Flaherty Named Member Emeritus, ATSC Board of Directors

Posted on December 15, 2010 in Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 15, 2010 – The Board of Directors of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has named Dr. Joseph A. Flaherty to a special new honorary position, Member Emeritus, in recognition of his unparalleled industry leadership and decades of contributions to the ATSC.

Dr. Flaherty, Senior Vice President, Technology, for CBS Broadcasting, will complete his term on the Board on December 31st. He has served on the ATSC Board of Directors and the preceding ATSC Executive Committee since 1983.

“Joe’s lifetime commitment to the technological advancement of our industry is extraordinary,” said Mark Richer, ATSC president. “His dedication to the ATSC is an inspiration to those working in standards development.”

“In 1982, Joe helped bring together EIA (now CEA) IEEE, NAB, NCTA and SMPTE to form the ATSC,” said Wayne Luplow, ATSC board Chairman. “On behalf of the ATSC Membership, we thank Joe for his ATSC service, which spans nearly three decades, from the advent of HDTV to today’s all-digital world.”

In addition to his long-time ATSC leadership, Dr. Flaherty is a member of the Board of Directors of the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), a Vice President of the International Academy of Broadcasting (IAB). Dr. Flaherty is past Chairman of the Technical Committee of the North American Broadcasters Association and Past Chairman of the World Broadcast Unions Technical Committee (WBU-TC). Particularly noteworthy was Dr. Flaherty’s role as Chairman of the Planning Subcommittee of the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service and Co-chairman of its Technical Subgroup overseeing development of what became the ATSC Digital TV Standard. Dr. Flaherty is a Vice Chairman of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)-R Study Group 6 on Broadcasting, and Chairman of the ITU-R Task Group 6/9 on Large Screen Digital Imagery (LSDI).

Dr. Flaherty received his degree in Physics from Rockhurst College, Kansas, City, Mo., in 1952. During 1953-1954 he served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and in 1955 joined NBC in New York City as a Television Engineer. In 1957, he joined CBS as a Television Design Engineer. In 1959, he became the Network’s Director of Technical Facilities Planning, and in 1967 was promoted to General Manager, and subsequently appointed Vice President and General Manager, of the Engineering and Development Department, a position that he held for 23 years. Dr. Flaherty is presently Senior Vice President, Technology for CBS Broadcasting.

Dr. Flaherty is the recipient of numerous awards and commendations, is a member and fellow of many international industry organizations, and is a frequent lecturer and technical author on television technology and High Definition Television (HDTV).

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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Contact: Lindsay Shelton-Gross, lsheltongross@atsc.org, (202) 872-9160

Posted in Press Releases