NORTH AMERICAN BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION | NOVEMBER, 2013 www.nabanet.com ► A Farewell Chat A Farewell Chat with CNN and with CNN and ISOG’s Dick Tauber ISOG’s Dick Tauber ► Secretariat Office th Closed on November 11 How does one go from being a Dean of Students pretty. I found that if you did all the right moves ► Director General’s Report in small-town NY State to being a satellite desk and plugged things together in the right way, then trainee at a fledgling cable network in Atlanta? you got this beautiful storybook called theatre. In ► NABA Featured in Canada’s Broadcast Dialogue Magazine I am the perfect example of: “it’s CNN’s case, it was live 24-hour not who you are, but who you news pictures with sound for tele- ► Congratulations to Shaw Media / Global TV on Murrow know,” and also a case of: “being vision! (Audio was often a hang Award in the right place at the right up!) And so began my tenure. ► WEA Messages and PBS time.” In my second year at Dar- WARN: An Emergency By- row School, I was assigned a What sticks out about those pass for Cellular number of students who I men- early CNN years? ► NABA Members & Issues tored, including a terrific kid For over ten years it was always a in the News named Orrin Schonfeld, whose bit of a struggle until the 1991 ► Looking Ahead — Key Dates father – Reese Schonfeld – I got Gulf War. Some earlier success and Upcoming Events to know quite well. Reese had a had been had with the Space company in New York called Shuttle Challenger explosion as Independent Television News we were the only ones that broad- NABAcaster Association (ITNA) which acted casted it live. Also, ‘Baby Jes- is published by and for members as a poor man’s Reuters. In the sica’ in the Texas well was an- of the North American Broadcasters other big moment for CNN and it Association ( NABA ) 1970s when Ted Turner was thinking about starting a 24-hour helped cement our affiliate agree- P.O. Box 500, Station A cable news channel he consulted ments with local stations around Toronto, ON M5W 1E6 with Reese and eventually con- the country. Those affiliate deals Canada Tel.: +1 416-598-9877 vinced him to give-up ITNA and head up CNN. were made outside of their primary network af- Fax: +1 416-598-9774 At roughly the same time my wife and I decided it filiations and were thereby fairly ground-breaking Email: [email protected] may be time to start something new and Orrin sug- at the time. I wouldn’t say things were done any gested I call his dad, now in Atlanta as President of better now or then, but there were certainly less President Robert Briskman CNN. Immediately, two questions ran through my choices for sending news footage back and some- head... “What’s cable?” and “Who’s Ted Turner?” times only one way to get things on people’s Director General I quickly learned. screens, whereas now there can be a variety. Michael McEwen Things were simpler, but more of a foot race at the Editor Reese brought me to Atlanta and was showing me same time. More choices often means more deci- Jason Paris around CNN where by coincidence I also recon- sion-making too. So no better, just different. nected with a former college mate – Rick Brown – Staff who was starting the CNN Satellite Desk. It just Part of your current role at CNN involves in- Anh Ngo vestigating newly developed systems and tech- Roxanne Riess so happened he needed to fill a seat at the desk Vineet Mathur within 30 days. So despite not knowing anything nologies for use in newsgathering. With that in about satellites, I used my experiences in my mind, do you see anything on the horizon that is younger years working the lighting board for off- going to change the game again? NABA-BOD MEETING Broadway productions as a comparison with the Upcoming is what they call HEVC compression work I would be doing with satellites. I began to which is superior to both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 th December 10 see satellites as stage lights. Basically, there were and with it you get better efficiency on the satel- New York, NY so many “things” up in the sky that generally lite. This means more channels or a broader couldn’t all be up at once, so you had to pick and choice of channels where increased bandwidth can choose the proper connections to make it look be used more efficiently and for better quality. We Continued on next page... NABACASTER | NOVEMBER, 2013 are also coming-up on UHDTV (also of the WBU. As a goal, ISOG wanted to was issued where they encouraged groups known as 4K / 8K) transmissions. I feel have more than one transmission company like the WBU, the ITU, and individual un- both these technologies are about to land at available to choose from. This finally hap- ions to all take significant steps to protect roughly the same time so that the picture pened when PanAm Sat was launched and satellite services and space resources we all quality going into homes will improve sub- CBS first used their Ku-dish services in depend on. For one, we must stop en- stantially. However, this will also require 1989 as the Berlin Wall fell. Other broad- croachment and protect C-band. As for an entire upgrade of systems for both con- casters quickly followed and the industry interference, we must characterize inten- sumers and broadcasters at a time when was changed. tional interference for what it is and penal- some are still just converting from SD to ize those that engage in it. This includes HD. I’m not sure how quickly it will play Any advice for your ISOG successors? piracy as well as deliberate jamming. out, but it is certainly the next step. I also ISOG’s mission statement was purposefully These are new thoughts and language about feel that the quality is going to look much changed a number of years ago to “...by this problem. It is now felt that at the ITU more real and that it will diminish the value satellite or any other means” in recognition level, deliberate jamming should be sepa- of 3D technology. We will see the effects that we were no longer just a satellite trans- rated out and dealt with differently. I think most quickly in sports and some entertain- port group. I would hope and encourage ISOG had a lot to do with getting us to this ment products. News will almost certainly this to continue. I truly believe it is ISOG’s point and for that I’m very, very proud. come later. But wait for next year’s World job to follow all transmission technologies, Cup. And then the Olympics! whether fibre, cellular, over-the-top or IP. What do you feel has been of most value Knocking on the edge of technology is as with regards to CNN / Time Warner’s Will satellites continue to play the role important as ever and things are going to membership in NABA? they do now or will they be diminished? continue to change. ISOG’s responsibility I personally think that sitting down at a The one good thing about satellite is that it is to stay on top of it all, while making it as table with other companies who are doing goes everywhere. While fibre may be in easy and convenient for those that have to what you are doing, even if they are your many places, it costs a certain amount of put the pieces together and move the con- competitors, is hugely important. There are money to get fibre installed in a remote tent back to home base. issues that if we focus on them together, we location and it just does not always pay for are able to achieve results that are benefi- itself, so some companies, including some What is your most proud moment with cial to all. This is one of the primary values big ones, just won’t do it. On a related regard to ISOG’s work? of membership and why I have always been note, ISOG completed a 4K demo test using Some of the committee work that was done, a big supporter of NABA. a full transponder at our Forum in Rio de especially as it related to satellite interfer- Janeiro on November 6th beamed from the ence, is the one focus that has continued for What are your retirement plans? Intelsat earth station in Ellenwood, GA. a number of years and has become more Honestly, I see myself working. I will Right now, with a full transponder you can elaborate and more evolved as it has be- probably do something, just not sure do up to 12 transmission channels. The fact come more of an issue. I’d say the recent whether to get licensed as a consultant or that we are doing a 4K demo and that it will ISOG Resolutions on Carrier ID are a major not. In a perfect world, I’d like to be able require a full transponder is relevant in that achievement. And, I am very gratified to to continue doing some of the things I’m the satellite industry is looking forward to have played a part in the recent ASBU Sat- already involved in, such as WBU-ISOG more capacity being used in the future, not ellite Interference Forum and the Action and RFI-EUI.