The Society of Broadcast Engineers has teamed up with the Advanced Television Systems Committee to create a new Specialist level of SBE certification assessing proficiency in the ATSC 3.0 standard. The announcement was made at the ATSC's annual meeting in Washington D.C.

The ATSC 3.0 system, aka Next Gen TV, has been approved for deployment in the U.S., and the technology is already in use in South Korea, as demonstrated at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

[Read: 2018 NAB Show Marks Next Gen TV’s Arrival]

ATSC President Mark Richer explained in the release that the effort is part of the committee’s work “to support deployment of ATSC 3.0.”

“As broadcast engineering diversified beyond legacy technology, the SBE Certification Program also diversified by adding certifications for computer networking and IT, and then a series of specific Specialist Certifications for television transmission, AM directional arrays, and digital radio. With the industry preparing to implement ATSC 3.0, broadcast engineers must be proficient in the next-generation television technology,” SBE President Jim Leifer, CPBE, said in a press release announcing the initiative.

Once developed, the exam will consist of a 50 multiple-choice questions and one essay, as per the Specialist format. Also, in order to become certified as a Specialist, applicants must first be designated as CBT, CBRE/CBTE, CSRE/CSTE or CPBE — the core certifications of the SBE.

The SBE Certification Program was created in 1975 to provide standards of competence for the industry.

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The Society of Broadcast Engineers has bestowed its highest membership level, that of Fellow, on Jerry Massey, the veteran TV and radio engineer who most recently served as SBE’s national president.

Candidates are nominated by their peers; there have been 78 Fellows named since SBE was founded five decades ago. The society elevated Massey at its meeting in Las Vegas during the NAB Show, and he will be recognized during the National Awards Dinner in October in Boston.

[Read Radio World’s 2015 interview with Massey.]

Massey is director of technical operations for Entercom Greenville Spartanburg (South Carolina). His career in broadcasting began as an engineer at WFBC(TV) in 1973, but SBE notes that his experience in communications began in the Air Force. He has been a transmitter engineer, director of engineering and chief engineer for stations WFBC(AM/FM), with the additional Greenville stations added to his responsibilities through acquisitions and mergers.

Massey has served on the SBE board and as the society’s president, VP and treasurer. He remains active in Chapter 86 Greenville Area where he is its chair. His SBE commitment is further captured by the string of initials after his name: CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNT.

Current President Jim Leifer said Massey “demonstrates the outstanding qualifications of broadcast engineers worthy of the society’s highest member grade. His devotion to excellence in himself, in others and from the SBE is unmatched.”

[Related: Jim Leifer on how the face of radio has changed.]