SBE Fellow Nominations Are Open

There is still time to recognize a broadcasting peer who has contributed to the success of an SBE chapter or broadcasting. The membership grade of SBE Fellow is the highest in the society, and it honors those who have exhibited a dedication to the advancement of the broadcast engineer, the field of broadcast engineering and the Society of Broadcast Engineers itself. To date, 85 members have been recognized with the honor in the society’s more than 55 years of existence.

To nominate a member, candidates must be proposed in writing by a voting SBE member to the Fellowship Committee. The nomination must include a comprehensive professional history of the nominee and an explanation of why the candidate is deserving of this honor. The nomination must also include the written endorsements of at least five other voting SBE members. Nominations are confidential. No others besides the nominators and the members of the Fellowship Committee should be aware of the nomination. The nominee should not know that he or she has been nominated.

Nominations for 2020 must be received no later than March 27, 2020, for consideration. The Fellowship Committee will bring the names of nominees to the Board of Directors for consideration and election at the April 19, 2020, meeting. The SBE secretary will notify those elected. Recipients will be recognized at the SBE National Awards Dinner on Sept. 23 during the 2020 SBE National Meeting to be held in Syracuse, NY.

Submit your nominations in a single package to Fellowship Committee Chair Troy Pennington, CSRE, CBNT, at tpennington@sbe.org.

SBE Provides Educational Sessions in Las Vegas in April

The SBE will bring two premier educational broadcasting events to Las Vegas in April at the 2020 NAB Show and the 2020 PBS TechCon. Both events provide opportunities for SBE broadcast and media engineers to expand their knowledge on a world-class stage.

Ennes Workshop

For the 26th consecutive year, the SBE is a conference partner with the NAB Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference, the longest running and largest of the NAB Show conferences. Kicking off the BEITC on Saturday morning, April 18, is the Ennes Workshop, presented in conjunction with the SBE. Industry veterans Tom Mikkelsen and Stan Moote co-chair a cutting edge lineup, called “Multiplatform SuperSession.”

The Ennes program begins with Madeleine Noland, president of ATSC, who will provide an update on the progress of ATSC 3.0 and various market transition activities. Next up is a panel of experts in a supersession called Multiplatform is Key. It will include tangible examples and finish up with a panel moderated by IABM CTO Stan Moote to debate the various opportunities to simplify workflows.

Next Generation Audio is the next session, continuing on the multiplatform theme. The session focuses on Next Generation Audio (NGA) and how consumers will experience audio content in optimized quality, lining up with whatever platform they are using. The promise of NGA is to free producers from having to create multiple audio mixes by producing a multi-purpose audio package.

Then comes Understanding Internet for Video Transport, with Malik Kahn, former chairman of LTN Global. The Internet has become key for multiple platform delivery, backhauls and net distribution feeds. Malik explains how, where and why redundancy is essential.

IP/SMPTE ST 2110 Update and Implementations comes next with Karl Paulsen, CTO at Diversified. IP is vital for multiplatform operations. Karl will review some of the installs and how ST 2110 and SDI work in harmony.

BXF and TAXI Standards for Multi-Platform Distribution will be presented by Chris Lennon, president of MediAnswers. With recent developments in the fields of content delivery specifications, HDR, AFD, Proxies, Captioning/Subtitling and Automated QC have broadened the relevance of BXF (Broadcast Exchange Format). Chris will give an update on BXF and explain how the TAXI (Trackable Asset Cross-Platform Identification) initiative will provide an open, standardized means of tracking content across all forms of distribution. It will address many use cases, including audience measurement, ad insertion, second screen apps and a wide array of others.

The SBE @ PBS TechCon
After a successful partnership in 2019, the SBE is again providing a program for the PBS TechCon. Held at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, the SBE program will be presented on Saturday, April 18.

The morning of the day-long session focuses on audio quality. Most have a fair grasp of the basics of microphones and how to capture sound, but there are nuances in capturing the best possible sound. Steve Savanyu, director of education services at Audio Technica, has a penchant for clear and precise explanation of the most esoteric and technical aspects of transducer physics and technology. He is also an adjunct professor of audio for video at Kent State University. Audio Technica will facilitate and support the program with the equipment necessary to demonstrate and teach miking and mixing.

The afternoon topic is “Managing Modulation for NextGen Broadcast.” The program will focus on the decision points of ATSC 3.0 implementation. Experts will discuss the modulation/workflow profiles that are most realistic for various uses: datacasting, mobile file downloads, low and high resolution content, emergency communication and potential other uses of NextGen transmission.

How to attend
To participate in the Ennes Workshop at the 2020 NAB Show, register for the full BEIT Conference through the NAB Show website. BEITC registration includes all BEITC sessions (Saturday through Wednesday) and admission to the largest broadcast/media exhibition in the world. SBE members are eligible for a $100 discount off the non-NAB member registration fee by using the registration code SBE20.

To attend the SBE sessions as part of the 2020 PBS TechCon and Beyond, register through the SBE website. SBE members and employees of PBS and NPR member stations get discounted prices. Register for just the morning session, the afternoon session or register for both at a further discount.

Candidates Sought for SBE Election

The SBE’s annual election of officers and directors to the national SBE Board of Directors will take place this summer. The SBE Nominations Committee seeks qualified candidates who are voting members (Member, Senior, Fellow or the designated representative of an SBE Sustaining Member) in good standing (dues paid). Candidates must hold an engineering level of SBE certification (CBT or higher or CBNE) and maintain it the entire duration of service on the Board, if elected. Candidates should have a desire to serve and lead as a member of the board and through service as a national committee chair or member. Members of the Board represent all members, not a specific region or chapter. It is suggested that candidates have previous experience as a leader in his or her local chapter, or other volunteer leadership experience, prior to running for the national SBE Board.

Members of the Board are expected to attend two regularly called meetings each year: in the spring, held during the annual NAB Show, and in the fall, at the annual SBE National Meeting. Other meetings may be called via conference call during the year.

The national SBE board includes 12 directors, four officers and the immediate past president. Directors serve two-year terms and officers serve one-year terms. Six director seats will be contested in 2020 as will all four officer positions. The SBE By-laws limits the number of terms for elected members of the Board.

If interested, contact SBE Nominations Committee Chair Jim Leifer, CPBE, at jleifer@sbe.org. A nomination slate will be assembled by the committee by May 1. Other qualified members may be nominated by SBE members no later than July 2 by letter to the SBE Secretary. Floor nominations require the endorsement of at least 10 SBE members.

The election runs from July 17 to Aug. 19. Those elected will be installed at the SBE National Meeting in Syracuse, NY, on Sept. 23.

John Poray, SBE Executive Director, to Retire at End of 2020

Wayne Pecena, president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, has announced that long-time executive director of the SBE, John Poray, has shared his plans to retire at the end of 2020. Poray joined the SBE as executive director on Oct. 1, 1992. During his tenure, the SBE has seen growth in membership, and in the society’s certification, education and frequency coordination programs.

With the announcement, President Pecena added, “John has been a fixture of the SBE since 1992 who cannot be replaced. We can only seek to find a successor!”

Poray’s entire 43-year career has been in the field of non-profit organization management. Prior to the SBE, he served with the International Headquarters of Kiwanis International, The Apartment Association of Indiana, The Columbus (OH) Apartment Association, and began his career with the Central Ohio Council, Boy Scouts of America. Poray was the first full-time executive director hired by the SBE Board of Directors, led at the time by SBE President Richard Farquhar.

With his announcement, Poray said, “I have been blessed to have had a long and productive relationship with the SBE, working with many great members, national leaders and staff. Together, we have worked to grow the SBE in size and stature and I believe the SBE is positioned well to continue to serve the broadcast and media engineers into the future. I look forward to a busy 2020 for SBE while assisting the Board of Directors with the transition.”

In the coming weeks, President Pecena plans to meet with members of the Board of Directors to begin the search process for the next SBE executive director.