MADISON�The Society of Broadcast Engineers held itsannual membership meetingOct. 14 in Madison.�The meeting was also broadcast live for those who could not attend in person, and�several�virtual attendees commented on the AV quality of�the webcast.
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Charles Cooper, FCC acting field director and the district director for the Los Angeles field office, delivered remarks. He addressed the Enforcement Bureau modernization plan, the implementation of which the SBE had expressed concerns this summer, saying the FCC�s efforts to regulate RF spectrum will be done in a �high-impact manner� going forward. He also spoke about the commission�s ongoing efforts to combat pirate radio stations, reminding attendees that stations that they should do their best to combat the interference prior to contacting the Enforcement Bureau for assistance, saying that they should first �exhaust their resources.� �
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Reports were then delivered by the society�s officers and committee chairpersons.
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Jim Leifer, sustaining membership committee chair, welcomed the SBE�s newest chapter, southwest Florida�s Chapter 90. There are now a total of 115 chapters.
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Tim Anderson said that the efforts of the membership drive resulted in 41 new members, recruited by 37 current SBE members. Robin Heslop of Chapter 53 was the winner of the contest. Chapter 78 of southwestern Virginia and Chapter 122 of Youngstown, Ohio, were also given the Golden Recruiter Award.
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Certification Committee Chairman Ralph Hogan said that the committee is considering a revision to rules for certification exams that would allow for Internet access, reflecting the prevalence of mobile technology. He also said that the exams will be updated to include questions about the CALM Act and closed captioning rules. Hogan�s term on the board of directors also came to an end at the meeting. He had served for 14 years and was recognized at the meeting.
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Wayne Pecena reported on the education efforts, and he said that one-fifth of the membership has participated in some kind of educational event, such as a webinar or continuing education class. He said that with 900 participants they are on-track to surpass last year’s numbers.�
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The event also featured the induction of new board members, who were elected in July, and Jerry Massey (CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CNT) was installed as the new national president.
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After taking outgoing president Joe Snelson for his service, Massey said that he has two major initiatives to address during his term: increasing certification and finding the next generation of engineers. He challenged existing SBE members to take certification exams �to prove it to yourself,� regardless of an employer�s requirements. Massey noted that he did not become�certified�until his mid-40s and had done so for no reason other than because he wanted to do so, after years of resisting it. This year also marks the 40th year of certification for the SBE. �
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Massey also announced a new ad hoc committee that will explore the idea of collaborating with the military to try to recruit veterans into the industry.
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The next annual membership meeting will be held in Columbus, Ohio.�
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A previous version of this article misstated the location of the meeting as Minneapolis.�
