BOULDER, Co.—The Public Media Venture Group (PMVG) has announced the program and selected speakers for the inaugural Public Media Technology Summit (PMTS), which will be held immediately prior to the 2023 NAB Show in Las Vegas at the Renaissance Las Vegas, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center (site of the 2023 NAB Show), on April 13-14.
“This event will convene a key group of U.S. public broadcasters to learn from top technology leaders, as we proceed along our shared, critical path to the industry’s future,” explained PMVG senior advisor Skip Pizzi, who is curating the event for PMVG. “It is an event not to be missed by any technologists charged with the sustainability and growth of American public media.”
Day 1 of the two-day event, which PMVG is organizing, is called a “Technology Deep Dive,” while Day 2 is billed as a “Technology Management Advisory.”
Comprised of 25 leading public media organizations, PMVG is focused on leveraging NextGen TV and developing scalable use cases that will sustain the long-term future of public media. PMVG member organizations own and operate over 100 public stations that collectively reach 250 million people.
Leading off Day 1 of the Summit will be a Master Class on “Configuring the ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer,” presented by renowned expert in the field, consulting engineer Gary Sgrignoli of Meintel, Sgrignoli and Wallace. It will be followed by intensive sessions on “Design of IP-based facilities using the SMPTE 2110 Standard,” and “Differentiating NextGen TV Content” with Ultra HD and interactive elements.
Day 1 will continue with a session on “Improving ATSC 3.0 Coverage with Single Frequency Networks and On-channel Repeaters,” and during lunch, a keynote address will be presented by Renard Jenkins, formerly vice president of PBS Operations, and now senior vice president at Warner Brothers Discovery, who was recently installed as President of SMPTE.
A panel of public TV station engineers will then present “Public TV’s Early Lessons with ATSC 3.0,” featuring real-world NextGen TV implementations, followed by a panel on “Developing Local Streaming and FAST Channels,” moderated by Scott Fybush of WXXI, Rochester, NY and Current.
The Summit’s first day will conclude with sessions on “Moving to the Cloud” and “Local and Regional Signal Distribution,” followed by a celebratory reception.
Day 2 of the Summit begins with a briefing on “ATSC 3.0 Automotive Applications” by noted industry expert Roger Lanctot, director of automotive connected mobility at TechInsights, a trusted technology analysis and market information firm. It will be followed by a panel on “Navigating the Transition to NextGen--LPTV Partnerships & Acquisitions,” featuring SuperFrank Copsidas, founder and president of the LPTV Broadcasters Association, and Greg Petrowich, President and CEO of WFYI, Indianapolis.
The program continues with an “ATSC 3.0 Datacasting” panel with Erik Langner, CEO of Information Equity Initiative, and Guy Hadland, CTO of UniSoft, followed by a groundbreaking discussion of “Working with Joint Master Controls for ATSC 3.0.”
Day 2’s keynote address will feature ATSC president Madeleine Noland, followed by a panel on “Emergency Alerting & Information over NextGen TV” moderated by John Lawson, Executive Director of the AWARN Alliance, and a panel on “NextGen TVs, Set-top Boxes and Dongles” moderated by Dave Arland, Executive Director of the Indiana Broadcasters Association.
The Summit concludes with a candid discussion of “Regulatory and Policy Hot Topics,” featuring NAB’s Vice President, Spectrum Policy, Robert Weller, and a valuable tutorial on “Plant IT Security and Recovering from Ransomware Attacks” from public TV stations KQED and KVIE, both of whom have suffered and recovered from ransomware attacks in the past.
In addition to included breakfasts, lunches and refreshment breaks, PMTS registrants will receive a $150 discount to the NAB Show Conference registration, and free access to NAB Show exhibits.
PMTS space is extremely limited, and early registration discounts are available through March 31. A full program and online registration are available at https://www.publicmediaventure.com/tech-summit.
