NEW YORK— The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the recipients of the 64th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards. NATAS is the organization based in New York that handles the Daytime Emmys. The winners of the primetime Engineering Emmys were announced earlier by the Hollywood-based ATAS. The NATAS ceremony will take place Jan. 10, 2013 during the Consumer Electronics Show at the Bellagio Ballroom in Las Vegas, where Manolo Romero will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“We are especially happy to bestow our prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Manolo Romero, managing director of Olympic Broadcasting Services,” NATAS Chairman Malachy Wienges said. “Romero has been involved with the television coverage of all Olympic Games – both Summer and Winter – since the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City. He currently oversees the host broadcast operation for the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi and the recently-televised Games from London that were a spectacular success. He has consistently raised the bar and heightened the viewer experience over the years and the National Academy is proud to honor him with this Award.”
Romero is has been the chief executive of 10 Olympic Games Host Broadcasting organizations. Currently, he serves as the managing director of Olympic Broadcasting Services, which was created by the International Olympic Committee to serve as the Host Broadcaster for the Games beginning in Beijing in 2008.
In this role, Romero oversees the host broadcast operation. OBS produced more than 5000 hours of live coverage from the London Games, and preparations have also begun for both the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Romero most recently supervised the host broadcast operation of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and will also head the planning of the host broadcast operation for the Youth Olympic winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.
In 1997, Romero established International Sports Broadcasting, which acted as host broadcaster for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games. It also was the host broadcaster of the 1999 World Alpine Skiing Championships in Vail, Colorado, in addition to serving the Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Athens and Torino and sold the worldwide broadcasting rights for those Games and Beijing. ISB was the Host Broadcaster of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and most recently of the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Romero was Head of EBU Sports Operations for Production for several Olympic Games and World Football Cups and also managed the production of the world feed for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Romero headed the Organización de Radio y Television Olímpica, the Host Broadcaster for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and earned the prestigious Olympic Order from the IOC, as well as the Medal of the City from Barcelona.
After graduating from University of Madrid with a degree in telecommunications engineering and a minor in economics, Romero began his career in 1965 working in the engineering department for TVE, a Spanish television network. He soon rose to direct that division and was in charge of the host broadcast operations for the 1982 World Cup. Romero later joined ABC as its director of European operations and was then named head of international operations for ABC at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. His duties included overseeing the host broadcast, for which he received an Emmy Award, the first of eight.
Others that will be honored include:
– Eco-system for Real Time Presentation of TV Content to Mobile Devices without the use of Specialized Television Hardware: Apple
– The Development and Commercialization of Analog Local Cable Video Ad Insertion:
Cablevision Systems; Channelmatic; HBO; MTV Networks; Starnet; Texscan-MSI, Inc.; WEGENER
– The Development and Commercialization of Cable Interconnects for Local Video Ad Insertion: Time Warner Cable; NCC Media
– The Development and Commercialization for Digital Infrastructure for Local Cable Ad Insertion: DEC; Harmonic; Motorola; Cisco; SeaChange International; SkyConnect
– Pioneering On-Screen Interactive Program Guides: Insight (now Rovi Corporation)
– Pioneering Development of Event Driven Control Room Automation Systems for Production of Live Television Shows, which Encompasses Full Control of Robotic Cameras, Audio, Graphics and Video Sources: Parkervision (Grass Valley)
– Pioneering Development and Deployment of Aspect Ratio Control Technologies and Systems For Letterbox Images within Consumer Devices: Warner Brothers; Sam Runco
– Development of Electronic Mastering System for Large Scale Content Customization, Transcoding and Distribution: Warner Bros; CBS Worldwide Distribution
– Pioneering Development of Multi-Room DVR: Time Warner Cable; Cisco
– IRND Filter Technology for Digital Motion Picture Cameras: The Tiffen Company; Schneider Optics Inc.–
– Improvements to Large Format CMOS Imagers for Use in High Definition Broadcast Video Cameras: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI); Canon USA, INC; RED Studios; Sony Electronics Inc.
