[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 129 (Tuesday, September 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING DON BROWNE, A GIANT IN THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 4, 2007

  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I would like to 
recognize a man who has been a leader in the media and a strong 
visionary for the future.
  With four decades of experience as a journalist and executive, Don 
Browne is currently the president of the Telemundo Network. He oversees 
all functions of the Telemundo television network and its 16 owned-and-
operated stations.
  In a very short time, Mr. Browne led Telemundo from zero original 
programming to more than 1,000 hours of original prime-time productions 
a year produced out of Telemundo Studios' production center based in 
South Florida. During his tenure, Mr. Browne has set in motion numerous 
initiatives that have further solidified and defined the network's 
position within the Spanish-language television landscape, and has 
helped make it the world's second largest producer of Spanish-language 
content. Thanks to Mr. Browne's commitment to original programming, 
Telemundo has carved a unique competitive position in the market, 
syndicating its programming properties to over 60 countries in more 
than 20 different languages and distributing its content in a variety 
of emerging digital media platforms.
  Furthermore, Mr. Browne has earned for himself a national reputation 
for being particularly active in the recruitment and career development 
of women and minorities. For example, Mr. Browne is the visionary 
behind the creation and expansion of the bicoastal ``Taller 
Telemundo,'' an innovative educational program designed to discover, 
recruit and train the next generation of ``telenovela'' writers and 
actors. He is also cofounder and board member of the ``Women of 
Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program'' for at risk high school 
girls. He was a charter member of the NBC News Taskforce on Women and 
Minorities and currently serves as a member of NBC's Taskforce on 
Diversity.
  For these efforts, he has been correctly recognized with numerous 
awards for community service such as the prestigious Ida B. Wells Award 
for his commitment to promote diversity in the workplace and Governor 
of Florida's Points of Light Award for exemplary service to his 
community.
  I am proud to call Don Browne, his beautiful and brilliant Cuban-born 
wife, Maria, and their sons Chris and Ryan, my friends, and I am 
honored to celebrate his 40 years in broadcasting. On behalf of a 
grateful community, I rise to thank this giant of the television 
industry for his service, his vision and his leadership.

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