The Society of Broadcast Engineers announced it will work to attract and serve those who work in technical broadcast and media related positions, in addition to its traditional broadcast engineering membership base. SBE president, Joe Snelson, CPBE, 8-VSB, made the announcement in his address during the Society’s 50th anniversary Annual Membership Meeting held at the Turning Stone Resort, in Central New York State.
Snelson said that the national SBE Board of Directors made the decision to expand the reach of its membership following recommendations from a a task group that was put in place to study the society’s membership. He remarked, “The field of broadcast engineering has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. There is hardly anything our members do today that isn’t dependent on computers and computer networks. SBE members have had to add to their skills and knowledge base to handle these demands. At the same time, broadcast stations have brought on IT and other specialists and we will now seek to encourage them to take part in activities and programs of the SBE.”
Snelson went on to say, “We feel that the addition to these technical professionals can be a win – win for them and the Society, providing them with educational and certification and other career development opportunities while providing the SBE with a broader membership base.”
To help communicate the wider scope of responsibilities and membership within its ranks, the SBE unveiled a new tag line it will use in conjunction with its name. “The Association of Broadcast and Multimedia Technical Professionals,” according to Snelson, this will help to better describe who and what the Society of Broadcast Engineers is about.
