The broadcast community is mourning the loss of Edward P. Hobson II, who died after a long battle with cancer. Hobson, who was 59, passed away on Jan. 28 at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in California.
Universally liked and highly praised throughout the industry, Hobson will be remembered for his extensive technical skills as well as his personable style and knowledge of forward-looking industry trends.
Hobson was currently a vice president with systems integrator National TeleConsultants of Glendale, CA, where for five years he helped shape future initiatives and direction for the company. This includes the implementation of service-oriented architectures and innovative business process management processes that benefited the media industry.
A former broadcast and production engineer for WTEN-TV in Albany, NY, and for WRGB-TV in Schenectady, NY, he was also a past president, governor and fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and a fellow of the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society, in London, England. This is in addition to serving in various engineering, sales and marketing positions for a long list of equipment vendors that includes Grass Valley Group, Graham-Patten Systems, Omneon and Sony Broadcast.
Hobson was born in Trenton, NJ, and received his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, NY. He is survived by his wife, Judy Seabridge; parents, Edward P. Hobson and Eleanor L. Hobson; and brother, David.
West Coast funeral services were planned for Saturday, Feb. 2, at Hooper & Weaver Mortuary in Nevada City, and an East Coast memorial will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, at Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church, 3715 East State Street Extension, Mercerville NJ. Contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society ( www.cancer.org) or Hospice of the Foothills ( www.hofo.org) in Hobson’s name.
