PATRICIA P. (PATSY) SMULLIN

Owner and President, California Oregon Broadcasting

California Oregon Broadcasting is the longest, continuously operated, independent broadcast organization in the West. Its holdings include five television stations serving California and Oregon, three cable systems and a digital HD video production company.

Over the years, Patsy’s commitment to community is evident every day personally and through her TV stations.  She has consistently given back to the communities her broadcast company serve. She has been an active member of the NBC Affiliate Board, National Association of Broadcasters Board, The World Affairs Council of Oregon, Oregon Children’s Foundation, Southern Oregon University Board and Willamette University Board.

Two of her “hands on” favorites are being a SMART reader and Community 101 supporter, which teach children philanthropy at a really young age. 

She has been recognized with countless awards including the 2007 National Broadcasters Foundation Pioneer Award and the 2008 Oregon Association of Broadcaster’s Tom McCall Award for outstanding service to the state and to the nation and most recently the Governor’s Gold Award for service to Oregon. 

“I love broadcasting,” she once told an interviewer. “I love the localism side of it, the power of the tube to help in communities.” From 1953, when Patsy’s father, William B. Smullin. signed on KOBI-TV, to today, Patsy continues to live that philosophy.