Cohen, right, accepts the NAB Engineering Achievement Award from Michael Rau of NAB in 1988, in a photo from Radio World archives.
Jules Cohen has died.
The longtime engineering great passed away late Tuesday night, according to Ron Rackley of duTreil, Lundin and Rackley.
While details are still emerging, Rackley said he got word of Cohen’s death from Bernie Segal, a longtime colleague of Cohen, at the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers luncheon.
“It was announced at the AFCCE luncheon and what I know is public at this point,” Rackley said. “I never knew a finer man than Jules and I have known few who were in his league as a fine gentleman and excellent engineer. He was a mentor to me early in my career. I am saddened to think that I will never see him again in this life and I will miss him always.”
Cohen was in his 90s.
Read Cohen’s 1988 remarks upon receiving the NAB Engineering Achievement Award, courtesy NAB: Cohen remarks.pdf
Cohen, president of Jules Cohen & Associates, played a major role in the development of FCC rules governing the assignment of FM stations in the noncommercial educational portion of the FM band, 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. He was involved in satellite earth station studies, interference design and adjustment, propagation studies, and radio and TV studio and transmitter layouts. He also conducted extensive work involving the engineering aspects of several FCC rules.
A Radio World article about his 1988 award described him as “an engineer’s engineer.” Cohen was honored for his achievements over what was then a 40-year career.
In his remarks he noted changes that had occurred in the industry over the span of his career. “At the end of World War II, AM broadcasting, with fewer than 950 stations, was not only the dominant broadcast medium, it was virtually the only medium,” he said.
Cohen also made comments then about the changing nature of media competition:
“Some terrestrial broadcasters may have come only recently to the realization of the threat from other media, but some voices have been crying in the wilderness for a decade or more.”
Post memories of Jules Cohen below.
