A panel in the Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference of the upcoming NAB Show will explore “Securing the Signal: Field Operations, Site Safety and Security Protocols for Modern Broadcasters.” It includes experts from Fox, Dataminr, Smith Entertainment Group and Verkada.
Steve Shultis, the CTO of New York Public Radio, is the moderator.
Radio World: Steve, what’s this session about?
Steve Shultis: “Securing the Signal” examines how broadcasters can modernize their approach to field safety and site security as operations become increasingly distributed.
Today’s broadcast signals travel through our HQs, transmitter sites, remote field production environments, rooftop positions and shared infrastructure. Each of these locations introduces operational risk that often falls outside traditional security planning.
This panel brings together broadcast leaders responsible for safety and operations, along with technology experts to discuss practical frameworks for protecting both infrastructure and personnel.
The focus is on helping stations shift their security posture from reactive response toward proactive risk identification and prevention — using clear protocols, real-time intelligence and modern monitoring tools.
RW: Can you give an example of best practices that stations should consider to secure their signals?
Shultis: First, integrating real-time threat awareness into field operations. This includes the use of threat intelligence aggregation and alerting platforms that provide situational awareness within defined geographic areas, allowing organizations to anticipate and respond to emerging risks affecting their personnel or sites.
And then enhancing physical site monitoring with intelligent video analytics. AI-assisted analysis can help identify unusual behavior, perimeter breaches or developing threats earlier, enabling faster escalation to internal teams or law enforcement when necessary.
RW: “Field operations” is part of the description. What should stations know about securing their signals in this area?
Shultis: Field operations introduce unique challenges because teams are often working alone, in remote locations or in temporary environments such as live event sites.
Stations should ensure that:
- Clear check-in, “all-clear” and escalation protocols are in place for remote engineers and field crews.
- Site access procedures are standardized and documented.
- Risk assessments are conducted before deployments, particularly for high-profile events or in areas experiencing heightened activity.
- Safety planning is integrated into routine maintenance and upgrade workflows, not treated as a separate function.
Securing the signal in the field ultimately means securing the people responsible for keeping it on air.
RW: Are there common misconceptions you’d like to dispel?
Shultis: One is that serious physical threats are rare or limited to large markets. In reality, incidents affecting broadcast personnel and infrastructure have occurred across market sizes, often in environments that were previously considered low risk.
Another misconception is that security is solely a facilities issue. In today’s distributed and IP-centric workflows, responsibility spans engineering, operations, IT, HR and leadership. Security must be integrated into everyday operational planning rather than addressed only after an incident.
RW: What else should we know?
Shultis: This session is designed to be practical. Attendees will leave with actionable insights they can adapt immediately, whether they operate a single-site station or a large, distributed network. Our goal is to foster collaboration between engineering, IT and security teams to strengthen resilience without creating unnecessary operational friction.
[For more coverage of the convention see our NAB Show page.]
