Local News

Cox Media Techs Prove They’re Certifiable

Three engineers at Cox Media Channel 4 passed their SBE certification exams in November. According to Chief Engineer Kevin Schrader, Matt Hall is now a Certified Broadcast Technician (CBT), Andrei Taratusky a Certified Broadcast Network Technician (CBNT), and Shane Fortin a CBT and CBNT.

Consider becoming certified or upgrading your certifications in 2011. Certification study materials were updated in 2010, so preparation should now be considerably more straightforward and less time-consuming. Apply online for your next exam. If you apply after December 31, your next opportunity to take the exam will be at the NAB Convention April 11.

Meetings

Holiday Banquet 2010

Time again to get together to just talk shop, eat, and walk away fatter and happier. No presenter or program. This year let’s meet at the Kearny Mesa Filippi’s Italian Restaurant at 5353 Kearny Villa Road, San Diego, on Wednesday, December 15, at 12 noon. Please bring $15 cash.

UPDATE: Door prizes have been added!

  • Vislink, known for years here as Western Technical Services and Microwave Radio Corporation, has donated an Apple 8GB iPod Nano.
  • Harris Corporation is donating a number of tote bags, thermal coffee mugs, multitool, and leather zippered notebook.
  • Omnia is donating a copy of Omnia A/XE audio processing/streaming software.

RSVP today so that we can plan to have enough room for you.

See you there!

National

Road King Larry Bloomfield Dies

Larry Bloomfield, traveling host of the “Taste of the NAB” road show, died November 8th of a massive heart attack in Florence, Oregon, where he had most lately called home. His son Thomas posted a remembrance on Larry’s website, www.tech-notes.com. An obituary is posted on The Broadcaster’s Desktop Resource.

Larry, 72, had served in the Navy as an electronics technician. He had been a broadcast engineer at various western TV stations from KNBC and KNXT (now KCBS) Los Angeles to KCNS San Francisco to KTVZ Bend, Oregon. He helped found now-defunct radio station KBET in Santa Clarita. His “Taste of the NAB” show demonstrated numerous products to SBE chapters around the country, often leaving him on the road for five months straight.

National

SBE Files to Extend EAS Rules 180-day Countdown

The Society of Broadcast Engineers participated in a coalition of major broadcast industry groups that filed comments on October 21 with the FCC to EB Docket 04-296, petitioning for an extension to the 180-day clock to become compliant with the recently announced changes to the EAS. The filing requested a six month extension to the 180 day clock.

The SBE, NAB, MSTV, PBS, NPR, 46 state broadcaster associations and other major broadcast organizations were all co-signers to the filing.

The group stated that the extension is necessary so that:

a)    equipment certification related to CAP can be accomplished
b)    allow time for a rule-making to modify FCC Part 11 rules that incorporate the use of CAP

Without an extension, the 180 day clock is set to expire March 29, 2011. At that time, stations would need to have purchased and installed CAP-compliant equipment, capable of receiving CAP messages.

A copy of the complete EAS filing is available on the SBE website.

SBE also has an FAQ on this subject on the SBE website.

Seminars

San Diego Ennes Workshop a Success

San Diego’s first Ennes Workshop October 16th brought famous broadcast engineering speakers from all over the country, and engineers from throughout southern California. With at least 37 attendees and the number of inspirational, educational talks given, the event seemed to be a success. Notable speeches included Steve Lampen of Belden giving a talk on convergence of media, Skip Erickson wowed the crowd with his disaster recovery presentation, and Dave Davies of ERI brought us tales of woe from tower failures around the country.

Many thanks to organizers Kimberly Kissel from SBE headquarters and Gail Pineda from Chapter 36 who made sure everything worked well behind the scenes. Fred Baumgartner, formerly with Qualcomm in San Diego and now working for Harris in Denver, was instrumental in getting the program put together.

Society of Broadcast Engineers