The Society of Broadcast Engineers board of directors appointed Tony Peterle to fill an opening on the Ennes Educational Foundation Trust, filling the opening created by Leonard Charles’ resignation. Charles had served as a trustee since 2011.
Three trustees are appointed by the SBE board of directors and are responsible for the operation of the Ennes Educational Foundation Trust. Also serving as trustees are Frederick Baumgartner of Denver and Douglas Garlinger of Fishers, Ind.
SBE President Jim Leifer said Peterle “was a natural choice” to serve in this role “because of his educational efforts.”
Peterle manages sales and support for the Western Hemisphere for French equipment manufacturer WorldCast Systems. He joined WorldCast in 2005 as the manager for technical support in the U.S. and later transitioned into a management position.
Peterle earned the CPBE certification in 2015 and has presented at SBE meetings, NAB, AES and other industry shows. He spent several years teaching about the Simple Network Management Protocol and its application to broadcast operations, which in 2017 prompted his recognition with the SBE James Wulliman Educator of the Year honor.
“One of the most enjoyable and beneficial parts of being part of the SBE is the enormous reservoir of knowledge and experience represented,” Peterle said. “I look forward to continuing the efforts of the Ennes Trust to help share that knowledge with all our members.”
He began his broadcasting career while in college in the 1970s as chief engineer of a 250 W FM station. He started working professionally in Ohio in on-air positions at WMRN(AM) in Marion and WCOL(FM)/WXGT(FM) in Columbus.
Peterle then moved to Wichita, Kan., where he returned to engineering with a 100 kW FM and a 10 kW directional AM.
Next in Hawaii, he spent three years as chief engineer for KQMQ(FM), KPOI(FM) and KINE(FM) before he returned to Kansas City. For several years he worked as a traffic reporter and pilot, before becoming chief engineer for KPRS(AM/FM).
In 1996, Peterle moved back to Hawaii and started a traffic reporting service, which, at its peak, sent reports and information to more than 20 radio and TV stations. After 2001, he sold the service and moved to Seattle, where he was traffic anchor for Entercom’s KIRO for several years.
In 1980, the Harold Ennes Scholarship Fund Trust was founded by SBE Chapter 25 Indianapolis in memory of Harold E. Ennes, broadcast/communications textbook author and Indianapolis chapter member. The trust was transferred to the national organization to administer in 1981. The name of the trust was changed in 1995 to the “Harold Ennes Educational Foundation Trust” to embrace its expanded role.
