Ervin S. Duggan (born in June 30, 1939[1]) is a retired American media executive who has served in several management positions, most notably as president of PBS.
[2] Duggan had served as a speechwriter and member of the White House staff of President Lyndon B. Johnson and, at the time of his appointment to the FCC, was in private business as a communications advisor in Washington, D.C. Duggan frequently spoke and wrote about the future of public broadcasting while serving at the FCC.
On Sept. 27, 1993, he made a major speech to the Southern Educational Communications Association in Atlanta, Georgia, making a case for what he called "public bandwidth" as part of the Clinton Administration's telecommunications infrastructure plan.
He led the creation of a "Democracy Project" initiative in 1996 to significantly expand PBS's news and public affairs programming ahead of the 1996 election cycle.
[5] After leaving PBS, Duggan was named President and CEO of the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Florida, where he served until his retirement in 2014.