WASHINGTON, D.C.—Pilot, an innovation initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), has launched the Pilot NextGen TV Fellowship program with support from Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

Structured like an early-stage start-up, the fellowship will focus on exploring capabilities of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard and developing a concept for a NextGen TV product or service.

Working alongside industry experts, fellows will gain practical, first-hand experience with NextGen TV technology during a eight-month program that will include product training, seminars and one-on-one coaching with NextGen TV standard experts and AWS representatives. 

The fellowship will conclude with fellows presenting their projects at the 2022 NAB Show in April in Las Vegas.

The 2021 fellows are current Howard University students Mikaela Mosley and Sulaiman Bastien.

Mosley is a senior television and film production major and political science minor from Philadelphia, Pa. She is the general manager and producer for Howard University’s Spotlight Network/WHUT-TV and recently completed an internship with Amazon Studios as a Drama Development intern.

Bastien is a senior television and film production major and computer science minor, with a concentration on directing and software engineering. He recently completed an internship with Pearl TV as an application developer and is originally from Laurel, Md.

Howard University is partnering with local broadcast television stations to bring NextGen TV to local stations in Washington, D.C., with Howard University’s WHUT serving as the host station. Other participating stations include WJLA (ABC), WUSA (CBS), WTTG (FOX), and WRC (NBC).

“I’m delighted we can partner with AWS and the NAB Leadership Foundation to provide this fellowship that is only available at Howard University,” said John Clark, executive director of Pilot. “This groundbreaking program offers a unique experience to jumpstart careers and provide a boost for the industry.”

Fellows will also participate in NAB Leadership’s Technology Apprenticeship Program (TAP). TAP is a complimentary career development program that is designed to train, inform and recruit the next generation of leaders in the broadcasting industry. 

For more information visit www.nabpilot.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The NAB’s innovation arm PILOT is funding a series of roadshow seminars to help educate engineers in ATSC 3.0 technology, beginning with the physical layer. The first seminar will be held at NAB’s new building in Washington, D.C., on November 17 and 18. At least four additional seminars are planned for locations around the country.

The seminars will be presented by Gary Sgrignoli of Meintel, Sgrignoli & Wallace and will be similar to the highly-successful ATSC 1 “Roadshow” seminars held about twenty years ago, PILOT said. 

The seminars are designed to provide a thorough understanding of the new ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV physical layer system at a time when ATSC 3.0 signals have been launched in many markets around the country and more ATSC 3.0 devices are coming into stores.  

This system allows transmission of digital data from a broadcaster’s transmitter to a viewer’s receiver (whether fixed, handheld, pedestrian or mobile) via an over-the-air television RF channel. The ATSC 3.0 transmission system is not backward compatible with the present DTV system (ATSC 1) and this on-site course is designed to provide broadcast engineers with both introductory and basic information in order to ease the transition to Next Gen TV. The seminar will also offer specific and detailed analysis and design principles to help optimize individual and multiuser station deployments.

PILOT noted that everyone is welcome to register and attend these seminars, but some prior knowledge would be helpful regarding digital transmission in general and ATSC1 DTV transmission in particular. 

Seminar material will be available for download prior to and after the seminar. The seminars are structured with a two-hour high-level introduction the evening of Day 1, followed by an eight-hour deep dive on Day 2. Lunch and snacks are included in the nominal course fee. The topics to be covered include:

ATSC 3.0 System Overview

• Performance benefits
• Flexibility and extensibility
• Key technologies and applications
• Comparison with ATSC1
• Fundamentals of Digital Transmission

 ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer 

• Architecture
• Signal formats
• Physical layer pipes (PLPs)
• OFDM characteristics
• Modulation and coding (ModCod)
• Throughput vs. robustness tradeoffs
• Applications

Recommended practices for selecting ModCod parameters

Design examples

For more information and for information on registering visit here. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Pilot, an initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters, will continue its Media Technology and Innovation Scholarships program by offering up to four scholarships of $2,500 each in 2021. Students eligible to apply include current college sophomores, juniors, seniors entering graduate school and graduate students, for pursuit of studies related to broadcast engineering, media technology and innovation. The scholarships will be administered in partnership with the Broadcast Education Association.

“Pilot continues to stress the importance of attracting and educating top technologists to the broadcast industry,” said Sam Matheny, NAB’s executive vice president and chief technology officer. “These scholarships expand awareness of broadcast technology in the academic world, and can assist those students with interest in the technical elements of media to pursue their goals.”

BEA Executive Director Heather Birks added, “On behalf of BEA’s board of directors and membership, we are grateful for Pilot’s continued support. With the constantly changing environment, it’s more important than ever to assist students interested in media technology and innovation. We appreciate Pilot’s ongoing dedication to this crucial sector of academia.”

Inaugurated in 2018, the scholarship program targets academic areas that include broadcast television or radio engineering and technology as well as broadcast content creation, including sports and news production, web and online media, mobile media, media-related information technology, multiplatform audience measurement and media technology research.

The deadline for application is October 15, 2020, and scholarship winners will be announced in February 2021. Click here for further information and to apply.

WASHINGTON—NAB’s technology innovation initiative, Pilot, has announced it is accepting submissions for the fifth annual Pilot Innovation Challenge. The Innovation Challenge is just one of Pilot’s initiatives meant to support different parts of the innovation cycle.

The prompt for the 2020 Pilot Innovation Challenge is: “Develop a working prototype to improve real-time decentralized collaboration while managing live and recorded audio/video from multiple sources for media production in a limited bandwidth environment. Broadcasters should be able to implement the prototype as a supporting element within their current environment.”

More directly, contestants are tasked with creating prototypes that address limitations caused by remote television and radio operations while being able to support current production environments.

“This year’s challenge looks to answer a timely question that has surfaced in the broadcast industry,” said John Clark, Pilot executive director. “We are eager to see how technologists, many of whom are facing similar challenges, innovate to enhance remote production and overcome hurdles caused by physical distance, varying bandwidth speeds and remote operations.”

Individuals, teams, companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations can apply. Up to five finalists will be selected by a panel of industry experts, who will be notified by the end of September. The winners will be announced during the NAB Show New York Digital Experience in October.

Funding up to $150,000 will be allocated between as many as two winners. In addition to funds, winners will receive relevant mentorship, development feedback and a trip to the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas to demonstrate the prototype.

The deadline to apply for the 2020 Pilot Innovation Challenge is Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. ET. For more information, visit www.nabpilot.org/challenge.  

WASHINGTON—NAB PILOT has awarded its Media Technology and Innovation scholarships to four college students to help in their pursuit of broadcast and media technology and innovation studies. The scholarships are administered in partnership with the Broadcast Education Association.

The winning students for 2020 are Trey Dickey from the University of Alabama; Mariana Janjacomo Semenoff from New York University; Charlotte Norsworthy from the University of Georgia; and Irene Franco Rubio from Arizona State University. 

Each student will receive a scholarship valued at $5,000 and covers studies in broadcast television or radio engineering and technology; broadcast content creation, including sports and news production; web and online media; mobile media; media-related information technology; multiplatform audience measurement; and media technology research.

“NAB is excited to work once again with BEA in presenting these PILOT scholarships to worthy students as they pursue careers in broadcast and media technology,” said Sam Matheny, NAB executive vice president and chief technology officer. “Their fresh thinking will invigorate our industry and keep it vibrant as we engage with future opportunities.”

More information is available at www.nabpilot.org/scholarships.  

WASHINGTON—NAB’s PILOT wants to help broadcasters help students forward their careers in radio and television engineering this summer via its technology internship grant program, announcing that it is now accepting applications to help create paid internships.

The summer 2020 technology internship grant program is open to NAB member radio and television stations. Accepted stations will be assisted in establishing paid engineering or media-technology internships for undergraduate students at stations that do not have such resources, particularly in smaller markets.

The program also provides resources for the selected stations in identifying and supporting interns. This includes travel assistance for selected interns to attend the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The deadline for NAB members to submit applications for the grants is Feb. 21. Selected stations will be notified in March 2020.

For more information, visit www.nabpilot.org/techinterns.

WASHINGTON—Now in its fourth year, NAB’s Pilot Innovation Challenge is now accepting proposals and has announced a new component for this year’s program. For the first time, Pilot will provide support to a pair of winners so they can develop a prototype to be presented at the 2020 NAB Show.

The prompt for this year’s Pilot Innovation Challenge is to build an AI character that can have conversations with individual viewers, listeners or consumers, with character traits that can be defined and trained by the broadcaster.

Individuals, teams, companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations are eligible to submit proposals, with up to five finalists selected by a panel of judges by the end of November. Of those five, two winners will be granted as much as $150,000, relevant mentorship and feedback during the development of their prototype. They will also be invited to the 2020 NAB Show, April 18-22, in Las Vegas to demonstrate the prototype.

The deadline to apply for the Innovation Challenge is Oct. 18. Interested applicants can review the judging criteria and apply here.

WASHINGTON — Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that voice technologies are touted as the next big thing for radio. But, how exactly, should media managers use them to grow audiences or increase revenues?

NAB’s Pilot and the Local Media Association aim to answer those questions and more at the first Voice Summit for digital media pros and strategists, the National Association of Broadcasters says.

In the announcement, Pilot Executive Director John Clark explained the “rapid expansion of voice-enabled devices is creating new considerations and opportunities for media companies as they seek to connect and engage with consumers.” He added the summit will investigate “these increasingly popular devices and how media organizations can best integrate them in to their overall business strategies.”

The Voice Summit will feature case studies and insights into how media companies can use these new platforms to attract and retain audiences and grow revenue. Representatives from NPR, The Washington Post, Hubbard Interactive, E.W. Scripps, iHeartRadio, Saga Communications and Amplifi Media are currently scheduled to present, described as “early adopters that have invested heavily and have a lot to share” by LMA President Nancy Lane.

The event is scheduled for Dec. 11 at NAB headquarters in Washington.

Early bird registration costs $395 through Oct. 31, but will increase by $100 after that date. But don’t jump the gun just to get the cheaper rate — check your calendar because there’s a $100 cancellation fee if you cancel before Nov. 1, but there are no refunds available later.

The Local Media Association serves local media companies and research and development partners. It assists companies with the digital transitions.

WASHINGTON — TV and radio broadcasters have a new resource to help fund internships to grow the pool of young engineering talent for the broadcast industry.

Pilot, NAB’s technology innovation initiative, in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters Educational Foundation, today announced the launch of a new program to provide grants to NAB members that establish paid engineering and media technology internships at their radio and TV stations.

“We believe these internships will help NAB member stations attract the best and brightest and expand awareness of the exciting work that a career in broadcast technology can provide,” said NAB CTO Sam Matheny. “We are thrilled to be working with NABEF on this program, as a key component of Pilot’s technology education efforts.”

Initial grants will be for part-time internships in the spring 2019 academic term and full-time internships in the summer of next year. The program is aimed at helping NAB members that do not offer engineering or media-technology internships at the moment.

The new initiative will also help selected stations identify and support interns as well as assist with their attending the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The deadline for NAB members to apply for the grants is Aug. 15 for the spring 2019 internships. The deadline for the summer internship grants is Nov. 2.

“Through these grants, we expect to provide more opportunities for students to explore and learn about broadcast technology and engineering,” said NABEF President Marcellus Alexander. “The result will be an increase in the pool of talent for our industry.”

More information is available on the NAB Pilot website.

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WASHINGTION—The NAB’s Pilot innovation initiative with the Local Media Association will host an event Jan. 30, 2018, dedicated to examining new strategies for video delivered over the top, via broadcast, through social media and on other emerging distribution platforms, NAB announced today. The event, The Video Summit: A Forum for Video Business Solutions, will be held at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of NAB.

The summit is designed for digital media professionals and strategist. Case studies from various local media organizations will be presented.

Other highlights include:

· Keynote presentation by Micah Gelman, director of video and senior editor at The Washington Post;

· Revenue projections for digital video from media analyst Gordon Borrell;

· Insight from YouTube and other OTT platforms regarding local media content and revenue; and

· A discussion about the impact of augmented and virtual reality on media.

“The rapid expansion of video use and consumption is creating new opportunities for media organizations and professionals,” said Pilot Executive Director John Clark in a press release announcing the event. “The Video Summit will examine this growth in addition to the trends and best practices when developing and implementing profitable video strategies.”

Registration costs $395; after Jan. 12, 2018, the price rises to $495.

More information is available on the NAB Pilot website.

WASHINGTON—Twelve entrants are still in play for the second annual Pilot Innovation Challenge from the NAB’s Pilot program. The Pilot Innovation Challenge recognizes creative ideas that use technological advances in the production, distribution and display of engaging content.

The finalists are:

Drone the News (DTN), Central Michigan University
End-to-End Audio Solution for VR Live Streaming, G’Audio Lab
Engagement VR: Transparent Community Interaction, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University
Google Question Generator, Cornell University IRL School
Immersive Storytelling & an Ethic of Care, University of Colorado Boulder
LiveWorks, VRVideo
nēdel (“needle”), Ayinde Alakoye
NewsBIN VLOG, University of Maryland
Next Gen TV Saving Lives One Alert at a Time, UNC-TV
Pivotal News, Pivotal
RESILIENCE – Preparing for Climate Change, Michael Ricciardi
Tiny (AR) Desk Reporter, MIEL, Cronkite School of Journalism

The Pilot Innovation Challenge is done in partnership with the Knight Foundation. The first-place winner will receive $30,000, second place will receive $25,000 and third place will receive $20,000, while three of the finalists will earn an Innovators Award of $15,000 to assist with prototyping the concepts. The top six winners will also receive guidance and access to broadcast executives and exposure at the NAB Show.

The winners of the Pilot Innovation Challenge will be announced at the NAB Futures conference on Nov. 13.

WASHINGTON—IBM is ready to take flight with NAB’s Pilot program. Made up of companies, educators and broadcast advocators, Pilot works to drive the creation and implementation of new technologies and solutions for the media industry.

Pilot members help define areas of development, with a current focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning; augmented and virtual reality; platform engagement; multi-platform measurement; the connected car; and Next Gen TV. Pilot members are also associate members of NAB, allowing them to participate in NAB technology program development, conventions and networking events.

“New technologies and innovations, including cognitive computing and cloud, are advancing the media industry at a rapid race, bringing a new set of challenges and opportunities for broadcast organizations,” said Peter Guglielmino, CTO, global media & entertainment industry, IBM. “Together with Pilot, we’re providing a framework for not only driving innovation in the marketplace but also helping industry players navigate a new landscape and accelerate their own digital transformation.”

WASHINGTON—Over the next two years, the National Association of Broadcasters will conduct two innovation challenges that will focus on uncovering broadcast news projects that serve the needs of local communities, the organization announced in a press release. These new challenges will be part of the Pilot initiative and will receive $200,000 in support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

A 2016 Pew Research Center poll indicated that while adults primarily get their news from broadcasters, young adults are moving to alternative platforms, like online. To remedy this, these upcoming innovation challenges will be looking for innovative ideas to adapt and meet the information needs of local communities.

The official call for entry for the 2017 Pilot Innovation Challenge will take place at the 2017 NAB Show. Entries will be accepted through summer 2017. Judges, which will include local broadcasters, academics, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and other media-related areas, will be tasked with evaluating the projects. Winners are expected to be named in fall 2017.

NAB is expecting to use these challenges to build a network of broadcast news innovators and will provide guidance, support and industry exposure to winners as they build and test prototypes.

“Local broadcasters server their communities in a variety of ways, and the landscape continues to evolve,” said John Clark, Pilot executive director. “Our goal is to inspire and support new ideas for local broadcasters to serve those communities.”

WASHINGTON—NAB’s Pilot and the Local Media Association (LMA) will serve as co-hosts for an OTT Summit that is scheduled to take place Jan. 23, 2017 in Washington D.C. The summit will look into the logistics of incorporating OTT into existing business models and how to effectively leverage the technology.

Topics expected to be covered during the summit include local and national revenue forecasts; strategies for investment; and current examples of implementation by media companies. Graham Media, Schurz Communications, Calkins Media and BIA/Kesley have been tapped as presenters.

Early-bird registration is currently available at $395 for NAB and LMA members and $495 for non-members. Both registration fees will go up $100 after Jan. 6.

For more information, click here.

WASHINGTON—It was all treat and no trick for the three winners of the first PILOT Innovation Challenge, which were announced Oct. 31 during the NAB Futures event in Pebble Beach, Calif. First prize went to Robinne Burrell and Trina DasGupta of Redflight Media Innovation for their VR program “In Your Shoes.”

(L to R) NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith; Robinne Burrell and Trina DasGupta of “In Your Shoes”; Elise Hackney and Jordan Sales of “History Go”; Chandra Clark of “The News Call”; PILOT Executive Director John Clark

The PILOT Innovation Challenge sought to recognize creative ideas that “leverage technological advances in the production, distribution and display of engaging content,” per NAB’s press release. The organization said it received more than 150 submissions, which was narrowed to a top 10 before a panel of five judges determined which three best answered the prompt question “How might local television and radio broadcaster engage their communities with next generation content on any device?” The top three chosen by the judges presented at NAB Futures and voted on by the conference attendees.

Emerging on top was “In Your Shoes,” an immersive storytelling platform that utilizes virtual reality to document the lives of multiple people involved in a single situation or issue. Second place was awarded to Jordan Sales, Elise Hackney, Alberta Lin, Eric Asencio, Mike Le, and Claire Lohn of Texas A&M University for their History GO app, which utilizes augmented reality to display facts and videos about an area. Chandra Clark from the University of Alabama won third place for “The News Call,” a DVR-type phone service that calls a user at a pre-determined time with pre-programmed customized news.

First place received $20,000, $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third place to assist with prototyping their concepts. The winners will also receive access to broadcast executives at future NAB events including the NAB Show and the Innovation Celebration at NAB Show New York.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters’ technology innovation incubator Pilot has announced the 10 finalists for its first Innovation Challenge. 

The NAB phrased the challenge in the form of a question: “How might local television and radio broadcasters engage their communities with next generation content on any device, whether big, small or moving?” The competition was open to all — “entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and creative thinkers.” 

The first place prize is $20,000, with $15,000 for second and $10,000 for third. The winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at the NAB Futures conference, Oct. 31, Pebble Beach, Calif. 

The finalists are: Broadcast Us; Chapters; GeoTunes; gNews; History Go; In Your Shoes; Story Builder; Lokita; The News Call; and You Win. 

This story first appeared on TV Technology's sister publication Radio World.

PISCATAWAY, N.J.—As the executive director of NAB’s Pilot, which focuses on industry innovation, John Clark has been tapped to speak during the upcoming IEEE Broadcast Technology Symposium in a keynote titled “Inspiration for Innovation.”

Prior to joining Pilot, Clark worked for 18 years in the digital media space as the general manager of the local news website WRAL.com and as the executive director of the Reese News Lab in the School of Media and Journalism at the University of North Carolina.

Clark says that he will focus on “the powerful inspirations for innovation regardless of industry, specific technology, or even our own expertise.”

The keynote address will take place on Friday, Oct. 14, during the BTS Awards Lunch. IEEE BTS will run from Oct. 12-14 in Hartford, Conn. Online registration and more information is available here.

LAS VEGAS—Pilot, formerly known as NAB Labs, previously announced that it would be showcasing ATSC 3.0 technology at the Futures Park during the 2016 NAB Show; as part of that, Pilot has announced that it will display a prototype ATSC 3.0 receiver and gateway demonstrating the Interactive Environment at its booth.

The Interactive Environment is a feature of ATSC 3.0, the next-generation standard developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee. The approach is based on HTML-5 and will reportedly allow broadcasters to provide more customized experiences for viewers.

The home gateway combines an over-the-air TV tuner with Internet access, Wi-Fi connectivity and a software environment that enables user engagement. Pilot’s demonstration will feature examples of interactive multi-view programming from Fox Sports; local interactive news and weather programming from News Press & Gazette; recognition of local station members from PBS; on-demand content from Akamai; advanced analytics; real-time viewing and engagement metrics from Yet Analytics; and a Pilot channel featuring zoned and targeted advertising and advanced emergency alert capabilities.

Pilot developed the Interactive Environment prototype as part of its ATSC 3.0 Gateway project. The prototype will be on display at booth SU16009 as part of the Futures Park.

AUSTIN, TEXAS—When the Liquidation Channel, a home shopping TV network based here in Austin, began upgrading to HD in 2013, the usual questions arose about which manufacturers to partner with. When it came to audio, a short search made it clear that one manufacturer stood above the rest in terms of features, flexibility, and cost: Logitek and its Pilot console coupled with its Jetstream-Mini audio engine.

Jeremy Mott with the Liquidation Channel’s Pilot system

A SINGLE SYSTEM
During our search, we spoke with many manufacturers looking for “the one” that was robust and big in features, but also compact and fit into our budget. Among the manufacturers we were looking at, all requirements could be met through melding all of them together, but we weren’t readily able to find everything in just one.

Because of LC’s 24/7 live programming, there is no downtime for maintenance, so keeping all systems happy and well maintained requires aversatility that allows portions of the system to be worked on while other parts are still live on air. Most digital matrix-style systems these days can do this; but once considerations for GPIOs, multiple control rooms, various studios and edit suites, and engineering and master control are made, complications multiply.

Having worked in broadcast engineering for more than 20 years—nine in radio—I was familiar with Logitek and its offerings for the radio market. But after shifting into TV engineering, the thought of an audio console upgrade for this industry had never crossed my mind until a visit to the Texas Association of Broadcasters convention in 2012. I happened by Logitek’s booth for a tour of and realized fairly quickly they could meet all of our requirements.

FITTING INTO TIGHT SPACES
Due to limited space in LC’s control rooms, and the need for quick, on-the-fly access to multiple audio features, we went with the compact footprint Pilot series. On the backend, the Pilot, along with Logitek’s other consoles—ROC, Mosaic, and Artisan—all communicate with LC’s Jetstream Mini Engine.

As with the control rooms, limited rack real estate in engineering also rquired a compact option. The Jetstream Mini allowed us to install two engines in only four rack spaces, for a total of 32 digital and 24 stereo analog inputs, 16 digital and 16 stereo analog outputs, as well as 24 GPIs and 32 GPOs. For LC’s particular design, we opted to use the 25-pin D-connector style IO card option to facilitate connectivity to the plant versus the RJ-45 option. These connections were then brought to terminal blocks on rack drawers for easy access and connectivity.

Additionally, using the Logitek Command Builder software, routines such as timed events, auto routing, salvos, and automation can be easily programmed via the software, as well as the ability to design soft panels for computers across the network for remote monitoring and control of audio as well as GPIOs on the fly.

Looking back on the installation and flawless operation since, making the sound decision to partner with Logitek definitely made our audio transition a highlight of our transition to HD.

Jeremy Mott is the senior engineer for the Liquidation Channel and has worked in broadcast for more than 20 years. He can be reached atjeremy.mott@liquiddationchannel.com.

For more information, visitwww.logitekaudio.comor call 877-231-5870.