Updated July 15, 2008
Oklahoma City Hosts Ennes Workshop and Broadcast Equipment Trade Show
SBE Chapter 85 of Central and Western Oklahoma will be hosting an Ennes Workshop on Wednesday, August 27 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. In conjunction with the Workshop, the chapter will also be holding a broadcast equipment expo.
The event will take place at the Holiday Inn and Suites Oklahoma City North, 6200 North Robinson Avenue in Oklahoma City.
The cost to attend the Workshop is just $35 for SBE members and $45 for non-members. Registration made by August 1st receives a $5 discount. Registration is made through the SBE National Office. Payment may be made by check or credit card. Program details and a registration form are available on the SBE website. The low registration fee includes the Workshop, the exhibit, lunch and breaks! Lunch will be in the exhibitor’s area following an exclusive exhibit only time.
Ennes Workshop and Exhibits Schedule
8:00 am - Check-in & Registration opens
9:00 am to 11:00 am - Ennes Workshop sessions
11:00 am to 12:00 Noon - Exhibits Only
12:00 Noon to 1:00 pm - Buffet lunch in exhibition room
12:30 pm to 1:00 pm - Guest Speakers – Chriss Scherer, CPBE CBNT, SBE Immediate Past President & John Poray, CAE, SBE Executive Director
1:00 pm to 1:30pm - Exhibits continue
1:30 pm to 5:00 pm - Ennes Workshop sessions
Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Chapter 85 Chairman, Leonard Youngblood at (405) 475-9124 or lyoungbl@sbgnet.com. Space is limited.
Support for this event is being provided in part by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters and SBE Chapter 85.
Registration Form
SBE Files Comments on 700 MHz D Block Spectrum Regarding EAS
On June 18, the Society of Broadcast Engineers submitted comments to the FCC relating to the Commission's pending proceeding regarding the re-auction and licensing of the 700 MHz D Block spectrum and creation of a nationwide, broadband, interoperable public safety network. The interest of SBE in this proceeding is with respect to the improvement and enhancement of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in the United States.
SBE’s comments were written by members of the Society’s FCC Liaison and EAS committees and the positions reflected in the comments were approved by the Society’s board of directors. If you have questions or comments regarding SBE comments, please direct them to Chris Imlay, SBE General Counsel and interim chairperson of the FCC Liaison Committee, or to Clay Freinwald, chairperson of the SBE EAS Committee.
Short Circuits is the online newsletter of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. We hope you find this communication helpful and an added benefit of your SBE membership.
John L. Poray, CAE
Executive Director
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Madison Wisc. to Host National Meeting
The Society of Broadcast Engineers will hold its 2008 National Meeting in Madison, Wisc. on October 14-15. The National Meeting will be held in conjunction with the annual Broadcasters Clinic,a three day event that features broadcast technical presentations for radio and television engineers and a broadcast equipment expo. There is a fee to attend the Broadcasters Clinic.
A discount applies to those who register by August 29.
Hosts for the SBE National Meeting will be SBE Chapter 24 of Madison and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA). The event will take place at the Madison Marriott West Hotel, located in Middleton, Wisc. on Madison's west side.
Events held during the SBE National Meeting include the fall meeting of the national Board of Directors, the annual SBE Fellows Breakfast, the Annual Membership Meeting and the 2008 SBE National Awards Reception and Dinner. Tickets to the SBE Awards Reception and Dinner are available for just $14 per person, thanks to generous support from our corporate sponsors.
The WBA is handling registration for the Broadcasters Clinic and the SBE National Awards Reception and Dinner. If you have questions about the SBE National Meeting, please contact SBE Executive Director, John Poray.
SBE Offers Strategy for Implementing CAP EAS
The Society of Broadcast Engineers, in an effort to aid the implementation of the “Common Alerting Protocol” (CAP) technology for a revised Emergency Alert System, has prepared and released a document titled, “A Strategy for Implementing CAP EAS.” The document has been shared with representatives of the FCC, FEMA, NAB and the National Alliance of State Broadcast Associations (NASBA). The FCC and FEMA have the ultimate responsibility for developing the next generation of EAS.
Commonly referred to as SBE’s CAP EAS “roadmap,” a key element of the strategy is the recommendation to create six working groups which would address specific portions of the task. The SBE offered its volunteer member services as appropriate to work on relevant working groups that relate to the interests of our members.
The “roadmap” was prepared by members if the SBE EAS Committee, which is chaired by national board member, Clay Freinwald, CPBE and was approved by the SBE Board of Directors.
FCC Extends 2 GHz BAS/LTTS Transition Date to March 5, 2009
By Chris Imlay, FCC Liaison Committee Chair and SBE General Counsel
SBE is well-aware that broadcast engineers are typically responsible for broadcast auxiliary operations (BAS), and that 2 GHz TV BAS service is at the heart of local news, sports, and weather coverage that are the essence of broadcast localism. Last week, SBE and its strategic partners, Sprint Nextel, NAB and MSTV achieved a major victory for BAS licensees across the country by convincing the FCC to recognize the inordinate complexity of reconfiguring BAS systems and extend the deadline for Sprint Nextel to relocate BAS licensees to spectrum between 2025 and 2110 MHz until March 5, 2009. The FCC also stated that it might extend the deadline until August 2009 so long as all parties continue to work in good faith to move BAS above 2025 MHz as expeditiously as possible.
This decision is extremely good news. The BAS transition has not proceeded as quickly as we would like, despite good faith by licensees, Sprint Nextel, manufacturers and systems integrators. The short extension will give broadcasters, manufacturers, and Sprint Nextel the time they need to produce, integrate, and install new equipment in local markets across the country.
But neither the BAS licensees, nor Sprint Nextel can take the additional time for granted. The FCC has sought comment on whether and how to allow MSS and MSS ATC operations to commence nationwide regardless of whether the transition is complete beginning January 1, 2009. To allow mobile-satellite service licensees to enter the 2000-2020 MHz band this year, moreover, the FCC has required Sprint Nextel to transition four additional market clusters – Salt Lake City, Utah; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Washington, DC; and Houston, Texas – no later than September 30, 2008. In addition, the FCC required Sprint Nextel to file station-specific reports every other month on BAS relocation progress beginning April 1, 2008. The reports must identify each station’s progress in obtaining price quotes for BAS equipment, finalizing frequency relocation agreements with Sprint Nextel, submitting purchase orders, and other areas. The existing schedule also includes several important benchmarks for BAS performance, including:
- March 18, 2008 – Quote Packages for Replacement BAS Equipment Due
- July 1, 2008 – Signed Frequency Relocation Agreements Due
With MSS market entry looming, nationwide MSS-BAS sharing on the horizon, and detailed reporting requirements beginning in April, every day counts.
The FCC now knows, thanks to the joint parties’ ongoing and extensive lobbying efforts at the FCC, how challenging the BAS relocation is. The FCC has acknowledged the unanticipated complexity of the relocation effort, the highly specialized equipment, and the limited number of qualified manufacturers and installers. While the FCC has done the right thing in granting additional time, the agency’s patience will not last forever. Therefore, we urge you to pay close attention to the cut-over schedule and make every effort to meet the interim benchmarks for relocation performance leading up to the anticipated relocation weekend in your market. If problems arise, contact your market’s frequency coordinator, SBE, and/or the local market’s Sprint Nextel representative, before issues can contribute to delay. Working together, we will complete a smooth BAS relocation.
HD Radio Implementation First Offering in SBE/Focal Press Joint Effort
SBE and Focal Press will introduce their first co-produced book during the 2008 NAB Show in Las Vegas. HD Radio Implementation is written by Thomas R. Ray, III.
HD Radio is the FCC-approved standard for high-definition digital radio. Since its official approval in 2005, stations around the world have started converting their analog stations to also contain a digital signal. So far, 1,216 stations have converted, and there is currently a 50% yearly conversion growth trend. This growth is driven by radio audience market share depletion from podcasting and satellite radio. HD Radio is the only way tations can compete commercially. Currently, the only place individuals can become trained for an HD Radio conversion is through Harris Corporation's five-day course for $995 plus travel/lodging. The new SBE/Focal Press book provides the same in-depth information for a fraction of the cost--an excellent value for any station budgeting a conversion. It covers the installation process, uses examples from real-life implementations and information not found in manufacturer's manuals.
The book is available through the SBE Bookstore and other retail outlets. SBE members can purchase the book at a member discount, but only through the SBE Bookstore.
224 Pages
Non-Member $89.95, Member: $71.96, Shipping $6.00
Category: Radio
SBE Members recognized in Radio Ink's 2008 Most Admired Engineers
Radio Ink recognized many members of the Society of Broadcast as the 2008’s most admired engineers.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers would like to congratulate our members on their inclusion in the 2008 Radio Ink list of most admired engineers that were published earlier this spring. It’s an honor to be included in such an elite group of engineers. Having so many of our members selected is a positive reflection on the Society.
These members’ outstanding performances and professionalism in our field is something all members of the society look towards and should strive for.
Thank you for setting such a great example. Congratulations to the following members:
President
Albert Broadcast Services, Inc.
- Cris Alexander, CPBE, AMD, DRB
Director of Engineering
Crawford Broadcasting Company
VP Engineering, Bonneville Broadcasting
Bonneville International Corporation
Director of Engineering
WKQX WLUP Emmis Chicago
Director of Engineering
Emmis - St. Louis
Senior Vice President Engineering
Clear Channel Radio
VP/Engineering
Cox Radio
Senior Vice President, Engineering & Capital Management
Clear Channel Radio
Director of Engineering
Cox Radio Orlando
Chief Engineer
CBS Radio – St. Louis
Vice President of Engineering, Central/Northeast Region
Clear Channel Radio
Vice President/Corporate Director of Engineering
Buckley Broadcasting Corporation/WOR Radio
WOR Radio
VP Engineering
Regent Communications
Director of Technical Operations
Greater Media Boston
Chief Engineer
Cox Radio Orlando
Vice President of Radio Engineering
Greater Media, Inc.
Director of Corporate Engineering
Citadel Broadcasting Company
Vice President of Engineering - Radio
Lincoln Financial Media
SVP Engineering and Technology
Westwood One
North Carolinian Wins Membership Drive Grand Prize
May 31 closed the 2008 annual SBE Membership Drive. This was again a very successful effort with more than 100 new members joining the Society as a direct result of the Drive.
All current SBE Members who sponsored a new member during this year’s drive will receive $5 off their 2008 Membership Renewal for each new Regular, Associate or Sustaining member that was sponsored (up to $25). Prize winers were drawn on June 21st. This year’s grand prize trip to the 2008 SBE National Meeting in Madison, WI and a 40-inch Sony HDTV was won by Don Moore of Greesboro, North Carolina.
Thank you to the following organizations who, through the donation of prizes, helped make the 2008 Membership Drive possible: Westwood One; ADC; McGraw-Hill; Elsevier, Jack Layton, National Association of Broadcasters; Telos Systems/Omnia/Axia; Broadcast Supply Worldwide; Neural Audio; Shively Labs; Dielectric; du Treil, Lundin and Rackley, Inc.; Superior Electric; Kathrein Scala; Continental Electronics; Broadcast Electronics; Sony and the SBE.
FCC¹s PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU RELEASES 2007 EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS) HANDBOOKS
Washington, DC The Federal Communications Commission¹s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) released on December 3rd, the 2007 Emergency Alert System (EAS) Handbooks for EAS participants. This year¹s handbooks include newly developed guidance for satellite digital audio radio, direct broadcast satellite and wireline video service providers. In addition, the existing handbooks have been updated for analog and digital television and radio stations, as well as cable systems.
The handbooks provide procedures. The materials also include sample scripts that may be used by broadcasters and other participants during EAS activations and tests.
The Commission¹s rules require that copies of the handbooks be located at ³normal duty positions or EAS equipment locations when an operator is required to be on duty and be immediately available to staff responsible for authenticating messages and initiating actions² (47 CFR §11.15).
The EAS is a national public warning system that requires broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, as well as wireline video, satellite digital audio radio and direct broadcast satellite service providers to make their communications facilities available to the President during a National emergency. The system also may be used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information such as AMBER alerts and severe weather warnings targeted to specific geographical areas or regions.
To access the 2007 EAS Handbooks online, please visit the FCC web site at: www.fcc.gov/pshs/eas/Welcome.html.
For additional information concerning the new handbooks, please contact Bonnie Gay at (202) 418-1228.
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