Martha Minow, the new Chair of GBH’s Board of Trustees, grew up in the 1960s and never thought she would care so much about institutions. But she came to realize that the creation and nurturing of institutions play an important role in the endurance of human dreams, reinvented and reclaimed by each new generation. A key institution she believes in is public media.

We spoke with her about her vision for GBH and how it builds communities and a sense of wonder. Oh, and what she’s reading and watching.

Your father, Newton Minow, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission under President John F. Kennedy,  played a huge role in the founding of public media. How did public media factor in your life growing up?

MM: So, before it was called public media, there was something called educational television. My father would sit me down with my sisters in front of fledgling educational television and ask us for our views. I must have been five or six. Dad said to JFK, who was very excited about the first man on the moon, that the communications satellite was more important. JFK asked, “Why?” And Dad said, “Because ideas will last longer than humans.” He later became one of the initiators of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS and the chair of the station in Chicago, which was one of the first public media stations and is still a flagship. I was involved in the fundraising activities there, so it’s been a constant in my life. My sister Nell was on the board of WETA, the Washington, D.C. station, and my sister Mary is on the executive advisory council of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, managed by GBH. Public media is, in some ways, a family business and definitely a continual source of meaning, knowledge, and insights.

Do you have any favorite programs at GBH?

MM: I learn something every week from GBH. There’s so much I love. NOVA... FRONTLINE... Molly of Denali. I’m also a big classical music fan so CRB and Great Performances are “go-tos.” I love Stories from the Stage. I love listening to interviews with our mayor and our governor [on Boston Public Radio.] I also love learning about science and the wonders of the world. I majored in history and I love learning about aspects of history that I never knew before. I am a mystery fan, so a lot of MASTERPIECE shows are great. And, oh, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a not-so-guilty pleasure.

You’re generous to GBH. What personally motivates you to give?

MM: I think that the role of trusted media has always been important but has never been more important than now. One of the roles of public media is to help people have a sense of community. Institutions like GBH offer information and ideas that are essential elements of civic engagement, equipping us to be active participants in our democracy. Having a trusted place that makes things understandable and engaging makes a huge difference.

What are the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities right now for GBH?

MM: Well, I wrote a book, Saving the News in 2021 about the challenges facing media. It’s only become more acute. Young people don’t have televisions. Many don’t have radios. Exploring digital distribution is absolutely critical for the future. We’ve done a good job on digital platforms, but we don’t have a business model that makes that sustainable. I do wish people knew how much GBH does for education. The media environment is noisy, and disinformation and artificial intelligence make it harder to elevate reliable information. So, we have our work cut out for us.

Why is giving to GBH’s annual fund so important?

MM: An annual fund gift is a way to underscore one’s membership in a community and to strengthen it. Small donations add up. I was a dean, and I understand very well why institutions that rely heavily on contributions by donors need annual campaigns. If everybody contributed $5 a week, it would be transformative. The sense of loyalty, membership, and being a part of something are critical. When the media started, a lot of people didn’t understand that when it was broadcast, someone had to pay for it. That was a given with newspapers and magazines, but when the digital revolution started, a lot of legacy media made their content available for free, hoping that it would convert people to become contributors. It had the opposite effect. So, if anyone has ever found anything valuable in GBH, I ask them, “Do you want to keep it going?”

How can public media bridge the divide currently in our country?

MM: A lot of my work is looking for ways to build bridges rather than walls. I do think that public media is an ideal forum for doing just that. One reason I love Stories from the Stage is that people can really connect—with empathy—to people who have very different experiences. Also, the experience of watching All Creatures Great and Small and NOVA is a basis to have a conversation with someone, even when we don’t agree about other things. That sense of wonder enabled by so much of the content of public media broadens our hearts and our souls. It can bring us together.

What can Beacon Circle members do right now to protect public media?

MM: I have a long list. Contributing financially, contributing time, coming to events, telling friends and family. Also, using social media to say why it matters, speaking to elected representatives around the country, asking if your workplace is a contributing sponsor. Finding ways to actually bridge the generational differences by watching content together and sharing it.

Let’s close with a lightning round.

Tea or coffee?

MM: All black teas: Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Russian, chai.

Morning or night?

MM: I used to be a night person, but now, it doesn’t matter. I get up early and work all day and work at night.

What are you reading now?

MM: I just finished a book about one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s closest advisors. Her name is Anna Marie Rosenberg. I hadn’t heard of her. She was an immigrant, and she rose to the highest heights but remained in the background of national politics. It’s called The Confidente by Christopher C. Gorham. I also recently read Persuasion by Jane Austen, an awesome book, subtle and insightful about human psychology and societal relationships.

One food for the rest of your life?

MM: Any kind of chocolate

Favorite place in Boston?

MM: I love all the libraries

Anything else we should know about you?

MM: I love my students. They are a huge part of my life. I’ve taught over 5,000 students. It’s been meaningful to see them build their lives and their careers. It’s such a privilege to be a part of people’s journeys.

Martha Minow is the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University and former Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Learn more about her here.

 To learn more and support GBH’s annual fund, go to gbh.org/support .