WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that broadcast engineers and executives Bert Goldman and Harvey Arnold are the 2026 recipients of NAB’s Engineering Achievement Awards. They will be honored at the We Are Broadcasters Awards Ceremony, held on the Main Stage of the 2026 NAB Show on Tuesday, April 21 in Las Vegas. 

Each year since 1959, NAB has presented the Engineering Achievement Awards to individuals for their outstanding accomplishments in the broadcast industry, with separate honors for radio and television established in 1991.

Bert Goldman, owner and president of Goldman Engineering Management, will receive the 2026 Radio Engineering Achievement Award in recognition of more than 50 years of leadership and innovation in broadcast engineering.

A nationally respected expert in AM and FM spectrum analysis, Goldman has helped broadcasters improve performance, expand coverage and enhance asset value. His work spans station construction, technical operations and regulatory compliance, and he is widely regarded for his deep expertise in FCC rules, FM booster and translator engineering and directional AM antenna system design.

He previously served as corporate vice president of Engineering for ABC/Disney Radio Division, Nationwide Communications, Patterson Broadcasting and Shamrock Broadcasting. Over his career, he has overseen upgrades in most of the top 25 U.S. markets and managed the design and construction of more than 50 radio stations.

A member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society, the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE) and the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), Goldman has also been active with the NAB National Radio Systems Committee and the NAB Radio Technical Committee.

Harvey Arnold, senior vice president of engineering for Sinclair Broadcast Group, will receive the 2026 Television Engineering Achievement Award for his leadership and long-standing contributions to advancing broadcast technology.

Since joining Sinclair in 1998, Arnold has led transmission engineering operations across the company’s television stations, with a strong focus in recent years on accelerating the industry’s transition to ATSC 3.0. He is also working with NAB and industry partners to develop and implement the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), coordinating field testing at Sinclair ATSC 3.0 stations and promoting awareness of the technology’s potential.

Prior to Sinclair, Arnold spent 17 years with North Carolina Public Television, managing and expanding engineering and transmission operations for one of the nation’s largest statewide public television networks. He also participated in activities of the FCC Advisory Committee for Advanced Television Service (ACATS), helping test the ATSC DTV standard in the field and guide the rollout of digital television in the United States

Arnold is a SMPTE Fellow and member of the SMPTE Board of Editors. A former chairman of the NAB TV Technology Committee, he remains active in ATSC, SMPTE, SBE and AFCCE. He is also a recipient of the Broadcasting & Cable Technical Leadership Award.

Learn more about the 2026 NAB Show at NABShow.com.

When the history of digital television in the United States is written, the individuals involved will read like a who’s who of broadcast technology. Many of those have been honored by the NAB with its annual Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award, and this year’s honoree is no exception.

Dennis W. Wallace is managing partner at Meintel, Sgrignoli & Wallace, LLC, a broadcast engineering and technical consulting firm founded in 2004. He developed and implemented RF field test programs for the HDTV Model Station Project at the Advanced Television Test Center in Washington, D.C., and built and conducted studies and demonstrations at the ATSC 3.0 Test Station in Cleveland.

Over the years his field-testing projects have included assessment of mobile DTV service, interference from unlicensed devices, effects of windmills on DTV reception, Distributed Transmission Systems, comparison of UHF and VHF spectrum for ATSC 3.0 and chairing the ATSC 3.0 Field Testing Task Force.

I got a chance to talk with Dennis recently and learned a bit more about what brought him to the industry.

As a kid growing up in Indianapolis, Dennis got involved in his high school’s 400W Class A radio station but “I quickly learned that I was more interested in the technical parts of it than I was necessarily being on the air,” he said. Jack Tiller, a professor at nearby Butler University, who taught mass media, helped Dennis get his start in actually getting paid for what he enjoyed doing.

“He took me under his wing and actually employed me part time in the summers to rewire studios at the university and that sort of thing. So that was my foray into engineering.”

Although Dennis had plans to attend Butler full time, prior to entering college, he entered a competition on entrepreneurship and won at both the state and national level. The prize was a scholarship to ITT Technical University, which he decided to pursue instead.

He almost completed the course before being hired by WIIB, a new UHF station in Indianapolis, in 1989. By the mid-’90s, Dennis had landed at the ATTC, working alongside one his mentors, Charlie Rhodes, who also penned TV Tech’s Digital TV column for decades.

Dennis remembers how Charlie would urge his fellow engineers to always push for more. “He would cajole a few of us to stay late or work extra and work on whatever question he had, along with the Grand Alliance engineers, to try to explore something. Those became what we referred to as ‘the Charlie projects.’ And we always learned a lot.”

Asked about the high point of his career (so far!), Dennis points to his work with the ATTC. “I started off at analog broadcasting, did the lab testing for the RF side of DTV, helping stations transition, and then shutting down analog and now in the twilight of my career, on replacing the system that I helped build.”

Dennis’s entrepreneurial and technical skills have helped him and his colleagues create one of the leading consulting firms in the broadcast industry. “One of the unique things that I bring to broadcast engineering is an understanding of the business implications of the technical pieces of it,” he said. “And I’ve kind of built a career at the intersection of business, technology and regulatory policy matters. That’s really what I do.”

Congratulations Dennis on this well deserved honor! Dennis will be recognized along with this year’s Radio winner Paul S. Shulins, at the “We Are Broadcasters Awards,” held on the Main Stage of the 2025 NAB Show, Tuesday, April 8, in Las Vegas.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Hubbard Radio’s David Kolesar and consulting engineer Winston Caldwell are the recipients of the 2024 NAB Engineering Achievement Awards. They will be honored at the We Are Broadcasters Awards, held on the Main Stage of the 2024 NAB Show, April 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Established in 1959, the Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards are given to individuals who are nominated by their peers for significant contributions to advancing broadcast engineering.

David Kolesar has worked in the broadcast engineering field for over 30 years, and currently serves as a senior broadcast engineer for Hubbard Radio, where he has worked since 2006. Kolesar previously was an Electronics Engineer in the Information Technology Division of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Kolesar is a broadcast engineering pioneer, having commissioned the first full-time all-digital AM radio station in the U.S. by converting, adapting, and rehabilitating Hubbard station WWFD in Frederick, Md., serving as the chief engineer as well as the program director.

In addition to his efforts to make all-digital AM radio a reality, Kolesar has been an advocate for all-digital AM within the industry, sharing and documenting his work in numerous technical papers and at conferences, and continuing research on ways to improve all-digital AM performance.

Kolesar has been recognized by other industry organizations for his contributions including receiving the Radio World Excellence in Engineering award in 2019 and the Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 37 Engineer of the Year award in 2020.

Winston Caldwell has over 25 years of electrical engineering experience, specializing in network communications, security, spectrum management, and standards development. He began his career at Fox Corporation in 2000, spending 23 years there in various engineering roles, including vice president of spectrum engineering. He then became an independent consultant in 2023 with Pearl TV, the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (A3SA) and NAB among his clients.

Caldwell led the development and deployment of the A3SA security system, which protects Next Gen TV services and broadcast content. He also managed engineering efforts for transitioning Fox stations to the ATSC 3.0 system and served as chairman of the NAB Next Generation Broadcast Platform Task Force.

Caldwell’s technical analysis in contributions to development of spectrum policy have been utilized in regulatory matters, domestically at the FCC and internationally at the International Telecommunication Union.

Caldwell is a frequent presenter and panelist at technical conferences and actively participates in several ATSC 3.0 specialist groups. In addition, he is a longstanding member of the NAB Television Technology Committee.

Last month the National Association of Broadcasters recognized something that TV Tech readers have known for decades: Doug Lung, long-time columnist for this brand and a member of the team that helped build the Telemundo network, has achieved the kind of career excellence that is worthy of this year’s NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award. 

When I arrived at TV Tech more than 20 years ago, Doug had already established himself as an expert on broadcast television, and in particular, RF technology through his monthly columns. As the fortunes of free over-the-air TV broadcasting have ebbed and waned over the years, Doug recently wrote in his 300th column that, despite all of this, “the good news is over-the-air TV broadcasting is still going strong.”

It’s hard to believe then, that Doug’s career path was not so certain when he started out nearly 50 years ago. As a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, which was popularized in the late 1960’s by the Maharishi Yogi and the Beatles, Doug was in line to become a teacher of “TM.” When that didn’t work out, he chose another passion of his: broadcasting.  

Doug had gotten his start in radio and had gained a wealth of experience in the technical side of things. When there was an opening in 1974 for an engineer at the TM video facility in Livingston Manor, NY, Doug left Easton Pa., where he had just finished his third year at Lafayette College to take the job. 

From there, he moved to Los Angeles where he helped put KSCI-TV—which at the time was a non-profit TV station owned by the TM organization—on the air. “That was the first TV broadcast station I worked at,” Doug said.  

Eventually Doug ended up at the place he has called home for decades—Hawaii—when he helped fellow TV Tech writer Bill Hayes build out the transmission facility for KSHO, the state’s first full-powered UHF TV station. Doug fell in love with the area, partly because who wouldn’t, but also for the natural beauty of its volcanoes. 

In 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Telemundo was acquired by NBC in 2002, where Doug eventually was appointed vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local.

Over nearly five decades of experience, Doug has witnessed a great deal of TV history and when I asked him what project he was proudest of, I expected him to mention the transition to DTV that took place over several decades. But it was the return of broadcasting to New York after 9/11 that affected him the most.

“Working with engineers, manufacturers and the MTVA to get broadcasting up on the Empire State Building and eventually onto One World Trade Center—that was an incredible effort,” he said. “I just really feel honored to have been able to be a part of that.”  

So congratulations Doug on this well-deserved recognition! Doug will receive his award along with Radio award winner Michael Cooney with the Beasley Media Group at the “We Are Broadcasters Awards,” April 18 at 10 a.m. at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

WASHINGTON—Doug Lung, vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local and long-time TV Tech columnist, has been named recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award. 

Doug leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings.

Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Doug has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. 

Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.

Doug is also the longest-serving columnist for TV Tech, having launched his RF Technology column nearly 35 years ago. Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He received a Tech Leadership Award from digital media publisher Future in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Michael Cooney, CTO at Beasley Media Group will receive the Radio Engineering Achievement Award. Cooney is a recipient of the 2016 Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award. 

They will be honored at the We Are Broadcasters Awards, held on the Main Stage of the 2023 NAB Show on April 18 at 10 a.m.

Established in 1959, the Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards are given to individuals who are nominated by their peers for significant contributions to advancing broadcast engineering.

When the NAB announced Jim Stenberg of American Tower as the recipient of the 2020 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award, it was a reminder of the important role RF engineering plays in the day-to-day operations of over-the-air TV stations.

For nearly 35 years, Jim has risen through the ranks of a variety of antenna and RF companies that reads like a who’s who in the television business. Along the way he has been mentored by some of the visionaries that have helped advance RF and microwave technology.

Like so many in our industry, Jim’s love of broadcasting started in his teens when he moved to a new community in New Hampshire and discovered the wonders of ham radio. 

“I enrolled at a new junior high school and, not knowing anyone, I got involved in the ham radio club where all the geeks were,” Jim said. It wasn’t long before his interest expanded to antennas, culminating in the building of a 40-foot radio tower out of 2x4s with the help of his father (in the front of their house, no less).

Despite this, Jim says his first ambition was to become a commercial pilot. Unfortunately, after his doctor informed him that his eyesight was not good enough to pass a physical a week before starting at Daniel Webster college, he switched gears and decided to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps to study  engineering, while still gaining his pilot's license. 

After that, it was on to the University of Lowell where he received an undergrad in electrical engineering. Soon after graduation, he was tapped by Thomas Vaughan, of Micro Communications—recipient of the NAB Engineering Achievement Award in 1994—to direct their engineering on antennas and RF systems. 

“He was one of my mentors,” Jim said. “He provided a lot of input and then  left me alone to figure stuff out and get it done. I don't think that happens much anymore for a 25-year-old.”

Jim moved to Portland, Maine, in the  early 90’s to work for Spencer Smith—another of his mentors and founder of Passive Power Products—to develop combiners, supplying products to Comark and Harris, among others. In the mid-90’s he worked as a consultant, co-wrote a handbook on digital television implementation and then joined Jampro on the west coast to develop the company’s RF products.  

He eventually ended back in Maine to design, build and sell RF systems for Dielectric, working with several broadcast engineering stars there, helping them earn a Tech Emmy for filters. He helped design and build RF systems for hundreds of DTV transmitters and combined systems, including those for Sutro Tower, World Trade Center, Empire State Building, DTV Utah, Boston, Atlanta along with a patented “Shared Line Tee” system that allowed use of one line for two antenna feeds. It was also during this time that Jim worked on ATSC committees, developing and testing filters and antenna systems for the DTV transition, working with Jules Cohen, another mentor of his.

“Jules was an amazing force within broadcasting and a fount of knowledge,” Jim said.

In 2005, Jim struck out on his own to form a consulting/field service company and travel like crazy throughout the United States.

At American Tower Corporation since 2013, Jim serves as the principal RF broadcast engineer and subject matter expert on broadcast transmission systems on the company’s towers throughout the U.S.  

Currently Jim has been busy commissioning broadcasters on company-owned repack antenna systems, scheduled to wrap up this summer. It’s been among the most challenging projects in his career, “just for the sheer volume of work.”

“We built 15 new large multichannel systems in basically a year and a half,” he said.

After more than three decades in the business, what is it about broadcasting that drives him?

“I like working in the broadcast industry because it's something that you can quickly know you're making a difference,” he said. “I think that television over-the-air provides an important service to the public and we’re being shown that especially now.” 

Jim will receive his award online during NAB Show Express, May 13-14. 

LAS VEGAS—The National Association of Broadcasters have tapped Jim Stenberg, principal broadcast RF engineer for American Tower Corporation, as the recipient of the 2020 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award.

The Engineering Achievement Awards, which have been given out by the NAB since 1959, are awarded based on peer nominations of individuals for their “significant contributions to advancing broadcast engineer,” per the NAB.

At American Tower Corporation since 2013, Stenberg serves as the subject matter expert on broadcast antenna systems on the company’s towers throughout the U.S. He is the holder of nine patents and helped design numerous RF system products. In addition, Stenbreg has co-written a handbook on digital television implementation and has presented technical papers at NAB, SBE and IEEE conferences, as well as others. 

Throughout his 33-year broadcast career, Stenberg has worked for several antenna and RF system manufacturers, and also ran his own consulting and field service business for eight years.

The NAB also announced that Jeff Welton of Nautel will receive the 2020 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award. For more information on Welton’s career, visit TVT’s sister publication Radio World.

Stenberg and Welton will be presented with their awards on Tuesday, April 21, at the We Are Broadcasters Celebration during the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas. 

WASHINGTON—Now is the chance to recognize individuals and organizations that have significantly contributed to the television and radio industries by nominating them for the 2020 NAB Technology Awards. The nomination window is open between now and Jan. 13, 2020.

These four annual awards consist of the Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards, recognizing individuals for their outstanding accomplishments in each industry; the Technology Innovation Award, which acknowledges an organization showing an advanced technology or exhibit at the 2020 NAB Show that has not yet been commercialized; and the Best Paper Award, honoring the author(s) of a paper published in the Proceedings of the 2020 Broadcasting Engineering and Information Technology Conference.

The awards are presented each year as part of the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

“It is an annual highlight to present these awards to deserving individuals and organizations in celebration of our industry’s technical and engineering achievements,” said Sam Matheny, NAB’s executive vice president and chief technology officer. “I look forward to again recognizing the success that foster progress in broadcast technology and broadcaster innovation at the 2020 NAB Show.”

Nominations are due by Jan. 13, 2020. Nomination forms and award rules are available at www.nab.org/events/awards.asp.

The 2020 NAB Show will take place from April 18-22, 2020.

WASHINGTON—Mark Aitken, VP of Advanced Technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group, will be honored at the 2018 NAB Show with the NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award. Aitken, who has played an instrumental role in advancing development of the ATSC 3.0 Next-Gen TV standard, will join Roger Keating, chief strategy and business development officer at Hearst Television, Tom Jones, president of Carl T. Jones Corp, and Clay Freinwald, RF systems engineer at Freinwald Technical Services, in being honored at the 2018 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 7-12.

Keating will be honored with the 2018 NAB Digital Leadership Award. Joining Hearst Television in 2008, Keating oversees the broadcast group’s digital media unit and leads its product, business and corporate development. He also served as the first chairman of the Pearl TV consortium of station groups.

Freinwald, a broadcast engineer since 1961, will receive the 2018 Service to Broadcast Engineering Award. He has held many technical positions at many stations and station groups, including Tacoma News, Tribune, Viacom and Entercom. He is a founding member of the Broadcast Warning Working Group.

Jones will receive the 2018 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award. A broadcast industry consultant for nearly 40 years, Jones joined his father’s engineering firm as a senior engineer in 1979 and became a full partner in 1983. Jones has managed hundreds of complex broadcast engineering projects.

Aitken, who will receive the 2018 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award, joined Sinclair in 1999 and was promoted to VP of advanced technology in 2011. He has participated in the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service, chaired the specialist group on mobile DTV at ATSC and participated in the formation of Sinclair’s ONE Media joint venture, where he serves as president.

[Kristen Bell Recipient of 2018 NAB Television Chairman's Award]

Aitken, Freinwald and Jones will be honored at the We are Broadcasters Celebration on Tuesday, April 10. Keating will receive his award at the Achievement in Broadcasting Dinner on Monday, April 9.

More information is available on the NAB Show website.