Donald K. Boswell, WNED Buffalo/Toronto President and CEO, announced the appointment of Toronto resident Sarah Lucy Whitehouse as the bi-national public broadcaster’s first Canadian Program Acquisition Manager. She will seek out programs and films for broadcast on WNED-TV, working out of the station’s downtown Toronto office. She also will identify Canadian freelance staff to assist in producing original WNED projects.

WNED routinely airs programs from Canadian producers and sources, such as the National Film Board of Canada, as well as British and American-distributed programs with proven appeal in Canada.

“Sarah will bring a seasoned Canadian sensibility to the table as we consider content options for WNED’s schedule.  She’ll help guide our efforts to continue finding high-quality programs – regardless of their national origin – that may be of interest to our binational viewers,” said Ron Santora, WNED’s Vice President-Broadcasting/Station Manager. “Her extensive, international background in the film and television industry, as well as her established relationships within the Canadian independent production community, will be invaluable to us as we connect more deeply with our substantial Canadian audience.”

Previously with Corus Entertainment’s The Documentary Channel, Whitehouse initially served as a producer before assuming the role of acquisitions executive/manager of programming. She was responsible for all program acquisitions and contributed creative direction for commissioned films.

Whitehouse has also served as managing director for the Documentary Organization of Canada’s Toronto Chapter; international programmer for the Hot Docs International Film Festival; and on the selection committee for the ITVS International Fund.

WNED has produced several original productions with Canadian components, including Remembering Crystal Beach Park, Toronto’s Houses of Worship, Niagara Fallsand sixOUR TOWNcommunity profiles (Kitchener/Waterloo, Markham, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Oakville, St. Catharines and Welland). Projects currently in development include two major national television productions with Canadian production companies (on the Underground Railroad and the Great Lakes).

Through WNED-TV, ThinkBright TV, Classical 94.5/WNED-FM and WNED-AM 970 The Information Station, the member-supported WNED Buffalo/Toronto provides high quality programming and services that enlighten, inspire, entertain and educate Western New York and Southern Ontario communities. Additional information about WNED can be found at www.wned.org.

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