Ron Rackley addresses the IEEE Broadcast Symposium audience.
Globally, broadcasters’ share of RF spectrum is contracting due to the increased demand for wireless broadband communications. This shrinkage of resources was clearly reflected in several final day presentations at the 2015 IEEE Broadcast Symposium. Papers including, “The International Dimension of Broadcast Spectrum Management Issues” and “TV Repack: Post-Auction Transition Procedures,” served to drive that message home. Other Friday presentations provided additional information about the developing ATSC 3.0 U.S. digital TV standard, an examination of audio content watermarking methodology and a look at the Nielsen PPM system used to determine broadcast audience size.
Ron Rackley, du Treil, Lundin & Rackley Inc. partner, provided the Friday luncheon keynote presentation which covered the history and evolution of the broadcast antenna from Marconi’s first attempt to launch high power signals to present day systems.
Following the luncheon, the achievements of two Symposium attendees were recognized in a brief awards ceremony. The Matti S. Siukola Memorial Award, presented for the best paper delivered at the previous year’s symposium, was presented to David Layer, senior director of advanced technology at the NAB’s technology department. Tom Silliman, president and CEO of antenna maker ERI, was awarded the Jules Cohen Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award. The Cohen Award was only recently established and Silliman is the first recipient.
The 2016 IEEE Broadcast Symposium will take place in Hartford, Conn., Oct. 12–14, 2016.
