Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), will be the keynote speaker at the 2018 SBE National Awards Dinner. The ATSC is an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards for digital television including the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards for next generation television. The SBE National Awards Dinner is the closing event of the SBE National Meeting, this year held in conjunction with the Media Resource Expo in Danvers, MA, just outside of Boston, on Oct. 3.
Richer will also take part in that afternoon’s live webcast of the SBE Annual Membership Meeting. SBE President Jim Leifer will discuss with him ATSC 3.0 standards, testing and implementation.
Richer first joined the ATSC after 16 years with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) where, as vice president of engineering & computer services, he was responsible for development of new technologies for PBS and its member stations, design of audio/video systems, and management of information technology operations.
Richer was a recipient of the Broadcasting & Cable Technology Leadership Award in 2007, the 2010 recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Achievement Award for Television and the 2018 EDGE Award for Excellence in Innovation from America’s Public Television Stations. He is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and serves on the FCC Technology Advisory Council. He has been a member of the SBE since 1995.
SBE National Meeting events begin on Tuesday, Oct. 2 with meetings of the national SBE Certification Committee and the SBE Board of Directors. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, activities include the annual SBE Fellows Breakfast (invitation-only), sponsored by Kathrein USA, SBE Annual Membership Meeting (webcast live), sponsored by Blackmagic Design, Dielectric, DVEO, Drake Lighting, IMT Vislink, Lawo and Technical Broadcast Solutions.
The SBE Annual Awards Reception, sponsored by Comrex, is followed by the SBE National Awards Dinner, sponsored by Telos Systems. Presentation of the society’s major awards will be made, including the SBE Fellow Award to Jerry Massey, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNT, of Greenville, SC. Also to be presented are, the Robert W. Flanders SBE Broadcast Engineer of the Year, James C. Wulliman SBE Educator of the Year, the SBE Technology Award to a Sustaining Member company and the Best Technical Article, Book or Program by an SBE member.
SBE chapters will be presented with awards recognizing achievement for Best Chapter Communications, Best Regional Educational Event, Greatest Member Growth, Highest SBE Certified Chapter and Highest Meeting Attendance.
The SBE National Meeting is being held in conjunction with the Media Resource Expo and our host is SBE Chapter 11 of Boston. MRE is a one-day annual trade show and technical educational event that attracts professionals in broadcast, film, instructional media and communication, along with manufacturers, resellers and integrators. The SBE will have a booth during the show, sponsored by Technical Broadcast Solutions.
The SBE National Meeting and the MRE will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Boston North Shore Hotel in Danvers, MA. The hotel is located 19 miles north of downtown Boston and Logan Airport.
Registration for the MRE is required but free to SBE members if they register in advance. Tickets for the SBE National Awards Reception and Dinner ($16) are available through the SBE website, www.sbe.org, and by telephone, Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET at 317-846-9000. There is no registration or fee to attend the Annual Membership Meeting.
Accommodations at the Doubletree can be reserved by calling 978-777-2500. The SBE has a limited number of rooms reserved at the discounted rate of $149. Rooms are on a first come, first-served basis, so don’t wait too long.
The SBE National Meeting and MRE are open to anyone interested in media technology. We invite SBE members, especially those in the New England area, to take advantage of this opportunity and attend all of the events on Oct. 3.
