Fred Engel Technology Consulting, LLC
Hi, I’m Fred.
I help broadcasters chart their technological future.
As a career broadcaster with extensive strategic planning experience, I can assist you in this fast-changing world. My work in the NEXTGEN TV/ATSC 3.0 space is widely recognized both domestically and abroad.
I have had multiple papers published in engineering journals, received numerous awards, and spoken at dozens of conferences on a variety of television technology subjects. My passion for finding solutions to serve public safety communications, the education community, and the general public motivates me. I look forward to working with clients to identify and implement solutions to better serve their communities.
Professional Achievements
2017 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Pilot Innovation Grant Competition winner for”Digital Paging over Public Broadcasting”- 2022 NAB Best Television Paper Award
- 2022 Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) Broadband and Multimedia Systems and Broadcast Conference Best Paper, Bilbao, Spain
- 2023 NAB Product Innovation Award
Access my published papers!
- Public Safety Datacast Paging
- Authored with Red Grasso, NCDIT; Allan Sadowski (retired) FirstNetNC; Adam Woodlief, Georgia Public Broadcasting
- ATSC 3.0 and Public Broadcasting: A Whitepaper Supporting Public Broadcasters’ Efforts in ATSC 3.0/NEXTGEN TV
- The Educational Broadband Gap: A Whitepaper on Utilizing ATSC 3.0/NEXTGEN TV to Address Remote Learning Needs
- ATSC 3.0 as a Use Case for Public Safety Communications – Development Milestones (NAB 2022 Best Paper)
- Authored with Red Grasso, NCDIT, Chris Lamb, and Tony Sammarco, Device Solutions, Inc.
- ATSC 3.0 as a Use Case for Public Safety Communications (IEEE BSMB 2022, Bilbao, Spain)
- Authored with Red Grasso, NCDIT, and Chris Lamb, Device Solutions, Inc.
- ATSC 3.0 and Public Broadcasting, a Case for Flash Cut
- Authored with Don Smith, PBS North Carolina, and Bill Hayes (retired), Iowa PBS
- ATSC 3.0 and Wireless Emergency Alerting -a Great Match
- Authored with Chris Lamb, Device Solutions, Inc.
I have been in the broadcast industry since graduating from Ferris State University in 1978. I spent 28 years at WTTW/Chicago rising from an engineering maintenance technician to Vice President of Technology. I spent three years with a Systems Integration firm in Chicago as Vice President of Broadcasting, joined Kentucky Educational Television (KET) in 2010 as Senior Director of Technology and in 2016 took a similar role with UNC-TV (now, PBS North Carolina) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
My team in Chicago and I received a Midwest Emmy award for the design and construction of WTTW’s Digital Broadcast Operations Center. In Kentucky, our team designed and built one of the first street-side studios in public broadcasting in downtown Louisville, KY.
I have been a regular contributor at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Technology Conference, PBS Annual Meetings, the America’s Public Television Stations Summit, and the NAB convention. I served as the Chapter 93 chairperson of the Society of Broadcast Engineers in the Raleigh/Durham NC market and hold professional certifications with the Society including “Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE)” and “ATSC3 Specialist”. I have served on the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council VII (CSRIC) working group focused on improving Broadcast Resiliency, had a six-year tenure with the PBS Enterprise Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC), participated in various PBS ETAC Working Groups, and served with the Advanced Warning and Alert Response Network (AWARN) and the NextGen Video Information Systems Alliance (NVISA) groups focusing on emergency notifications to viewers. I have served as television chair of the North Carolina State Emergency Coordination Committee. I represented PBS North Carolina on the National Association of Broadcasters Television Engineering Committee and the FCC/NAB “Future of Television” Initiative.
I currently serve on ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, Board of Directors.
Memberships, Workgroups, & Contributions
- Advanced Television Systems Committee Board of Directors
- Former Chair of the Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 93, Raleigh/Durham, NC
- Federal Communications Commission Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council VII (CSRIC)
- Served as television chair of the NC State Emergency Coordination Committee
- Served on the National Association of Broadcasters Television Engineering Committee
- Served on the FCC/NAB “Future of Television” Initiative Six-year tenure with PBS Enterprise Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC)
Contributor/Speaker
- Advanced Warning & Response Network Roundtable
- America’s Public Television Stations Summit
- Wisconsin Broadcast Conference
- US Broadband Conference
- PBS Annual Meeting
- Association of Public Safety Communications Officials
- International Wireless Communications Expo
- National Association of Broadcasters
- IEEE BSMB Conference
- ITS World Congress
- PBS Technology Conference
Lifelong Dedication
Connect With Fred
I am available and interested in connecting to discuss the following services I offer based on my decades of experience.
