JOHNSTON, Iowa—Longtime Iowa PBS director of engineering, William (Bill) Hayes, is planning to retire after working for 50 years in broadcasting.
Iowa PBS executive director and general manager Molly Phillips notified the Broadcasting Board of Directors and Iowa PBS staff of Hayes’ plans to retire on Feb. 2, 2023. During his long broadcasting career, Hayes spent more than two decades at the statewide public television network.
“Bill has been a passionate advocate for our broadcast services. His experience and expertise have allowed Iowa PBS to maintain and grow our reputation for providing a quality viewing experience anywhere in the state, for free, over the air,” said Phillips in the announcement. “I feel very fortunate to have had him on my team these many years and wish him well in his future ventures and adventures.”
Hayes began his career in broadcasting in 1973 while pursuing his bachelor's degree in communications from Loyola Marymount University. He has worked in both radio and television with extensive experience in the planning, design and construction of all facets of a television station.
“The 24 years I have spent at Iowa PBS have been wonderful. Helping the station through the transition to digital and plan for the future has been some of the most challenging and enjoyable experiences of my career,” said Hayes when notifying his team of his plans. “Working here has been an honor, and while I will be sad to leave, I am looking forward to continuing my work in future broadcast planning on the national level.”
Hayes is a life senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, one of the founding members of the ATSC and has served four terms as president of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society. He is a member of the committee that started the Future of Broadcast Television (FoBTV) initiative in Shanghai, China, which developed the use cases for NextGen TV. He is a life fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, as well as a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers.
Hayes is also a contributing writer for TV Tech; some of his writing for this publication can be found here.
A national search for Hayes’ replacement will begin immediately, Iowa PBS said.
