RF Shorts - September 11, 2009

By Doug Lung
published

  • • Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich criticized area TV stations for their lack of coverage of the largest fire in the county's history. In an article on gazettetimes.com

    "Surely informing the public of life and safety measures, evacuation centers, is more vital than the wall-to-wall coverage that we've seen of the custody fights for Michael Jackson's and Britney Spears' children," Antonovich said.

    Residents in areas affected by the fire also criticized TV fire coverage while TV stations defended their coverage and pointed to their use of new media such as web sites and Twitter to disseminate fire information as alternatives to TV transmitters.
  • • Some people appreciated TV broadcasters' coverage of the fire. TV transmitter engineer Dennis Doty overheard one Mt. Wilson firefighter comment that the firemen depended on off-air TV newscasts to get updated fire operations information when they were on the fire line and in their camps.
  • • In case you hadn't noticed, portable DTV sets are now available on-line and in retail stores at prices around $129. Target has had portable battery operated 7-inch DTV receivers on sale at less than $100.
  • • If you are wondering how the fire has changed the Mount Wilson area, see Susan McAlister's Images from the Angeles Crest.


Your comments and story leads are always appreciated! Drop me a note at dlung@transmitter.com.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung 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, Lung 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.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.