Ed Grebow, who has headed up the broadcast division of Sony Electronics USA since 1999, is leaving the company to become president of the New York City-based Metropolitan Television Alliance, a group of industry executives tasked with finding a new location for the broadcast tower destroyed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
"I am joining the Metropolitan Television Alliance because I have a desire to engage in public service," Grebow said. "Restoring the broadcast capabilities lost in the destruction of the World Trade Center is vital to the well-being and safety of the residents of the tri-state area."
Grebow has spent 14 years in the television industry. Prior to working for Sony, he was president and CEO of Chyron Corp. and executive vice president of operations and administration for CBS.
The alliance is focusing its efforts on erecting a 2,000-foot tall broadcast tower on Governor's Island near Manhattan but is facing stiff opposition from New York City officials including Mayor Michael Bloomberg who had planned to build a new campus for the City University of New York on the island. Grebow, who replaces Doug Land, starts on July 1.
Since the loss of the WTC antenna, New York City stations have been broadcasting atop the Empire State Building, most at lower power. The new site must be within 3.2 miles of the World Trade Center to avoid interfering with signals from other cities.
