LOS ANGELES—The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Board of Directors has announced that Kari Grubin will succeed Seth Hallen as president of HPA on January 1, 2025. 

The HPA Board has also announced that Renard Jenkins will assume the role of vice president of the Board in January alongside Grubin. At that time, a new Executive Committee will take over. The 2025 HPA Board Executive Committee includes Grubin, Jenkins, Craig German and Graylind Wherry.

The group reported that Hallen and Grubin will work closely over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.

The succession marks a noteworthy milestone in the group’s history. When Hallen passes HPA leadership to Grubin, Grubin will become the first woman to hold the HPA presidency and only its third president since the organization’s founding, following Hallen and HPA founder Leon Silverman. 

A recognized expert in technology, consultative expertise and post production services, Grubin possesses the experience and vision to help drive HPA through the next phase of the industry’s evolution, the group said. 

“I am truly honored and excited to be part of the leadership team of this great organization that means so much to me, and I will bring my passion and experience to this responsibility,” said Grubin. “Now more than ever, HPA is a critical and hyper-relevant partner for the individuals and companies at work in our industry as we face the significant change, challenge and opportunity ahead. HPA will continue to be a conduit for our community to grow, reach out for new opportunities and adapt. I’m assuming the leadership of a thriving organization, and I look forward to shepherding it through its next powerful new phase. I encourage our community to join us in the work ahead and look forward to the upcoming collaboration.” 

A dedicated HPA Board Member since 2020, Grubin has spearheaded several of HPA’s most impactful initiatives. She co-founded HPA Women in Post (2011) which provides leadership opportunities and visibility for women working in professional content creation. Under the leadership of Grubin and fellow board member Loren Nielsen, the Women in Post committee created and incubated the HPA Young Entertainment Professional program which has connected and mentored nearly 200 YEPS. 

In 2021, she and fellow Board member Renard Jenkins collaborated to launch HPA All, an initiative to strengthen the media and entertainment community by supporting and highlighting career pathways and creating opportunities for contributions by and visibility for underrepresented groups. Grubin led the HPA Tech Retreat Supersession in 2022 and is currently collaborating with Hallen and the Program Committee in the planning of the 2025 HPA Tech Retreat Supersession. 

As an active member of the entertainment and media industry,Grubin has also led many initiatives including serving as project director on SMPTE's industry-defining Rapid Industry Solutions on Set Virtual Production Initiative. She was asked to join the Production and Technology Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2021. 

Grubin is member services director for the Motion Picture Association's Trusted Partner Network, where her focus is on enhanced security preparedness and security best practices at all stages in the digital media supply chain. 

Her extensive career spans executive roles in the entertainment and technology industries. Grubin began her trajectory as a tour guide at Universal Studios, eventually becoming an assistant editor working on feature films. From Universal, she segued to Paramount Studios where she worked in Mastering for Studio Operations, eventually rising to head of technical operations. Moving to a new enterprise, Grubin was a co-founder and general manager of the mastering facility at Global Entertainment Partners (GEP) before selling the company to Deluxe Entertainment Services Group. At Deluxe, she was named vice president of post and restoration before joining the cybersecurity company, NSS Labs, as sales director, and then served as vice president of mastering for Walt Disney Studios. She is listed as a co-inventor for three U.S. patents in media and entertainment technology.

"Leading the HPA over the past nine years has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career,” said Hallen reflecting on the change. “It's been an honor to work alongside such dedicated and passionate professionals who continuously push the boundaries of creativity and innovation in our industry. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together, from fostering new talent and expanding our educational initiatives to navigating unprecedented challenges with resilience and unity. I have had the pleasure of working closely with Kari, and I have witnessed firsthand her vision, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the HPA community. Kari is an exceptional leader with the energy, expertise, and insight to guide HPA into its next era of growth and evolution. I have no doubt that under her leadership, HPA will continue to thrive and be a powerful force in shaping the future of our industry."

For more information, visit hpaonline.com. 

As the disruptive forces unleashed by artificial intelligence engulf the media and entertainment industry, the prospects for minimizing the potential for harm are growing less certain by the day.

Not that there isn’t an immense amount of work going into mitigating the dangers on the part of station groups, networks, distribution affiliates and industry organizations. But those efforts parallel an exuberant industry-wide embrace of AI that’s driving cost-saving efficiencies, enhanced user experiences and monetization to new heights at an accelerating pace.

No one among the many industry leaders calling for corporate policies, industry standards and government regulations that would establish guardrails against misuse of AI question the wisdom of maximizing the AI upside. “We certainly welcome AI innovations that enhance operational efficiencies and localism, enabling stations to better serve their communities,” says NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt.

Hype and Unproven Expectations
AI dominated the 2024 NAB Show, bringing to light benefits impacting everything from creative to production, encoding, packaging, distribution, advertising, and anything else where data analytics comes into play. But with the guardrails coming together slowly on a learning curve impeded by hype and unproven expectations, the situation calls to mind scenes from old westerns that left moviegoers on the edges of their seats watching good guys trying to stop runaway trains.

As Deloitte managing director Judah Libin notes, AI adoption, including the use of large language model (LLM) generative AI tools that exploded into prominence two years ago, is proceeding at “a pace that far exceeds the speed at which our societies and regulatory frameworks can adapt, creating significant gaps in our understanding and governance.” Making matters worse, Libin adds, the technology poses “profound ethical and societal dilemmas, from the creation of deepfakes to the inherent biases in AI-generated outputs.”

When it comes to formulating laws relating to AI, those dilemmas are especially daunting for a Congress locked in election-year combat. Unlike in Europe, where the EU Parliament has passed the “AI Act” with final approval expected by year’s end, Congress has made little headway beyond holding some hearings and taking a preliminary look at a handful of bills.

Nobody is more focused on the need for legislative action than LeGeyt, who has had a front-row seat at two Senate hearings on AI issues. During an appearance before a Senate Subcommittee in January, the NAB president highlighted examples of AI-related abuses in three major areas of broadcast industry concerns, including copyright infringement, misuse of AI-generated likenesses of radio and TV personalities that spread false information, and other uses of deepfakes that make it hard to distinguish between truth and fiction.

“I have seen the harm inflicted on local broadcasters and our audiences by Big Tech giants whose market power allows them to monetize our local content while siphoning away local ad dollars,” LeGeyt tells TV Tech. “The sudden proliferation of generative AI tools risks exacerbating this harm. To address this, NAB is committed to protecting the unauthorized use of broadcast content and preventing the misuse of our local personalities by generative AI technologies.”

Along with pursuing Congressional action, NAB is deeply engaged in fostering self-governance.

“Our technology team is working closely with these new innovations to equip local stations with the best tools to integrate into their operations,” LeGeyt says.

Of course, with whatever help NAB and the various standards organizations can provide in developing tools and standards, it’s up to broadcasters to execute, notes Deloitte’s Libin. “The burden is on broadcasters to organize, monitor and regulate themselves, then focus on industry standardization,” he says. A “clear governance structure and ethical guidelines” are essential, as is “rigorous and continuous testing.”

In the Newsrooms
A big part of self-governance is centered in broadcast newsrooms. Fostering such efforts has been a top priority at the Radio Television Digital News Association, the first national journalistic association to issue guidelines on news outlets’ use of AI, according to RTDNA president and CEO Dan Shelley.

Issued a year ago, the guidelines focus on how AI is used in newsgathering, editing and distribution with attention to ensuring accuracy through contextual and source validation, avoiding violations of privacy and maintaining clarity when AI is used to modify content. The association says newsroom policies should also keep faith with audiences, informing them of AI usage with assurances that everything is reviewed for adherence to journalistic principles by journalists.

Things are moving in the right direction. “There are infrastructures in place with experts thinking hard and acting very carefully when it comes to testing and implementing AI technology in local newsrooms,” Shelley says.

But staffing up with AI specialists is just part of the labor-intensive aspects of keeping AI on track. Everyone involved in news broadcasting has a role to play, underscoring the fact that, as Shelley stresses, “no matter how good AI becomes, it will never replace human intellect and the sensibilities to produce the best results obtainable.”

Humans in the Loop
Such views pervade discussions about AI in industry leadership circles, leading many to suggest rank-and-file fears of job losses are overblown. Ironically, the hype factor is contributing to job security.

In this Wild West tableau, rampant hype is wreaking havoc with broadcasters’ and everyone else’s efforts to put AI to good use. “One thing that drives me nuts is the amount of hype we’ve seen in the past two years,” says Yves Bergquist, director of the AI & Neuroscience in Media Project at the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). “Keeping humans in the loop is extremely important.”

Yves is co-chair with AMD fellow Fred Walls of the task force on AI standards and media mounted by ETC and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Earlier this year the task force produced what SMPTE President Renard Jenkins calls “the most comprehensive document looking at both the technical side as well as the impact and the ethical and responsibility areas of this particular technology.”

Participating in a recent webinar with Jenkins and Walls, Yves says research shows that the true capabilities of AI systems in the vast majority of cases “are a fraction of what they’re trying to advertise.’ When it comes to getting to the truth of what can be done, “not enough people talk about how hard this is.”

Jenkins notes AI-assisted facial recognition is one example of where AI isn’t living up to a widely accepted 85% performance standard. “People go into using AI thinking it’s going to save us a lot of money,” Jenkins says. “Most of the time, the reason it fails to deliver is there isn’t enough time put into figuring out what it can really do.”

Societal and Ethical Considerations
One of the most daunting tasks involves identifying biases that are inevitably built into LLM models. While part of the challenge involves eliminating the most egregious biases by using reference material in facial recognition, it’s also important to be transparent about the unavoidable biases that arise from cultural disparities.

The blending of ethical and performance issues in bias assessment is just one example of how addressing ethics and performance is really two sides of the same coin, Yves notes. “I have yet to see a requirement related to ethical AI that isn’t also a requirement of rigorous AI practice,” he says.

This is reflected in the dozens of standards and policy framework initiatives identified in the AI task force report that are underway at ISO-EPS, IEEE, ITU, W3C and other organizations. It’s an impressive list, but there’s obviously a long way to go, especially when it comes to setting the ethical frameworks on which performance standards must be built.

SMPTE’s report spells out the challenge: “While stakeholders in the development of this plan expressed broad agreement that societal and ethical considerations must factor into AI standards, it is not clear how that should be done and whether there is yet sufficient scientific and technical basis to develop those standards provisions. Moreover, legal, societal, and ethical considerations should be considered by specialists trained in law and ethics.”

How fast the industry gets to having real guardrails will greatly depend on how big the perceived risk becomes, which “will help to drive decision making about the need for specific AI standards and standards-related tools.” How much comfort can be gained from a realization that the scarier AI gets, the more likely we are to act is debatable.

But even that modicum of relief from anxiety is yet to be found when it comes to reducing the alarms generated by the threat posed by “deep fakes,” in which AI is used to create alternative audio and video that doesn’t represent reality. When asked about progress toward creating tools capable of identifying professional caliber deep fakes, Walls replies that while efforts to develop such tools abound, the pace of deep fake AI development is such that it “will be really hard to tell if something is a deep fake or not.”

Taking it all into account, we can only hope that the old Western analogy holds to reel’s end, when the sound of screeching brakes signals the good guys have saved the day.

WASHINGTON—Renard Jenkins, president of SMPTE and SVP of Warner Bros. Discovery will deliver the keynote address at the NAB Show Broadcast Engineering and IT (BEIT) Conference, April 15-18 during the NAB Show in Las Vegas. 

Produced in partnership with the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers and the North American Broadcasters Association, the conference offers forward-focused insights into the technical issues, challenges and opportunities affecting the future of content delivery ecosystems. It’s designed for broadcast engineers and technicians, media technology managers, contract engineers, broadcast equipment manufacturers and distributors, engineering consultants and R&D engineers. The conference will feature technical presentations on the evolution of next-generation content delivery systems for radio, television and the broader media and IT ecosystem.

Currently the senior vice president, Production Integration and Creative Technology Services at Warner Bros. Discovery, Jenkins oversees teams that support more than 23,500 cast and crew members, produce more than 8,500 hours of content and generate hundreds of global feature film, animation, and syndicated television productions annually. Among his many honors in over 35 years in the television, radio and film industries, Jenkins is the recipient of a Peabody Award, two National Headliner Awards and the 2020 Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership award.

The BEIT opening session will also feature the presentation of the NAB Best Paper Award, honoring the author(s) of the conference’s best technical paper. Technical papers will be presented during sessions focused on topics including NextGen TV, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, media workflows, innovation in radio, media in the cloud, hybrid radio, sustainability, streaming, 5G and video coding, among others. The papers will be included in the BEITC Proceedings, which will also be released by PILOT, the innovation wing of the National Association of Broadcasters, on April 15.

"The BEIT Conference is the place for media professionals to discover the latest breakthroughs helping to make the content pipeline more effective, efficient and expedient," said Sam Matheny, NAB executive vice president, Technology and chief technology officer. "We are looking forward to an impressive lineup of presentations at NAB Show that will provide our community with real-world insights into keeping pace with the rapid evolution in how content gets delivered."

WHITE PLAINS, NY—The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has announced that Renard T. Jenkins of Warner Bros. Discovery has been elected SMPTE president, the first African American to lead the association. 

Richard Welsh of Deluxe Media Inc. as SMPTE executive vice president, Michael Zink of Warner Bros. Discovery as SMPTE education vice president, and Lisa Hobbs of MediaKind as SMPTE secretary/treasurer have been elected for two-year terms. They join 2022-23 officers Hans Hoffmann (past president), Sally Hattori (standards vice president), Paul Stechly (finance vice president), and Rose Lockwood (membership vice president).

"I am honored to be elected as the next SMPTE president," said Jenkins, who will be the first African American to serve in the SMPTE president role. "I look forward to respecting the Society's past while working with my colleagues to build a sustainable future. As we focus on cutting-edge technology, innovative tools, and diverse perspectives and ideas, we will create a forward-leaning organization to increase participation and our influence throughout the media and entertainment space. By partnering with our peers across the technology and standards sectors and being inclusive of all groups through all of our global offerings, we are laying the foundation for a more collaborative future. All these elements are essential if the Society is to continue to thrive, remain relevant, and provide a welcoming and supportive environment for professionals and students across our industry."

New SMPTE Regional Governors
For the two-year 2023-24 term, the Society has elected nine regional governors.

Asia-Pacific Region
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.

Canada Region
François Bourdua, VS-Tek, Strategies & Technologies

Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Central South American Region
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant

United Kingdom Region
Chris Johns, Sky UK

USA-Eastern Region
Dover Mundt, Riedel Communications

USA-Central Region
William T. Hayes, Iowa Public Television

USA-Hollywood Region
Eric Gsell, Dolby Laboratories
Marty Meyer, PRG Los Angeles

USA-New York Region
Thomas Mauro, Media Consultant

USA-Western Region
Jeffrey F. Way, Panasas

"We have work to do as a Society and as an industry, and the SMPTE leadership team is up to the challenge," said SMPTE Executive Director David Grindle. "The dedication, energy, and intelligence of this group reflect the interest and passion of the larger SMPTE membership, and I am excited about the work we'll do together as we continue to move the Society forward."

Election results can be found at smpte.org/society-election-results. Further information about SMPTE is online at smpte.org.

ONTARIO—As the U.S. population becomes more diverse and amid calls for increased awareness of fostering more high-tech career opportunities for minorities, many broadcasters and industry organizations are addressing this in their hiring and advancement (promotion) practices. However, much more remains to be done. 

INDUSTRY-WIDE APPROACH

Mindful of the importance of employment diversity as an industry issue, in January, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Committee, comprised of prominent industry executives. 

The DEI Advisory Committee’s mission is to assess radio/TV broadcasting’s current diversity and inclusion efforts, and to advise NAB and NAB Leadership Foundation boards on strategies, initiatives and partnerships to make these efforts more effective. The committee will also help NAB staff make recommendations to the FCC and Congress on diversity-related issues, and identify a diverse group of industry experts to speak at NAB conferences and events on a wide range of topics. 

“Our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are designed to assist broadcasters with ensuring their coverage, their business interactions and their team are reflective of the communities they serve,” said Michelle Duke, NAB’s chief diversity officer. “Over the past couple of decades, we have created initiatives including career fairs, programs and resources to advance this mission. NAB understands the importance of having a diverse, inclusive industry and understands the significance of taking an active role in assisting our members to reach their DEI goals.” 

Last year, NAB launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resource Center, a website that connects organizations with associations and consultants with expert knowledge of DEI issues. 

WHAT’S IN A NAME

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has joined with its frequent partner, the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) to address diversity. Announced during the SMPTE2020 virtual event in November 2020, the two groups are harmonizing their goals and policies to increase membership through inclusion and corporate representation. 

The two organizations have created DEI-focused task forces and working groups in their respective associations and SMPTE has already taken steps to investigate the taxonomy used in its standards to remove terms and phrases that could be perceived as biased and/or offensive. That process is ongoing and will continue. 

They’re also working to increase inclusivity in membership, corporate representation, film and TV production, post production, VFX technology and more, according to Renard T. Jenkins, vice president of membership for SMPTE and HPA board member. Jenkins is also vice president, content transmission and production technology at WarnerMedia.

“We want to build relationships with colleges, universities, art institutes and DEI organizations to create a pipeline of qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds,” he said. “We want to be lighthouses and leaders in the creation of safe, diverse and inclusive places for all to succeed throughout the global media and entertainment industry.”  

RISE UP

At the 2018 IBC Show, a group of industry veterans announced the launch of “Rise,” an initiative designed to promote gender diversity in the broadcast technology sector. 

“Our advisory boards are made of women and men who are passionate about creating change for the women in the sector as well as making broadcasting an attractive and inclusive sector for women wanting to join,” said Sadie Groom, Rise founder and managing director for PR and marketing firm Bubble Agency. Based in the U.K., Rise expanded to Asia in 2019 and North America in 2020.

This is no small challenge. Back in 2018, the number of broadcast technology CEOs who were female was 1.18%, “which is shockingly low and below average for other technology-led sectors,” said Groom. “We have seen this number increase slightly since then, but it is still around the 2% mark.”

To advance gender diversity in broadcast technology, Rise is offering mentoring programs for women (70 mentees to date), educational events, global awards and the U.K. education program Rise Up. “This program is supported by the U.K.’s main broadcasters and is focused on bringing the world of broadcast to children ages 9–11 through them building their own TV studio and making a game show,” Groom said. “Our biggest plans now are to launch fully into North America and get the mentoring program there underway and then see where else in the world we can go next.” 

PRIVATE SECTOR TAKES THE LEAD

NAB’s and SMPTE’s leadership in promoting diversity will supplement the efforts of private broadcasters who are already doing the same, Duke said. “Some organizations that have been pursuing this for years include Scripps, Hearst, Tegna and Meredith to name a few.” 

Scripps in particular, has been committed to promoting diversity for well over a decade, boosting those efforts with the hiring of Danyelle S.T. Wright as Scripps’ chief diversity officer and vice president of employment and labor law in 2018. 

PLUS: Broadcasters' Efforts to Increase DEI Are Steps Toward Future Success

Wright came to the senior leadership team with three things she thought were critical to having a valid and viable diversity inclusion strategy. 

“We’re going to need a budget. We’re going to need human capital, and most importantly, we’re going to need commitment from on high. I was heartened by the fact that I received a resounding yes, yes and yes on all three points,” she said. 

Today, Scripps is pursuing a wide range of managerial, educational and recruitment policies to achieve its “Four Pillars of Diversity,” which include racial/ethnic diversity, 50/50 gender representation with equal pay and equal time to promotion for all, inclusion of the LGBTQ community, and being a destination employer for military reservists and transitioning veterans. 

The sincerity of Scripps’ diversity efforts can be seen in its local operations, according to Candace Anderson, Scripps’ senior business partner for Local Media. “We’re looking at our workforces at each of our stations and comparing them to the demographics of the markets they serve,” she said. 

This applies to the talent on air and everyone else behind the scenes. 

“We’ve been successful in diversifying the assistant news director ranks in recent years,” said Sean McLaughlin, vice president of news, Local Media for Scripps. “Because of this, we developed a training program a few years ago for these assistant news directors with the goal of moving them up into news director roles. We brought 10 of them to Cincinnati and gave them exposure to all of the aspects that go with that job. Since then, six of those 10 have moved up to news director roles within our company.” 

In addition to the group efforts, individuals within the broadcast industry are doing their part to promote meaningful diversity. 

Kenny Elcock is a 20-year veteran, serving as assistant and then chief engineer at local TV stations. In 2019, he became director of operations and engineering at the Black News Channel, which launched in 2020. 

Appreciative of the career opportunities he’s received over the years, Elcock is now trying to do the same for women and people of color. That said, many of the traditionally black colleges and universities that could provide broadcast engineers lack access to modern equipment to properly train them.

“So I have partnered with Ross Video, Sony and some other broadcast equipment vendors to provide access to current TV production equipment,” said Elcock. “If the kids out there get to know and touch what’s really out there in our industry, they’re more likely to develop their skill sets and educational careers towards this industry.” 

Another example is Kate Templemeyer, also a 20-year industry veteran who currently serves as director of media services at NET (Nebraska Educational Telecommunications), a PBS/NPR station in Lincoln, Neb. 

She is a strong advocate for bringing more women into broadcast engineering, which remains difficult due to the low awareness of this option among current female students in high school and college. Tempelmeyer’s suggestion: “We need to find a way to combine broadcast engineering with IT engineering, in order to catch their attention and motivate young women to explore the industry.”

REAL PROGRESS

While it is true that real progress is being made on enhancing diversity in broadcasting, “similar to many industries, we still have much work to do,” said Duke, who cited data compiled by the Radio and Television Digital News Association on newsroom employees and general managers to make her point. 

“According to the 2020 data, the number of people of color in our business increased for the third year in a row,” Duke noted. “That said, the percentage increase was 0.7 percent points. Currently, people of color reflect 39.3 percent of the U.S. population as compared to 26.6 percent of people of color in television newsrooms. Some progress, but obviously, there is still a journey ahead.” 

Jenkins adds that to achieve its goals, the industry needs to commit to change. 

“This is a complex and multifaceted problem that will not be solved by wishing it away,” he said. “We all must be committed to this change, and we must work toward it as an industry.”

FREMONT, Calif.—The Ultra HD Forum, a global organization that promotes the market adoption of Ultra HD, announced its new board of directors and officers. LG Electronics’ Nandhu Nandhakumar takes the lead as president and board chair, succeeding Harmonic’s Thierry Fautier, who is completing his term. Yasser Syed of Comcast Cable, and Renard Jenkins of WarnerMedia, have been named new board members.

Filling out the officer slate are Dolby’s Patrick Griffis as vice president, Xperi’s Pete Sellar as treasurer and Interdigital’s Bill Redmann as secretary. Continuing in their current positions on the board are Broadcom’s Wade Wan and NAB’s Sam Matheny.

Outgoing President Thierry Fautier, who remains a board member, said in a press statement, “It’s been an exciting first five years, starting with few commercial UHD services to almost 200 now. We successfully met early challenges such as resolution, HDR, HFR, multiple NGA technologies and have provided a framework addressing them, making UHD commercially deployable for operators. I’m incredibly proud of the publication of our industry guidelines and the interoperability work conducted with other industry groups to help make this happen. Lastly, our service tracker is now becoming an industry reference. I look forward to future contributions under the leadership of my capable successor Nandhu Nandhakumar.”

 Incoming President Nandhakumar said, “Ultra HD makes video more relevant in these more isolated times, so it is timely that our board is now even more representative of the industry at large. It is exciting to see the increasing rate of deployment of Ultra HD services over diverse distribution paths.”

Taking inspiration from a Mother Teresa quote, SMPTE and HPA, in response to the racial and social justice efforts taking root across the world, are working to “cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples” when it comes to improving industry diversity and inclusion efforts.

To do so, the two organizations are working to inspire the next generation of industry leaders, placing a particular emphasis on broadening the inclusion of disproportionately under-represented communities at all levels. Planning and setting a goal to achieve this was the focus of the SMPTE2020 opening day session “SMPTE/HPA Joint Initiative: Inclusion, Equity and Acceptance.” Renard Jenkins, vice president, Content Transmission at WarnerMedia and Eastern Region Governor for SMPTE, and Kari Grubin, HPA board member and senior media entertainment executive for HPA, led the presentation.

SMPTE and HPA’s joint effort has the stated vision to “be a lighthouse and leader for the global media and entertainment industry to create a safe, diverse and inclusive place for all to succeed.” While efforts have been made in the past through such programs like the Women in Technology Luncheon and the Young Entertainment Professional Orientation, SMPTE and HPA have outlined a series of goals for this year to begin to push these efforts to a higher level.

First looking internally, SMPTE and HPA will work to align their policies and goals for increasing membership inclusivity and corporate representation, because as Grubin stated, “we have strength by working together.”

There will also be a concerted effort to increase the percentage of diversity on SMPTE and HPA’s boards and committees. According to Grubin, the organizations will work to ensure 100% transparency on how members can join a board or committee by sharing the appropriate details and opportunities in an unbiased way.

Building partnerships with diversity groups will also be a key initial goal, including already established industry-related diversity groups, as well as Historically Black Colleges and community colleges. As Grubin said, the ultimate goal is to find the groups who had previously not had access to the organizations’ information and then bring that information to them “so that we can inspire an inclusive and equal representation across all groups.”

Increasing the diversity of event programming and awards rounded out the list of goals for the year. While people are encouraged to be as inclusive as possible when making submissions, SMPTE and HPA plan to review each event and the guidelines and rules associated with them to ensure that inclusive language is present as well as to consider adding requirements on presentation formats so as to give as many people a voice as possible. Building off the hope for expanded partnerships, Grubin says that they would also encourage these groups’s members to submit for presentations and awards.

“Hopefully, in not too long of a time, we will have a really easy pathway for people to participate,” said Grubin.

While these are the broad goals, Jenkins detailed actions that are already underway to help achieve them. One such effort is the review of standards to remove racially loaded terms—like “master-slave” or “whitellist-blacklist”—and replaced with more neutral terms like “primary/secondary” and “approved/non-approved.” Jenkins spoke on how he has avoided the use of the term “master-slave” because of how it makes him feel uncomfortable and excluded. This is an example of the organizations’ efforts to make sure everything is done with an inclusive brush, he said.

Again, Jenkins spoke of the effort to work with colleges and universities, including HBCUs, to help enlarge and diversify the industry’s talent pool by including them in all of SMPTE and HPA’s educational and outreach efforts. Similarly, they are attempting to cast a wider net with job boards for internships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities to ensure a larger source of applicants.

These efforts, while primarily focused on the United States at the moment, will be expanded to SMPTE Sections worldwide, Jenkins explained. But perhaps the most important effort, he added, is working with local levels, where he thinks can have the biggest impact on  racial and gender inclusion. 

Collegiate-level student chapters, which are themselves becoming increasingly diverse, are another important way to connect with interested students. SMPTE and HPA are also considering working with, or creating groups that work with high school and middle school students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and providing more information on the opportunities available to them.

Additional efforts are expected to include reaching out to Sections for ideas on how to raise funds to support these efforts and reinstituting the SMPTE Student Film Festival.

Jenkins says he has never gone to a SMPTE or HPA conference where he hasn’t found individuals who wanted to help advance these goals.

“We want to actually cast that energy out into the world, where we’re actually helping people to see that our industry is inclusive, but also to see that you can have a career in this industry no matter what gender you are, no matter what you look like, no matter what your age is and no matter what your particular abilities are, whether they are physical or mental,” Jenkins said. “We want to make sure that if you are a person with diversabilities that you’re welcome too.”

To register for SMPTE2020, visit 2020.smpte.org/

NEW YORK—TV Technology's sister publication Broadcasting & Cable has announced five of the 10 executives who will receive its annual Technology Leadership Awards.

B&C has been giving these awards since 1999 to honor individuals who have made important and innovative contributions to the way TV, digital and streaming media companies use technology in their businesses.

“This year’s winners highlight the growing importance of tech innovation in helping media companies navigate rapid changes in their businesses,” said Kent Gibbons, content director, B&C. “The 2020 award winners have been tech leaders in deploying new technologies and infrastructures that have helped companies build new businesses and strengthen existing ones while helping consumers access TV series, news, sports and streaming media in new ways.”

Each year, B&C honors 10 Tech Leadership Award Winners. This year, it is announcing the winners in two stages.

The first five are: Fred Baumgartner, director of next gen TV implementation, ONE Media 3.0 - Sinclair Broadcast Group; Renard Jenkins, vice president, production, media and distribution operations, PBS Technology and Operations; Stephanie Lone, senior VP, engineering, CBS Sports Digital, CBS Interactive; Jeff Mayzurk, senior VP of operations and technology, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises; and Lisa Pedrogo, VP of NY engineering & strategic initiatives, WarnerMedia Technology and Operations.

Their full bios can be found at: https://www.technologyleadershipsummit.com/awards.

The honorees will be profiled in the Feb. 17 issue of B&C and receive their awards at an awards dinner on March 5 during the annual Technology Leadership Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.

For the first time, the awards will be presented at this year’s Technology Leadership Summit, which is produced by Broadcasting & Cable, TV Technology and Multichannel News.

In addition to receiving their awards at the March 5 dinner, the winners will sit on panels at the summit.

With panels on the newest developments on cloud, AI and IP technologies as well as discussions of news, sports and streaming operations, this conference is designed to help executives at stations, networks and digital companies deploy new technologies and strategies for the future of their businesses.

During the summit, leading technologists, including the honorees, will share their expertise on new technologies and explain how they are using new technologies to build new business, cut costs and boost profits.

In addition to the panels, attendees will have complementary access to the awards dinner, where they can meet and mingle with the winners and colleagues, as well as free hotel rooms and meals. Attendees must be approved by the organizers and attendance is limited.

To apply for access to the summit or to get more information on the agenda or sponsorship opportunities see: https://www.technologyleadershipsummit.com/ 

WASHINGTON—Back in September, PBS conducted its first end-to-end test of next-gen video content of a recorded musical performance. Hosted by PBS’ Advanced Format Center at NPR, the transmission combined the UHD format with HLG10 HDR and DTS:X immersive audio. Renard Jenkins, vice president of PBS Operations, Production & Media Distribution, oversaw the test and labeled it a success.

“It took us a couple of days to get what we considered to be a success,” Jenkins told the audience at the 2016 Government Video Expo and National Drone Show during his Q&A session with TV Technology Editor-in-Chief Tom Butts. But once they got all the nuts and bolts right they were able to push the video out to two stations—in Jackson, Miss., and St. Paul, Minn.—and see the same signal on both ends.

Though Jenkins was not able to confirm when another test may take place, he acknowledged that more would occur as PBS will test a number of different technologies to determine how to cover all of PBS’ affiliate stations.

“Our stations cover the gamut. We have stations that are really leading edge and then we have stations that are still doing the standard HD,” Jenkins explained. “So we have to make sure that the current solution that we’re looking at will cover all of our stations.” He said that the decision to go with HLG10 and DTS:X for this particular test was more about timing than making a statement of where things are progressing.

However, Jenkins has bold plans for some of these future tests. “Right now the big hurdle for [the industry] is to try and do this HDR, HLG and all the other alphabets, to do this actually live. It will be a great benefit for those of us who actually do enjoy sports and it’s a place for the highest-quality and high-frame rate and all those wonderful things.”

There are a number of other elements that Jenkins discussed in his conversation on how PBS is preparing for next-generation technology. PBS’ headquarters in D.C. will be making a push to further explore what ATSC 3.0 could potentially offer, as Jenkins described the next-gen broadcast standard as “a new highway… a new way we that we can do a lot of things.” While Jenkins said that PBS has been bold in its ATSC 3.0 discussions, its individual stations will still determine when it adopts the standard.

PBS also is looking into what is the best way to do utilize HDR. The September test combined HDR with UHD, but there is talk that a higher resolution isn’t necessarily the most important thing. “UHD is a bigger screen, more pixels, but better pixels is what the real goal is,” Jenkins stated. Whether that goal can be reached using HD or UHD is what PBS will attempt to find out.

At the end of the day PBS is a public service that puts education as one of its top goals. These tests and evaluations of the new technology is a means to an end for providing more education to PBS viewers. “When I think about ATSC 3.0, immersive sound, VR, what all of these different things… what we are doing now is going to help us grow the education process,” said Jenkins.

ARLINGTON, VA.—PBS recently announced its first end-to-end test of “next-gen” video content, delivering a musical performance in high dynamic range, ultra hi-def video and immersive audio to two Midwestern member stations. The test was hosted by the PBS Advanced Format Center at NPR, a collaboration of both public broadcasters, PBS member stations as well as vendors and manufacturers. The Center is led by Renard Jenkins, vice president of PBS Operations, Production & Media Distribution, who will be a speaker at the upcoming GV Expo in Washington D.C.

The transmission originated with a performance by drummer Dennis Chambers recorded in Herndon, Va.-based Blue Room Music Studios with DPA Microphones, processed into Multidimensional Audio by DTS. PBS said it was the “first known” transmission combining the UHD format with HLG10 HDR and DTS:X audio.

Ericsson did the real-time 4Kp60 HEVC encoding, and SES handled satellite transmission to PBS member stations in St. Paul, Minn, and Jackson, Miss., where it was received using a prototype set-top from ViXS that decoded the payload for HDR-capable consumer displays and a 7.1.4 loudspeaker array, as well as for legacy SDR displays and other audio devices, including a Yamaha YSP-5600 soundbar.

Jenkins spoke with TV Technology to provide some insight about the September test as well as the network’s plan for next-gen content delivery.

TV Technology:Tell us more about the Advanced Format Center and its mission.

Renard Jenkins: The mission of the AFC is to work with our public media member stations as well as vendors and manufactures to explore the possibilities of advanced media formats, processes, workflows and benefits.

PBS is always investigating ways to enhance the viewer experience and to create engagement. The AFC is an extension of that companywide goal.

TVT:PBS said it “successfully” delivered live ultra high-def, high-dynamic range, immersive audio programming to a home reception device in a September trial transmission. How do you define “success” in this case?

Jenkins: For DTS, SES, DPA and PBS, success was really about being able to verify that original BT2100/DTS-X signal was transmitted and delivered intact on both ends of the chain. It took us a few attempts to get everything in place and working correctly. However, with the help of Roy Davis at Mississippi Public and Bruce Jacobs and Don Heppelmann at Twin City Public and their teams, we were able to verify the signal by the end of day two. There is much work to be done and the AFC plans to continue working with organizations like the UHD Forum and its members to do the work needed to refine the process.

TVT:Does PBS plan to distribute this format to member stations?

Renard Jenkins

RJ: There are a lot of options out there, but you have to have [the] full end-to-end path to support them. The purpose of this test was to see what we and the member stations could do today with the existing chain and a few additional parts and pieces.

We are continuing to explore the benefits of distributing this format while keeping our eyes on the ever-agile target that is the next big thing. ATSC 3.0 has the potential to open a number of doors by which we could enhance our deliverables to the member stations. 8K is already gaining steam in the international market, so we plan to be ready. Our content producers are moving quickly to these new formats so we have to figure out the best way to deliver their original vision to the station community.

TVT:What is the concept for using this advanced-format production-distribution chain?

RJ: The concept for using this advanced format production distribution chain is fluid right now. But the technology opens the door for us to work toward being able to bring some of the world’s greatest artists to the home or mobile device in ways that were previously thought to be impossible.

Enhanced and immersive media could change the way media is used for educational purposes. Imagine the feeling of being immersed in the history lesson instead of just reading or watching it. There are so many uses for these solutions but in a way, they are still in their infancy so we have to continue to explore.

TVT:The feed, transmitted via SES satellite, was said to carry “next-gen” content that conformed with ATSC 3.0 “guidelines,” among others. Does this mean we can expect some member stations to adopt ATSC 3.0, perhaps in the near future?

RJ: It is true that we tried to stick very close to the ATSC 3.0 guidelines. They provided a basis from which to work. That said, PBS is heavily involved in the ATSC 3.0 conversation and will continue those conversations.

TVT: Isn’t PBS phasing out satellite distribution? Does this signal a return to it?

RJ: The goal of this test was to see what could be done right now with our current infrastructure. We are still in the midst of an RFP process for public media’s next interconnection platform but I don’t have details to share about that currently since the process is not complete. 

TVT:PBS said that it used HDR10 and DTS:X versus the Dolby HDR and audio specs. Is this primarily a business decision, or does it, say, reflect consumer receiver market?

RJ: This was just the first trial. DTS and DPA were great partners.

The AFC is truly agnostic when it comes to working with vendors. The goal is always discovery and exploration with the intent to bring best of breed to our member stations.

We do plan to work with other audio solutions in the very near future. Thus far, there have been no decisions made regarding which HDR or audio solution PBS will adopt. Our key consideration in all of these decisions is not limiting our content providers.

TVT:Live programming on PBS comprises mostly performances and news, correct? The September trial was a “time-shifted live production and real-time transmission,” meaning the material was recorded in this case in Washington, D.C. and transmitted to PBS member stations in St. Paul, Minn., and Jackson, Miss. Was there a particular reason for using two Midwestern stations, or these two specifically?

RJ: It is correct that the majority of our live national content is comprised of performances and news. However, that may not be the case for the many local and university stations that are a part of the PBS system. The decision to choose MPB and TPT was really simple. Both of the stations have C-Band capabilities, they are innovative and they are members of the AFC. The north/south geographical positioning was a bit of a bonus. In 2014, when the AFC did its first terrestrial trial, we went bi-coastal. We worked with WNET in New York City and KQED in San Francisco to deliver UHD/29.97 at 25 Mbps over IP into Las Vegas for our annual convention. That was an exciting test and quite the nail-biter back then but we pulled it off.

TVT:Is there a need for, and will there be, future trials with non-recorded live content?

RJ: There is definitely a need for truly live delivery of content of this type in the future. That is the next hurdle for us, as well as a number of our vendors and manufactures. As for the AFC, we have a lot more trials in our future.

TVT:Is this just designed for television or are there non-broadcast applications (government, cinematic, etc.)?

RJ: I would say this could definitely be useful for other applications beyond television. Security experts could enhance their current offerings. The cinema could bring the reality of a live premier to your local theater and make you feel as if you are on the red carpet with your favorite movie stars. However, education is the one that always comes to mind for me. Just imagine what an imaginative and innovative educator could do with this type of technology. The uses cases are boundless.

TVT:What did you learn, and what needs to be improved upon?

RJ: Well, I would say that I learned a lot of patience with this one. I also learned that moving the content isn’t the hard part. Its making sure that the delivery is correct. I believe proper decoding will continue to be rabbit that we are all chasing. As chipsets and viewing device continue to mature and improve, this will become less of a challenge for both audio and video. However, for now that was the one that kept us all thinking and on our toes.

For more information, please visit www.gvexpo.com. 

WASHINGTON—PBS is touting the successful live end-to-end test of a unique combination of ultra-high definition (UHD) technologies, including high dynamic range (HDR) and DTS:X next-gen audio.

Renard Jenkins

The real-time transmission test occurred in September, with PBS partnering up with a host of tech companies, including DPA, DTS, Ericsson, SES and ViXS, along with PBS member stations in St. Paul, Minn. and Jackson, Miss. The content itself included performances by drummer and DPA microphone artist Dennis Chambers and other local musicians, recorded in Washington, D.C. and at Blue Room Music Studios in Herndon, Va.

PBS said it's the first real-time trial with this combination of next-gen UHD technologies, and won't be the last, as more and more broadcasters look to distribute next-gen features to owners of 4K TVs.

"This combination of technologies represents what the future of broadcasting may look like," said Steve Corda, VP of business development for SES. "We were pleased to work with PBS and DTS and carry the transmission on our UHD satellite multiplex, which carries the largest bouquet of UHD channels in North America."

The PBS Advanced Format Center at NPR was behind the broadcast, led by Renard Jenkins, vice president of production and media distribution for PBS Operations. The UHD TV tech PBS used is currently being developed by several groups, including the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) and the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE).

"Creating this content and successfully completing the transmission test with this unique combination of elements was a true collaboration and an exciting look into the future," Jenkins said. "At PBS, we are committed to working with industry leaders across the nation and around the world to help define the future of media and ultimately bring it to the American public.

"This initiative allowed us to partner with some of the best companies working in this field, along with two outstanding public television stations, to prove this format's feasibility and viability within this production-to-living room workflow test. It's a significant step forward for bringing the next-gen audio-visual broadcast experience of UHD TV closer to reality."

Government Video Expo will take place Dec. 6-8, 2016, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Designed for video, broadcast and AV professionals, Government Video Expo features a full exhibit floor, numerous training options, free seminars, keynotes, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and a new educational series of panel discussions.

Register at http://www.gvexpo.com.