In an era when the typical job tenure of a Gen Z or Millennial employee is less than three years, Maryland Public Television bids farewell to a pair of Jewish stalwarts with more than eight decades of experience between them.
This spring, Larry D. Unger, MPT’s president and CEO who has been with the PBS affiliate for 28 years, and George R. Beneman II, who has worked at MPT for more than a half-century, will retire from their positions. Steven J. Schupak will become MPT’s president and CEO as of July 1.
“You just know when the time is right,” says Unger. “It’s been a wonderful experience for me and my family, but it’s time for somebody else to take over.”
Says Beneman: “I’ve had a good run, but there are others who are fresh and young and need to take over. I’ve been through a number of transitions, and now I want to make a transition myself.”
Perhaps one reason the two men remained at MPT for so long is because their professional experiences at the station changed over the years. Unger started as vice president of administration. Later, he became MPT’s chief financial officer and then CEO. Prior to coming to MPT, he worked nearly three decades in financial services.
“Working in public television was very different,” says Unger. “[Before MPT] my whole life had really been [about] return-to-shareholders. It took me a little while … but ultimately I did figure it out. [MPT] just makes our community a better place.”
Beneman’s talents were honed in the entertainment industry.
“I had some television experience and had done a lot of lighting on and off Broadway and in theaters,” he says. “So coming to television, it was sort of adapting that to broadcasting. … I started [at MPT] as a camera operator and moved up to production manager, coordinator’s director, vice president, now senior vice president, and then from production to include technology.”
Beneman has been in the field long enough to see monumental technological changes.
“When I got here, it was strictly one channel, and now there are four. Streaming has just changed everything, and that change continues as we speak,” he says.
While many viewers associate MPT with children’s programming, Unger and Beneman say their career highlights include much of the station’s adult content.
Unger was especially moved by the three-part documentary “Maryland Vietnam War Stories,” released in 2016.
“We did everything from interviewing hundreds of Vietnam vets to a three-hour documentary to an event in Timonium with thousands and thousands of people, and even took some people to Vietnam,” he says. “We were just happy to finally say thank you for your service to a bunch of people that protected our country and not only didn’t get thanked but they were lucky if they didn’t get spit on.”
Highlights for Unger were the station’s “Star Spangled Spectacular: The Bicentennial of our National Anthem,” and the 2022 documentaries “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom,” and “Becoming Frederick Douglass.”
Some of Beneman’s proudest accomplishments include directing and producing the national show “Wall Street Week With Louis Rukeyser” from 1970 to 2002 and “Happy New Year, USA” from 1986 to 1988.
As for children’s programming, Beneman recalls MPT’s beloved “Hodgepodge Lodge,” a nature show hosted by “Miss Jean” Worthley that ran from 1970 to 1977.
“Miss Jean, who lived literally on the farm next door and came through the field with [her parrot] Aurora on her shoulder every day to work, was a wonderful way for a lot of us to learn about television and nature,” he says
Adds Unger: “Let’s not forget we did ‘Kratts’ Creatures’ here [from 1996 to 2001]. [The show was] basically the [Kratt] brothers and lots of animals of all kinds, and they just taught about the animals. It was great fun.”
At a time when many express concern about potential public funding cuts for PBS and National Public Radio, Unger and Beneman say they remain upbeat.
“We’ve faced federal funding challenges for decades,” says Unger. “A lot of people say this time may be different — and it might — but I can also tell you that there are supporters of public television on both sides of the aisle. I’m very hopeful that will take us through this challenge.”
Meanwhile, the Baltimore-born Unger and Beneman hope viewers recognize how fortunate they are to have MPT.
“We are a wonderful resource for the citizens of the state of Maryland,” says Beneman, a native of Cumberland. “We are unique, and we’re the only broadcaster that covers the whole state that’s really locally owned and operated. We’re here for the citizens of Maryland, and we would like them all to come and take advantage of what we have.”
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