The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Broadcast Pioneers member M. Larry Litwin was born in South Philadelphia, raised in Camden and Pennsauken, New Jersey, lived in rural Iowa for three years, suburban North Jersey for two years and now resides in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Litwin is an established public relations counselor, teacher, mentor, role model and ethicist, and an award-winning public relations practitioner and broadcast journalist, who has left a lasting impression on thousands of students and professionals.

Litwin is an established strategic adviser, teacher, mentor, role model and ethicist, and an award-winning public relations counselor and broadcast journalist, who has left a lasting impression on thousands of students and professionals.

He spent 42 years as an adjunct and full-time faculty member at Rowan (N.J.) University before retiring as associate professor to guest lecture at other universities in public relations, advertising, radio and television. His classroom is considered a “laboratory for practical knowledge” where he implements “edutainment” to motivate his students.

He is a graduate of Parsons (Iowa) College with a bachelor’s degree in business where, in 2013, he was inducted as a member of its Wall of Honor joining 48 others. He received his master’s in communication – educational public relations – from Glassboro (N.J.) State College. In 2002, he earned his APR (Accredited in Public Relations) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). In 2007, Litwin was inducted into PRSA’s College of Fellows – one of fewer than 445 members at the time.

During his 48 years in the communication profession, Litwin has worked as a public relations director for two school districts and as a radio and TV reporter, editor and anchor for ABC News in New York and KYW in Philadelphia. He was education reporter at KYW Newsradio for 10 years. He spent nearly two years in the U.S. Department of Labor as a deputy regional director of information and public affairs during Elizabeth Dole’s tenure as labor secretary. He has also served as a strategic counselor, and public relations and advertising consultant.

Litwin was a governor’s appointee to serve as chair of the New Jersey Open Public Records Act Privacy Study Commission, which recommended cutting edge legislation to assure that government records would be available to the public without exposing personal information – such as home addresses and telephone numbers – that should remain private and out of the public domain.

He has been secretary of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association for nearly 45 years, chair of the board of trustees of the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame (SJBHoF) and a member of the Cherry Hill Public Library Board of Trustees. He served on the Cherry Hill Economic Development Council and as president of the Township’s Alliance on Drug and Alcohol Abuse. He was a member of the South Jersey Scholar-Athlete Committee sponsored by the Courier-Post and Coca-Cola. In 2011, he was inducted into the SJBHoF.

Litwin has authored two books: The ABCs of Strategic Communication – Thousands of terms, tips and techniques that define the professions (AuthorHouse – 2014) and The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators – A Synergized Approach to Effective Two-Way Communication (AuthorHouse – 2013). The PR Playbook’s third edition was considered for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. He is a contributor to several college textbooks and has written many articles for national magazines.

In 2012, Rowan University presented Litwin with its prestigious “Gary Hunter Excellence in Mentoring Award,” its “Adviser of the Year Leadership Award for Exemplary Advising” (of a student organization), and named him to the Rowan University Faculty Wall of Fame and its Adviser Wall of Fame.

He is the 2006 recipient of the National School Public Relations Association’s Lifetime Professional Achievement Award for “his excellence in the field of educational public relations, leadership and contributions to NJSPRA (New Jersey chapter) and PenSPRA (Pennsylvania chapter), dedication to NSPRA and the (public relations) profession, and advocacy for students and our nation’s public schools.” He has also been awarded the Sigma Delta Chi (Society of Professional Journalists) Bronze Medallion for Distinguished Service in Journalism and the first ever Grand Award presented by the International Radio Festival of New York.

In 2002, the Philadelphia chapter of PRSA honored Litwin with its Anthony J. Fulginiti Award for “Outstanding Contributions to Public Relations Education” – which recognizes a person who excels in education, either through their mentoring/teaching, their efforts to help shape the careers of future PR professionals or their contributions to PRSSA (student chapter). Philadelphia PRSA awarded Rowan University’s PRSSA chapter its Pepperpot for “Excellence in Public Relations” in 2004 and 2006, the only non-professional organization or Agency ever to be so honored. Litwin served as chapter adviser.

In 2008, he received National PRSSA’s “Outstanding Faculty Adviser” Award. Larry and his wife Nancy have two children, Julie and Adam Seth. Julie is a second grade teacher in Atlanta. She and husband Billy Kramer have a daughter Alana and son Aidan. Adam is assistant professor of management in The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School after earning his Ph.D. as a Fellow at Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He and wife Claire Schwartz Litwin have a daughter Beatrix Grace.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com