[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 129 (Tuesday, September 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING DON BROWNE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 4, 2007

  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
acknowledge the work and accomplishments of a visionary leader in the 
television industry and the impact he has made upon the South Florida 
community.
  With four decades of experience as a journalist, 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 and played a key part in acquiring and integrating 
Telemundo into the NBC global family.
  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 Mr. Browne's tenure, the network has become the 
world's second largest producer of Spanish-language content, due in 
part to several initiatives he set forth. Mr. Browne oversaw the launch 
of the successful Yahoo!Telemundo partnership and the inauguration of 
the network's state of the art headquarters and news bureau in Mexico 
City, as well as the successful relaunch of mun2, a Latino channel for 
youth. 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.
  After working for CBS for more than a decade, Mr. Browne joined the 
NBC team, where he earned 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 bi-coastal ``Taller Telemundo,'' an 
innovative educational program designed to discover, recruit and train 
the next generation of ``telenovela'' writers and actors. He is also 
co-founder 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.
  Numerous awards and accolades have been given to him in recognition 
of his dedication to community service. The prestigious Ida B. Wells 
Award was bestowed on Mr. Browne in 2004 for his commitment to promote 
diversity in the work place. In 2006, he was the recipient of the 
Governor of Florida's Points of Light Award for exemplary service to 
his community.
  I am privileged to have a friend in Don Browne and grateful for his 
service to our community. It is an honor to celebrate Mr. Browne's 40 
years in broadcasting. His foresight and innovation have left an 
indelible mark on South Florida.

                          ____________________