FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2011 – The Board of Directors of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) elected John Godfrey to serve as the Chairman of the ATSC Board.

Godfrey is Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for Samsung Information Systems America, a U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. He directs Samsung's Washington, D.C. activities related to consumer electronics and represents the company in external relations with government and industry, focusing on digital television, broadband, content protection, environment, and other areas.

"John's strategic thinking and proven leadership capabilities, coupled with his extensive industry knowledge, will be great assets to the ATSC board," said Mark Richer, ATSC President.

In addition to his several years of experience as a member of the ATSC Board of Directors, Godfrey is an active participant in the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). He is a past chair of CEA's Video Division, Division Executive Board and Government Affairs Council; a past member of the CEA Executive Board, and currently serves on the CEA Board of Industry Leaders.

Prior to joining Samsung, Godfrey was vice president of government affairs with Pioneer North America. Previously, he was director of government affairs for Sony Electronics. Earlier, he was with the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade association of leading information technology companies; the National Research Council, the policy research arm of the National Academies of Science and Engineering; and SRI International.

Godfrey has a master's degree in telecommunications from George Washington University and a master's degree in East Asian studies from Stanford University. He also holds a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas.

Godfrey will succeed Wayne Luplow, of LG Electronics’ Zenith R&D Lab, who served as Chairman of the ATSC Board for 2010.

Board members for 2011 are: Lynn Claudy, NAB; Brian Markwalter, CEA; Peter Symes, SMPTE; Andy Scott, NCTA; Jay Adrick, Harris; Victor Tawil, MSTV; John Godfrey, Samsung; Craig Todd, Dolby; Jim Kutzner, PBS; Brett Jenkins, ION Media; John Taylor, LG Electronics USA; Mark Eyer, Sony Electronics; Anthony Caruso, Canadian Broadcasting Corp and Yiyan Wu, IEEE.

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards for the entire range of advanced television systems. The ATSC member organizations represent the broadcast, broadcast equipment, motion picture, consumer electronics, computer, cable, satellite, and semiconductor industries.

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