CBA’s DeCesare appointed to co-chair of legislative FOI committee

The Connecticut Broadcasters Association released the following regarding the legislative-mandated task force aimed at public records legislation:

Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. has appointed longtime broadcaster Don DeCesare to be a Co-Chair of a new 17 member Task Force on public information and privacy, the body mandated by the 2013 Legislature’s public records legislation. DeCesare of Norwalk, Conn. is a Past-President of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association and one of two members of that organization to be named to the Task Force. He will serve as Co-Chair with State Rep. Angel Arce of Hartford, who was appointed to that position by the Connecticut Speaker of the House of Representatives, Brendan J. Sharkey.

DeCesare is President and General Manager of WLIS-AM in Old Saybrook, Conn. and WMRD-AM in Middletown, Conn. A journalist for more than four decades, he spent 20 years at CBS Broadcasting in New York and globally. At CBS, DeCesare went from editing radio broadcasts to overseeing television news coverage and senior management. He served as Chair of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association from 2005 to 2007. During that time, the Association led the successful effort to adopt a strong Shield Law for Connecticut. A founder and past Treasurer for CT-N, DeCesare also is a member of the Media Center Advisory Board at Middlesex Community College. He has contributed opinion pieces to a variety of publications.

The other member of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association to be appointed to the task force is Klarn DePalma, the organization’s current Chair. DePalma is Vice President and General Manager of WFSB-TV 3 Hartford, Conn. 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, CT 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 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.

DeCesare and DePalma were two of four media members appointed to the task force by the Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (CTSPJ). They are joined 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, CT.

The Task Force totals 17 members. Other members include a representative from the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information (CCFOI) and the Executive Director for the FOI Commission, as well as legislators, attorneys, and representatives of law enforcement. The legislation creating the Task Force calls for it to produce a report, including recommendations, to the Legislature by January 1, 2014.

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.