Texas broadcasters are first responders in times of crisis. Residents of communities all across the Lone Star State know to turn to their local radio and television stations when emergencies arise.

Broadcasters relay life-saving information through news programming and the Emergency Alert System (EAS). EAS is used by federal, state and local emergency managers and the National Weather Service to relay specific information to the public via radio and TV stations in times of emergency or when there is a threat of a weather incident.

EAS can relay emergency information on stations that don’t even have a newsroom. The Texas State EAS Plan calls on broadcasters to deliver these important, emergency messages throughout the state’s 254 counties.

Texas broadcasters also developed other uses for EAS. In 1997, Dallas-area broadcasters created the AMBER Alert program to relay life-saving information concerning child abductions. AMBER broadcast alerts heard on local radio and TV stations are directly responsible for the safe return of hundreds of children across the U.S.

Nearly 400 children have been saved nationwide (according to www.missingkids.com).

TAB President Ann Arnold joined the FCC’s Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC) in 2002. This working group of broadcast industry leaders is charged with creating a national plan of action for broadcasters in time of terrorist attacks and other national emergencies.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin recently named Arnold to the FCC’s Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee with the goal of establishing a voluntary, national emergency alert system.

Select one of the links on the left for more information on EAS, the AMBER plan and the MSRC findings.

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• Saturday, December 29, 2007 -- Controlled collapse of the WOR. January 11, 2007.
• Friday, December 28, 2007 -- SBE Chapter 38 - El Paso Texas

In 1975, SBE established a Certification Program to recognize and raise the professional status of broadcast engineers by providing standards of professional competence. Through the years, it has become recognized in the industry as the primary method of verifying the attainment of educational standards. In 2003, SBE’s Certification Program was recognized by the National Skill Standards Board. NSSB Certification Recognition promotes quality assurance in the certification marketplace and provides national recognition for certifications that meet the quality benchmarks. With the industry constantly changing, the SBE-certified engineer must keep up with those changes.

From the certified operator to the Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer, SBE has a certification for every broadcast engineer and technician. To learn about the different kinds of certification, go to the Classifications section. You may also download a printable overview of SBE certification and membership here (PDF).

Program Objectives

• To raise the status of broadcast engineers by providing standards of professional competence in the practice of broadcast engineering and related technologies.
• To recognize those individuals who, by fulfilling the requirements of knowledge, experience, responsibility and conduct, meet those standards of professional competence.
• To encourage broadcast engineers to continue their professional development.

Eligibility

To be eligible for certification, you must have a strong interest in the design, operation, maintenance or administration of the day-to-day problems and achievements associated with the operation of a broadcast facility or related technology. You must also meet the specific eligibility requirements of the desired certification level. The SBE broadcast engineer certificate is not a license; it is a document that recognizes professional competence by peers in a professional, independent organization. Certification is for individuals only and may not be used to imply that an organization or firm is certified.

Certification and SBE Membership

While membership in SBE is not a requirement of the Certification Program, because SBE members share in the overhead cost of all SBE activities, non-member certification fees are higher.

Non-members who certify at a technologist or engineering level are eligible to receive membership in SBE through April 1 of the following year. We hope you take advantage of this proposal. It is our hope that you will like what SBE has to offer and will want to continue your membership and support of your Society.

Administration

Responsibility for administering the Certification Program rests with a National Certification Committee appointed by the SBE president with the approval of the SBE Board of Directors, members of which must be SBE certified. Qualifications of each candidate for certification will be judged by the National Certification Committee. Criteria for the examinations shall also be determined by the National Certification Committee.

A certification director will be responsible for carrying out the details of the program. The certification director will serve on the committee as an advisor but will have no vote. This person will attend all meetings, keep the minutes of those meetings and prepare regular reports to the SBE Board of Directors. E-mail the Certification Director.

Examinations will be administered through local chapters under the supervision of proctors approved by the National Certification Committee. Where no chapters exist, the National Certification Committee will arrange for suitable testing procedures. These proctors will be SBE officers, chapter officers, educators or other responsible persons.

Find a Chapter Certification Chair near you.

Certification Fees

Fees to cover administrative costs are non-refundable. “No Shows” will be assessed the same rescheduling fee as “Retakes” for future exams.

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This particular tower is not used during the day when this was filmed, but the arcing you see is from power being imposed on the unused tower from the 5,000 watts being radiated from the day tower 500 feet away.

The rings you see when I zoom out toward the end of the video are actually a big transformer used to power the aviation beacons (lighting) on the tower.

And yes, the audio you hear is Rush Limbaugh. The arcing is actually “modulated” with the station audio, as well as being imposed into the camera from the high RF field. The video interference is also from the high RF field.

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Texas broadcasters are first responders in times of crisis. Residents of communities all across the Lone Star State know to turn to their local radio and television stations when emergencies arise.

Broadcasters relay life-saving information through news programming and the Emergency Alert System (EAS). EAS is used by federal, state and local emergency managers and the National Weather Service to relay specific information to the public via radio and TV stations in times of emergency or when there is a threat of a weather incident.

EAS can relay emergency information on stations that don’t even have a newsroom. The Texas State EAS Plan calls on broadcasters to deliver these important, emergency messages throughout the state’s 254 counties.

Texas broadcasters also developed other uses for EAS. In 1997, Dallas-area broadcasters created the AMBER Alert program to relay life-saving information concerning child abductions. AMBER broadcast alerts heard on local radio and TV stations are directly responsible for the safe return of hundreds of children across the U.S.

Nearly 400 children have been saved nationwide (according to www.missingkids.com).

TAB President Ann Arnold joined the FCC’s Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC) in 2002. This working group of broadcast industry leaders is charged with creating a national plan of action for broadcasters in time of terrorist attacks and other national emergencies.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin recently named Arnold to the FCC’s Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee with the goal of establishing a voluntary, national emergency alert system.

Select one of the links on the left for more information on EAS, the AMBER plan and the MSRC findings.

Contact TAB’s Michael Schneider with any questions.

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