Meetings

May Meeting: Perry Priestley of Broadcast Electronics

Elenos, Italian manufacturer of FM broadcast transmitters, acquired Broadcast Electronics in Quincy, Illinois, a highly regarded US manufacturer of AM, FM, and TV transmitters. BE has been known for years for its high quality transmitters, and Elenos has gained market share for their compact FM devices. Perry Priestley will update us on their lines and philosophies, sharing stories along the way.

Join us in an online presentation Tuesday, May 9th, at 11:30 AM organized by Chapter 47 of Los Angeles. Here’s the Zoom Link for registration.

About Perry

Perry Priestley has worked in the professional broadcast industry for over 49 years. He joined Broadcast Electronics in June 2019 in the position of Chief Operating Officer and he’s now the Chief Sales Officer. Previously he held the position of CEO at Anywave Communication Technologies Inc. He has also held positions in Sales and Business Development with Linear Industries Brazil, Ibiquity Digital Corporation (now Xperi), Thales-France (now Thomson Broadcast), EEV-Marconi, and Philips (Pye TVT) in the UK. Perry has presented at over 200 technical broadcast conferences worldwide, has been the lead commercial coordinator in notable projects around the world, and has been a significant contributor to many new product releases in the radio and television broadcast market. 

Perry earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Cambridge University, England, and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Telecommunications from Cambridge College of Technology.

Local News

San Diego County EAS Plan Complete

We’ve revised the 10-year-old San Diego County Emergency Alert System Plan and it’s ready for distribution. Changes are minor. You’re no longer asked to fax in your alerts, thank you very much. The old CLERS and San Diego County LIFE system with their radio backbones are gone. KSSX (FM) 95.7 is no longer listed as an LP1 station; you might remember that station had served for a while as a simulcast FM source of KOGO (AM). We cleaned up grammar and layout.

I was the primary editor of the document, but it could not have been properly done without the valuable input of John Rigg of iHeartMedia; Richard Rudman, volunteer Vice-Chair of the California State Emergency Coordination Committee; and Daniel Vasquez of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services. 

If you are in charge of your broadcast facility EAS execution, you should keep a copy of the revised plan with your other EAS materials. The plan is not publicly distributed, but you can obtain it by sending me a request. Mention what stations in San Diego County you take care of if I don’t already know. 

Local News

Tony McDaid Moves to KPBS

SBE Chapter 36 Chairman Tony McDaid began his new position as Broadcast Engineer at KPBS-FM/TV last month. Most recently he was a Systems Engineer at KNSD/NBC 7. He has also worked as a broadcast engineer for iHeart Media, KFMB, and Qualcomm.

Tony said, “Among the reasons for making the change was a desire to get back to working in radio, which I had come to miss while at KNSD. KPBS is now the only broadcaster in San Diego with both radio and TV stations. It feels like something of a coming home, having worked for the BBC in the UK. I’m very lucky to be here just as new radio studios are beginning to be installed and look forward to a long and happy career at KPBS.”


Meetings

Here Comes the Next Best Thing—March 22 SBE Event at iHeartMedia San Diego

A big product road show comes to San Diego again this year. An array of displays with representatives of several broadcast manufacturers will visit iHeartMedia, 9660 Granite Ridge Dr. behind Suite 100 on March 22 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Drive to the main parking lot and walk around the east side of the building to the rear. SWIT USA sponsors lunch and Myat, Inc. sponsors a chance to win a $50 VISA Gift Card. For more information and to register (not required for attendance), see NBTTour.com or call Doak Turner at 815-721-6338.

The show is hosted by the Broadcasters General Store and Second Opinion Communications and features these sponsors:

  • ENCO – broadcast automation
  • Forecast – technical furniture
  • Altronic Research – RF dummy loads
  • Angry Audio – processors and accessories
  • Challenger Communications – satellite antennas
  • Core SWX – battery charging solutions
  • D2D Technologies – DTV processors and multiplexers
  • Dielectric – FM and TV transmission antennas and RF devices
  • Digital Alert Systems – EAS processors
  • Henry Engineering – audio and control accessories
  • Inovonics – audio processors, RDS messaging, and signal monitors
  • Jampro – antennas and associated RF transmission solutions
  • Myat – RF transmission products
  • Nautel – AM and FM transmitters
  • NEMAL – optical and copper connectivity products
  • Studio Hub – audio connectivity devices
  • SWIT USA – ENG camera video transmitters, monitors, lighting, mounts, and power solutions
  • Tieline – Audio-over-IP transmission solutions
  • Toner Cable – RF facility distribution products seller
  • Worldcast – FM transmitters, RDS encoding, sound processors, IP codecs, and broadcast remote control products
  • YellowTec – studio accessories, voice recorders

Society of Broadcast Engineers, San Diego