of the House of Representatives Brendan J. Sharkey and Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. will select two chairpersons for the committee. CTSPJ and CCFOI have requested that Sharkey and Williams consider DeCesare as one co-chair, to ensure balance on the committee leadership.

 

The task force is asked to meet between July 1, 2013 and January 1, 2014, at which point a report with recommendations will be sent to the Connecticut General Assembly.

 

Since its establishment in 1955, the Connecticut Broadcasters Association has been a respected industry leader in legal, governmental, education and community issues on both the State and National levels. Members include broadcast TV stations, radio stations, vendors and companies with a business interest in broadcasting, educational facilities, and individuals with involvement in the broadcasting industry. For more information about the association, visit www.ctba.org or call (860) 305-2038.