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SBE Names Three Members to Fellow

April 17, 2016

NAB Show, Las Vegas, NV - The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has elevated three members to the membership rank of Fellow. The SBE Board of Directors elected Jay Adrick; Wayne M. Pecena, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNE; and Joseph L. Snelson, CPBE, 8-VSB, at its meeting held Sunday, April 17 in Las Vegas during the 2016 NAB Show.

Jay Adrick, a resident of Cincinnati, has been an independent broadcast consultant since 2013 after he retired from many years of working for Harris Broadcast. He now consults for GatesAir. He currently serves as the chairman of the ATSC Mobile Emergency Alerting System Integration Team. He is a former member of the board of directors and vice chairman of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, a past chair of the Open Mobile Video Coalition Forum and has served on both the FCC Media Security and Recovery Councils. Jay is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society. He was the 2013 recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters Television Engineering Achievement Award.

Wayne M. Pecena, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNE, is the assistant director of educational broadcast services in the Office of Information Technology at Texas A&M University, in College Station, TX. He has been a member of the SBE since 1978, and has served on its board of directors since 2012 when he was also appointed the chair of the Education Committee. In that time, he has conducted scores of webinars, Ennes Workshops and Technical Presenters Groups. In 2012, Wayne received the James C. Wulliman SBE Educator of the Year award. In 2014, Radio World awarded Wayne its Excellence in Engineering Award.

Joseph L. Snelson, CPBE, 8-VSB, is vice president of engineering for Meredith Corporation, in Las Vegas, NV. He has been a member of the SBE since 1978. He is the immediate past president of the society, serving two terms from 2013 to 2015. He was vice president from 2011 to 2013. He has served on the national Certification Committee and Nominating Committee, and has chaired the national Frequency Coordination Committee. He is currently the chair of the national Government Relations Committee. He was an active member of the MSTV Engineering Committee, has served on the NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference Committee, including terms as chair, and is active in the ATSC.

In Jay Adrick's nomination, it was noted that he has been a stalwart advocate for broadcasting his entire life and a central pivot in upholding both broadcasting technology and its business. His presence has been felt throughout the industry, many times without the knowledge of his behind-the-scenes work.

One of Wayne Pecena's nominators notes that Wayne is more than just an idea man, which is demonstrated by his efforts to put his ideas in action. Examples of this include producing many of the SBE webinars, delivering presentations at Ennes Workshops, and authoring SBE University courses.

One of Joe Snelson's nominations states that, "Joe is a consummate professional, and there have been few volunteers who have dedicated more time." The nomination adds, "Joe has a great deal of respect in television broadcasting among regulators, and he has helped maintain the close, positive working relationship between the SBE and the NAB."

"I have worked directly and indirectly with these three outstanding broadcast engineers," said Jerry Massey, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNT, president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. "They all posses the skill, attitude, professionalism and dedication to broadcast engineering that is the signature of an SBE Fellow."

The Fellow honor is the highest membership level in the SBE. Members must have made significant contributions to the broadcast engineering field or the SBE. Candidates are nominated by their peers. Since the Society's founding more than 50 years ago, 75 members have been honored with the Fellow rank.

The three recipients will be recognized for their election to Fellow during the SBE National Awards Dinner on Oct. 26, 2016, in Columbus, OH, during the annual SBE National Meeting, which will be held in conjunction with the Ohio Association of Broadcasters Engineering Conference.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers is the professional organization of television and radio engineers and those in related fields. SBE has more than 5,400 members in 115 chapters across the United States and in Hong Kong. There are also members in more than 30 other countries. Most chapters meet monthly and offer educational programs and an opportunity to network with other engineers. SBE offers the largest and most recognized certification program for broadcast engineers, operators and technicians, with more than 4,500 certifications currently active.

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