INDIANAPOLIS—The Society of Broadcast Engineers has named the late Joseph A. DiMaggio as the Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year, the top honor in the 2026 SBE National Awards recognizing outstanding achievements by SBE members, local chapters and SBE Sustaining Member companies.
DiMaggio, who retired as chief engineer of NBC-owned WVIT New Britain-Hartford-New Haven, Conn., where he worked for 47 years, is being recognized posthumously for his outstanding contributions to broadcast engineering and SBE Connecticut Valley Chapter 17, of which he was a founding member.
DiMaggio and the other honorees will be recognized at the SBE 2026 National Meeting and Midwest Regional Broadcasters Clinic, Sept. 15-16 in Middleton, Wis.
“The SBE Awards Program recognizes the outstanding efforts of SBE members and chapters,” said Zuhlieta Ibisheva, CBTE, CBT, the SBE awards committee chair. “Peer recognition is the highest honor, and the recipients and nominees exemplify the ideal of being an SBE member.”
Also to be honored in Wisconsin is Jerry Brown, CPBE, of Oxford, N.C., this year’s James C. Wullman SBE Educator of the Year and a member of Chapter 93 Raleigh-Durham. An SBE member since 1983, Brown played a key role in creating the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcast Technology Academy in 2025. The multiweek course also utilizes SBE’s Technical Professional Training Program, the group said.
The 2026 SBE Technology Award winner is Dielectric, recognized for its RingMaster FM antenna system, a technology that delivers full-bandwith FM performance with fewer components, reduced weight and lower costs, SBE said. To date, RingMaster has been adopted in more than 20 major installations worldwide, the organization said.
The Facility Innovation of the Year Award was won by John-Erik M. Rempillo, CBPE, of CBC, for “Testing Kit on the Go,” which enables safe, off-site diagnosis and repair of faulty power supplies in the Canadian broadcaster’s NV and VS series transmitters, eliminating the risks of live-system troubleshooting. CBC used the portable kit to restore five of eight faulty modules at its Toronto operation, SBE said, saving $7,500 in procurement costs and reducing electronic waste.
Chapter 39 in Tampa, Fla., won the Best Chapter Communication Award for electronic newsletter “Quarterly Digest,” produced by Membership Chair Isaiah Chavez.
The Best Chapter or Regional or Regional Educational Event Award went to Chapter 37 Washington, D.C., for “AntennaFest 2025: Shared Signals.” Held at the Arlington, Va., headquarters of WETA Washington, AntennaFest brought together industry leaders and companies such as Nautel, American Amplifier Technologies, Dielectric, Electronics Research and American Tower Corp. for a day of expert presentations on shared antennas and combining systems, SBE said.
The SBE also recognized local chapters for driving membership growth and professional development throughout 2025, dividing honors into Class A (under 25 members) and Class B (25 or more members) based on year-end statistical data. Top statistical honors went to Chapter 85 (Central Western, Okla.) and Chapter 15 (New York City) for highest percentage growth of new members; Chapter 115 (Southern Idaho) and Chapter 131 (Inland Empire, Calif.) for highest percentage of certified members; and Chapter 38 (El Paso, Texas) and Chapter 69 (Alamo Area) for highest percentage of meeting attendance.
Individual chapters also selected their own Chapter Engineer of the Year, to be automatically considered for the Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year award: Sharon Gould (Chapter 1); Joseph DiMaggio (Chapter 14); Edward Smith (Chapter 17); William Harrison (Chapter 37); Bruno Cruz (Chapter 38); Dylan Scott (Chapter 39); Saul Perez (Chapter 47); Bob Long (Chapter 70); and Davit Robakidze (Chapter 148).
For more on the SBE Awards Program, including lists of previous winners, visit the SBE’s website.
