John Kean will receive the 2017 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award at next month’s NAB Show.
The National Association of Broadcasters made the announcement today. Kean is a technologist familiar to many in the industry from his work at NPR and at prominent broadcast consulting firms including Cavell Mertz and Associates, where he now works. He is an editorial contributor to Radio World and his articles appear frequently in Radio World Engineering Extra. Andy Laird was last year’s NAB radio recipient; prior honorees include iconic radio technology names like George Marti, Hilmer Swanson, Arno Meyer, Louis and Tom King and numerous others; see the sidebar box.
NAB also named John Lyons of the Durst Organization to receive the NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award, and Catherine Badalamente of Graham Media Group to receive its 2017 Digital Leadership Award. Lyons is a past recipient of Radio World’s own Excellence in Engineering Award.
HONOR ROLL
Recipients of the NAB Engineering Achievement Award are listed here. Beginning in 1991, radio and TV winners were named; radio winners are shown.
1959 John T. Wilner
1960 T.A.M. Craven
1961 Raymond F. Guy
1962 Ralph N. Harmon
1963 Dr. George R. Town
1964 John H. DeWitt Jr.
1965 Edward W. Allen Jr.
1966 Carl J. Meyers
1967 Robert M. Morris
1968 Howard A. Chinn
1969 Jarrett L. Hathaway
1970 Philip Whitney
1971 Benjamin Wolfe
1972 John M. Sherman
1973 A. James Ebel
1974 Joseph B. Epperson
1975 John D. Silva
1976 Dr. Frank G. Kear
1977 Daniel H. Smith
1978 John A. Moseley
1979 Robert W. Flanders
1980 James D. Parker
1981 Wallace E. Johnson
1982 Julius Barnathan
1983 Joseph Flaherty
1984 Otis S. Freeman
1985 Carl E. Smith
1986 Dr. George Brown
1987 Renville H. McMann
1988 Jules Cohen
1989 William Connolly
1990 Hilmer Swanson
1991 George Marti
1992 Edward Edison & Robert L. Hammett
1993 Robert M. Silliman
1994 Charles T. Morgan
1995 Robert Orban
1996 Ogden Prestholdt
1997 George Jacobs
1998 John Battison
1999 Geoffrey Mendenhall
2000 Michael Dorrough
2001 Arno Meyer
2002 Paul Schafer
2003 John W. Reiser
2004 E. Glynn Walden
2005 Milford Smith
2006 Benjamin Dawson & Ronald Rackley
2007 Louis A. King
2008 Thomas B. Silliman
2009 Jack Sellmeyer
2010 Steve Church
2011 L. Robert du Treil
2012 Paul Brenner
2013 Frank Foti
2014 Jeff Littlejohn
2015 Thomas F. King
2016 Andy Laird
2017 John Kean
Here are the official bios as released by NAB in making the announcement.
The 2017 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award
Kean joined National Public Radio (NPR) in 1980 and focused on technology issues and FCC regulatory topics in his role as a senior technologist. In 1986, Kean joined Jules Cohen and Associates and then moved to Moffet, Larson and Johnson in 1988, where he consulted on broadcast and telecommunications projects. He later returned to NPR to help establish NPR Labs, an initiative that develops and evaluates new technologies, standards and procedures for public radio. He’s now a consultant with Cavell Mertz and Associates, in addition to his own private consulting practice. Kean is a past chairman of the IEEE Broadcast Symposium and the Washington, D.C. Section of the Audio Engineering Society. He is an author, frequent presenter, and holds a patent for an algorithm that determines digital broadcast radio coverage.
The 2017 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award
In his role as assistant vice president and director of broadcast communications for The Durst Organization, a premier office tower and residential building management company based in New York City, John Lyons is responsible for the communications needs of the entire 13 million-square-foot Durst commercial portfolio. Lyons played an important role in getting broadcasters back on the air in New York after the fall of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He also spearheaded the design and implementation of the re-designed master antenna at 4 Times Square and more recently the new broadcast transmission facility at One World Trade Center. He has held various positions within the communications industry for over 50 years and has received numerous awards for his work with broadcasters and first responders.
The 2017 Digital Leadership Award
In her role as vice president of digital media for Graham Media Group, Catherine Badalamente oversees digital sales, content and technology. Under her leadership, Graham Digital has transformed from a small group of part-time employees to a leading digital development company, with top rated digital platforms in most markets. Prior to her current role, Badalamente served as director of digital media, helping create successful multi-platform convergent campaigns for clients and stations, and was successful at driving growth in both audience and revenue. Further demonstrating her commitment to the broadcast industry, Badalamente is currently the chair of the NAB Digital Officer Committee and is on the board of the Local Media Association.
