The SBE Ennes Workshop is the traditional kick-off for the NAB Show. (Here are all the SBE events and activities at the convention.) In 2025, it will span two days on April 4 and 5. There will be two separate educational tracks: RF 101 Bootcamp and Media Over IP. The two tracks will combine at the end of the second day for a joint session on creating and operating a contract engineering business.
RF 101 Bootcamp is designed to give those with a predominantly IT-oriented background the foundational information regarding transmission methods and equipment so that they can effectively function in these disciplines. Media Over IP (MoIP) introduces the essentials of IP-delivered media, covering video and audio implementations. Individuals involved with non-broadcast media delivery, whether a house of worship, post-production facility or as an audio-visual professional will also benefit from grounding in the installation and maintenance of modern non-analog facilities. This workshop covers all technical aspects of a state-of-the-art or new production facility or TV or radio broadcast station as it would be built today, with the exception of the transmitter and tower.
The last portion of the Workshop will bring the tracks together for a combined session on contract engineering business.
The Ennes Workshop will be held in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Register at the NAB Show website. The Workshop registration of $289 includes a free exhibits pass, and a registration code for SBE members that offers a free exhibits pass or $150 off the NAB Show Conference pass. The two-day workshop includes lunch breaks. Use the promo code SBEEARLYBIRD by February 28 to get a discount on the SBE Ennes Workshop registration.
A rundown of the two educational tracks follows. The schedule is subject to change. You can also meet the presenters.
Register for the SBE Ennes Workshop at the NAB Show website. (If you’re having trouble navigating the NAB Show registration, there are tips at the bottom of this page.) Use SBENAB25 for the SBE member free exhibits-only code + $150 off the main conference bundle.
Quick Links:
RF101 Day 1 | RF 101 Day 2 | MoIP Day 1 | MoIP Day 2
Thanks to these SBE Sustaining Member Sponsors
| GOLD Sponsor |
| SILVER Sponsors |
| BRONZE Sponsors |
| April 4 – RF101 Bootcamp – LVCC W219 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | Welcome Jeff Welton, CBRE; Nautel |
| 9:00 a.m. | Introduction from the SBE Executive Director Mike Downs, CAE, CMP; SBE |
| 9:00 a.m. | A Word from the SBE President Ted Hand, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, ATSC3, DRB; SBE |
| 9:15 a.m. | Basic Electronics Fundamentals Ohm’s law and the principles of electronics theory that can make troubleshooting faults a lot easier. Greg Buchwald; Motorola Solutions |
| 10:00 a.m. | Break |
| 10:15 a.m. | Modulation How does the audio get onto the radio wave and what’s different between AM, FM, TV/ATSC, QAM/COFDM and others? Greg Buchwald; Motorola Solutions |
| 11:00 a.m. | Broadcast Transmitters Overall discussion of transmitters, looking at cooling, maintenance considerations and related installation thoughts. Jeff Welton, CBRE; Nautel |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:10 p.m. | Regulation The FCC takes licensing seriously, and the role of the chief operator is to protect the license. This sessions discusses FCC considerations, STAs, NOTAMs and various other situations. Kevin Trueblood, CBRE, CBNT;WGCU Public Media, Florida Gulf Coast University |
| 1:40 p.m. | Gold Sponsor Recognition – Audio Processing History Anecdotes and a history of audio processing. Bob Orban; Orban Audio |
| 2:05 p.m. | Proof of Performance There are various tests performed to prove a station is operating within proper parameters. This session explores audio proofs, MER, and related topics. Greg Buchwald; Motorola Solutions |
| 2:35 p.m. | Test/Measurement This is a discussion of test equipment, and measurement techniques specific to broadcast facilities, such as how to operate a spectrum analyzer. Eddy Vanderkerken; Sourcerer |
| 3:40 p.m. | Break |
| 3:55 p.m. | Troubleshooting When it comes to finding out what’s wrong, there’s a process. This session covers that process and discusses stocking spares and look at when to call for help. Greg Buchwald; Motorola Solutions |
| 4:55 p.m. | Site Optimization and Safety Whether a new site or an existing one, keeping equipment cool, clean and well grounded will significantly extend lifespan. This session will look at grounding, lightning protection, air handling and site layout as a whole. Karl Lahm; Broadcast Transmission Services |
| April 4 – Media Over IP – LVCC W224/225 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | Welcome, Word from the SBE President An overview of the day’s sessions, including a state of broadcast update and and overview of SBE events at the NAB Show. Ted Hand, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, ATSC3, DRB; SBE |
| 9:05 a.m. | Keynote: What Are We Going to Learn in this Workshop? A bright and forward-thinking introduction to our two-day workshop to include the latest trends, technologies, implementations, and business aspects of multimedia. A novel and well-rounded unique treat awaits us media techies. Tim Carroll; Dolby Labs |
| 9:25 a.m. | Analog to Packets: Quick Review of Old and New Standards A review for some and a building block of understanding for others. From analog to digital, composite to component, parallel to serial, stereo to surround to objects, multichannel to MADI, to flexible IP today. Kirk Harnack; Telos Alliance |
| 9:55 a.m. | Network Fundamentals With an Eye to Media and Streaming Requirements Forming a solid foundation of TCP/IP Data Networking. With a brief review of fundamentals (subnetting, DHCP, NAT, DNS) and an introduction to industry-specific and advanced topics (multicast, PTP, SDN, VXLAN). How to architect a flexible, resilient, and secure professional media environment. Michael Liebman; Sirius XM Radio |
| 10:25 a.m. | Break |
| 10:40 a.m. | Physical Layer Considerations: IP Hardware Features and Protocols, Including PTP Analysis of physical hardware, its capabilities, how to specify, and how to configure. Review of requirements for reliability, flexibility, compatibility with media production and streaming. To include timing, bandwidth budgeting, and live WAN production peculiarities when dealing with uncompressed packet delivery; switches and routers. Ryan Morris; Arista Networks |
| 11:10 a.m. | The Ins and Outs of Today’s Signal Transport: Analysis of Mezzanine, Prosumer, NDI With the industry at a technical crossroad, today’s choices define tomorrow’s operational success. Whether new build or upgrade, gain essential insights for the best technical decision for your organization. Learn how the right transport leads to significant workflow improvements, from industry experts who advise the world’s largest companies. eg: work on adapting NMOS for NDI. Alun Fryer; Ross Video Systems |
| 11:40 a.m. | FAST Channel Analysis – Syndicated Media Pull Protocols An inundation on the engineering aspects for FAST: Setup requirements, operation handles, comparison to linear cable, scaling, omni distribution technology, ad insertion, content rights considerations, metadata, format selections, subtitles, delivery SSAI, and personalization aspects all encircled in the session. Sridhar Sinnasamy; Amagi |
| 12:10 p.m. | Break |
| 12:25 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:35 p.m. | Say Hello to the new SBE Executive Director Meet Mike Downs. Dave Bialik, CBT Mike Downs, CAE, CMP; SBE |
| 1:40 p.m. | Gold Sponsor Recognition – Audio Processing History Bob Orban will share personal anecdotes leading through the history of audio processing and human hearing perception. Bob Orban; Orban Audio |
| 2:10 p.m. | Metadata in Multimedia: What You Know and What You Don’t This session explores the crucial role of metadata in digital audio, livestreaming, and on-demand content. We’ll cover what broadcasters think they know about metadata, common blind spots, and how unlocking hidden insights can improve audience engagement, optimize workflows, and create new revenue opportunities. Whether you’re managing station automation, streaming platforms, or podcast distribution, understanding metadata’s full potential is key to staying ahead in an evolving media landscape. John Passmore; New York Public Radio |
| 2:40 p.m. | Advancements and Trends in IP Media COMS for Talent, IFB, WAN Productions Broadcast and production teams are seeking innovative solutions to enhance reliability, flexibility, and efficiency. Explore cutting-edge IP media communications for talent coordination, IFB, and large-scale WAN productions. This Will share insights on emerging trends, technical challenges, and real-world implementations. Shawn Anderson; RTS Intercom Systems Nico Lewis; RTS Intercom Systems |
| 3:10 p.m. | Review of SMPTE 2110 Suite of Standards and Recent Accompaniments SMPTE 2110 is a suite of open standards to converge audio/video and IP network technology with improved flexibility, scalability, and agility. The standard specifies the carriage, synchronization, and description of separate elementary essence streams over IP for real-time production and playout. We highlight the integration of 2110’s compatibility with industrial, prosumer, and audio production and broadcast formats. John Mailhot; Imagine Communications |
| 3:40 p.m. | Break |
| 3:55 p.m. | Troubleshooting Audio and Video Streams Keeping broadcasts running smoothly is explored, even when each solution triggers a new problem. Real-world challenges will be addressed, from troubleshooting DSP and signal chains, encoder glitches, endpoint connectivity, and managing relationships with CDN vendors and third-party platforms. Diagnosis and repair in real time, for smooth, reliable transmissions no matter how chaotic things get behind the scenes. John Passmore; New York Public Radio |
| 3:25 p.m. | What the Engineer Needs to Know About Programmatic Ad Exchange System As broadcast and streaming converge, programmatic advertising is becoming essential for maximizing revenue and efficiency. The fundamentals of programmatic for broadcast engineers is broken down, covering ad decisioning, real-time bidding, and the integration of automation into traditional workflows by adapting legacy systems or building next-gen ad solutions. C J Leonard; FanServ |
| 4:55 p.m. | IP Audio Formats: Quirks, Configuration, Compatibility, Troubleshooting Whatever flavor of IP audio you choose, the preeminent leaders of the industry highlight both the compatibilities and the specific traits and eccentricities of each format. As we move forward, integration into professional designs is a foregone conclusion. Here is your chance to review your own issues, opinions, ambitions for your own installation or network. Al Salci; Sierra Automated Systems John Davis; Wheatstone Kirk Harnack; Telos Alliance David Bialik, moderator; MediaCo |
| April 5 – RF101 Bootcamp – LVCC W219 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | Welcome Jeff Welton, CBRE; Nautel |
| 9:05 a.m. | Broadcast Transmitters Overall discussion of transmitters, looking at cooling, maintenance considerations and related installation considerations. Karl Lahm; Broadcast Transmission Services |
| 9:45 a.m. | Remote Control This is a discussion of transmitter site monitoring, both conventional and over IP with SNMP. Tony Peterle; Tony Peterle Technology Services |
| 10:15 a.m. | Break |
| 10:30 a.m. | Translators Translators are subject to different rules and protections than full-service transmitters. This session looks at the difference between parts 73 and 74 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Gary Cavell; Cavell Mertz/Capitol Airspace |
| 11:00 a.m. | STL/Microwave When setting up an STL or microwave shots, there are considerations to be made, including path plotting, Fresnel zones, discrete vs IP and more. Cindy Cavell; Cavell Mertz/Capitol Airspace |
| 11:30 a.m. | FAA/FCC and Towers What you need to know about the three letter organizations and the typical broadcast tower… who is in charge, applicable rules, who is responsible for compliance. Gary Cavell; Cavell Mertz/Capitol Airspace Joe Anderson; Capitol Airspace Group |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:10 p.m. | AM and AM Directionals While AM radio is more than 100 years old, there’s always something to learn when it comes to antenna systems. This session will discuss theory and tuning, as well as maintenance. Stephen S. Lockwood, CPBE, AMD, PE; Senior Engineer and President; Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers |
| 2:00 p.m. | FM/TV Antennas FM antenna systems also require some thought. This covers bandwidth, tuning, transmission lines, all of which play a role in the performance of a station. Stephen Wilde; AAT/Shively |
| 3:00 p.m. | Break |
| 3:15 p.m. | ROI and How to Speak It For years, the engineer has been that person in the back room who shows up and fixes stuff. This session delves into ROI, cost of acquisition/operation/ownership and related terms. Kevin Trueblood, CBRE, CBNT; Associate General Manager for Technology & Operations; WGCU Public Media, Florida Gulf Coast University Gary Cavell; Cavell Mertz/Capitol Airspace Cindy Cavell; Cavell Mertz/Capitol Airspace |
| 4:00 p.m. | Opening and Operating Your Own Consulting Engineering Business Panel Discussion It is becoming increasingly common for a station’s budget to no longer support full-time engineering staff. What are the considerations in going it alone or in a small partnership, versus joining up with a larger group of like-minded broadcast engineers? How do we provide health benefits, retirement savings, and time off while navigating a new world of working outside of stations? What approaches will make this new world of independent “teams of excellence” increasingly appealing to broadcast engineers who have historically worked inside of stations? Finally, where does it make sense to strike out on your own versus teaming up with others? Rob Bertrand; Inrush Broadcast Services Davit Robakidze; Innovator LLC Jim Stenberg; OTARF Over The Air RF Gary Cavell; Capitol Aerospace Group Jeff Welton, CBRE; Moderator |
| April 5 – Media Over IP – LVCC W224/225 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | NextGen ATSC 3.0 Update: State of Broadcast Industry and its IP Future Icebreaker This non-technical industry report on the state of traditional broadcast and the opportunities offered by the ATSC 3.0 paradigm: The implemented and the proposed; from two-way data transfer, to civil, community safety, infrastructure, and mobile applications. Also an update on buildout and audience reach around the globe and domestically. Madeleine Noland, President; ATSC |
| 9:30 a.m. | The “IP” of NextGen ATSC 3.0 Apart from RF radiation, the new ATSC television system is strictly IP-based, and its implementation is spread across virtual or physical machines with specific tasks. Review the necessary components and methods to fabricate an ATSC 3.0 system, everything between the incoming stream and the RF power amplifiers. Merrill Weiss; MW and Associates |
| 10:00 a.m. | IPMX Protocol Across All Media Classes and Intro to AIMS Alliance Hop on the trends happening at the highest levels of experiential pro AV all the way to small and medium business communications and collaboration, and everything in between. Analysis of the migration to IP-based media systems and the compatibility gap between three related but different asset classes and protocols. Samuel Recine; Matrox and AIMS Alliance |
| 10:30 a.m. | Break |
| 10:45 a.m. | Media Over IP and the Broadcaster Father-and-son troubleshooting jumbo session What do you do when you’re tasked with installing a new system in a studio or transmitter site, but you don’t have space in a studio to build it out and test it before the install? What if you could test it right in a mini rack, on your desk? How do you test the equipment and analyze your network? Can you replicate PTP and other production-grade protocols in a mini lab? Let’s follow a father-and-son engineering team in their objective to model before actual buildout. Joe Geerling and Jeff Geerling; Geerling Engineering David Bialik, moderator; MediaCo |
| 11:35 a.m. | CAD for Documentation and Direction: An Organized Mindset – New Topics and Strategies Covering the essentials of AV system design and documentation, the session walks you through the core concepts of designing an effective AV system, focusing on basic design strategies. The importance of clear and accurate documentation to ensure smooth installations and ease of troubleshooting will be emphasized. Christian Holbrook; WireCAD |
| 12:05 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. | Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain! Network Health, Status, Monitoring, and QOS Remote monitoring of your media based networks; cloud or hardware centric. Integrate SNMP traps and alternate flow monitoring protocols to maximize visual observability. Establish automatic reporting and document techniques to diagnose into minutia of routers, switches, load balancers, and more. Nigel Brownett; NFB Consulting/Leeward Software |
| 1:45 p.m. | AMWA Certification and NMOS Discovery NMOS as universal control plane will be discussed. NMOS has developed to a full set of control protocols for modern IT-based media infrastructure, beyond well known and adopted discovery and connection. Felix Poulin; CBC and AMWA Board of Directors Cindy Zuelsdorf; AWMA.tv |
| 2:10 p.m. | Bridge to and From the Cloud With software-based media processing tools becoming more prevalent, this presentation focuses on emerging standards and practices that create solutions from multiple software solutions to be stitched together into functional, hybrid, on-premise and cloud-based media workflows. Robert Erickson; TAG Video Systems |
| 2:20 p.m. | Break |
| 2:55 p.m. | Artificial Intelligence in Media: Opportunity or Burden? This session discusses how AI both amplifies and mitigates risks of fake content, the increasing importance of cryptographically protected media tracking and provenance in production, and a discussion of why a new, additional set of digital identities will soon be essential for news producers and broadcasters. Mike Palmer; Sinclair Broadcast |
| 3:25 p.m. | Capstone and Business Model for Media Over IP: ROI, Cost Analysis, and Selling to Management What is the total cost of ownership related to SMPTE 2110 systems? When do these new systems show a return on investment? 2110 has been live in the field for years, offering hundreds of case studies for reference. Our solutions architects here reviews the operational expenses of several archetypal ST 2110 systems, with comparisons to legacy SDI counterparts, and an eye toward the virtualized cloud future. Cassidy Phillips; swXtch.io Brian Beckwith; Imagine Communications |
| 3:55 p.m. | Break |
| 4:10 p.m. | Opening and Operating Your Own Consulting Engineering Business Panel Discussion It is becoming increasingly common for a station’s budget to no longer support full-time engineering staff. What are the considerations in going it alone or in a small partnership, versus joining up with a larger group of like-minded broadcast engineers? How do we provide health benefits, retirement savings, and time off while navigating a new world of working outside of stations? What approaches will make this new world of independent “teams of excellence” increasingly appealing to broadcast engineers who have historically worked inside of stations? Finally, where does it make sense to strike out on your own versus teaming up with others? Rob Bertrand; Inrush Broadcast Services Davit Robakidze; Innovator LLC Jim Stenberg; OTARF Over The Air RF Gary Cavell; Capitol Aerospace Group Jeff Welton, CBRE; Moderator |
Registering for the SBE Ennes Workshop at the NAB Show
At the NAB Show registration page, enter your name, email and create a password or login with your existing credentials.
At the “Your pass options” page, choose one:
Enter SBE code SBENAB25 in the discount code box and apply for a free exhibits-only pass or $150 off the NAB non-member rate for full conference registration. You may also choose a Specialty Program Pass on this page if desired. When done selecting, press “next”
On the “Partner Events and Workshops” page, scroll to the bottom to find the SBE Ennes Workshops, and make your selection. Make any other selections you may desire, and when completed, press “next.”
Choose any Experience or Voucher you’re interested in, and when completed, press “next.”
Review your selections and make payment following the prompts. Once payment has been made, the page that appears lets you print out your confirmation letter and/or send it to the email you registered with.
