ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 4, 2003 -- Bruce Jacobs, chief technologist, Twin Cities Public Television in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the winner of this year's PBS Excellence in Engineering Award. The presentation was made today, at the PBS Technology Conference in Las Vegas, by Edward Caleca, PBS senior vice president, Technology, Distribution, & Operations. The award recognizes the individual whose contributions in the field of engineering have made a significant impact on public television as a whole.
In winning the award, Mr. Jacobs was cited as a professional who has demonstrated broadcast industry leadership in the development of new technologies, including implementation issues in digital television, and has demonstrated a continuing dedication to public broadcasting through a variety of volunteer activities.
Mr. Caleca commented, "Bruce's contribution to public broadcasting goes well beyond his own station and region. He has provided unselfish support of and outstanding contributions to public broadcasting across the country in a variety of ways. We are proud to have him on our public broadcasting team, and even though he is leaving the Engineering Committee, we know that we will continue to benefit from his contributions and dedication."
Andre Mendes, PBS chief technology integration officer, added, "Bruce continues to be an outstanding contributor to the public broadcasting community. His insight into a variety of disciplines in the technical realm enables him to understand the big picture of broadcasting's convergence with information technologies, and what that means to both broadcasting in general and public television in particular."
Mr. Jacobs' many accomplishments included substantial contribution to national planning of public television's digital television service, development of innovative datacasting models, creation and examination of solutions for digital audio issues, and conducting an industry-wide conference where broadcasters were brought together to examine the differences between video formats and encoding techniques.
Mr. Jacobs holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from North Dakota State University and earned the Senior Television Certification from the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He is a founding member of the Local Enhancement Collaborative and serves as editor of ETVCookbook.org, a nationally recognized resource for television professionals. He is a member and past chair of the PBS Engineering Committee and served on the Digital Steering Committee to develop the model for public television's digital conversion. He has produced award-winning television music specials, has consulted on audio-acoustic systems and is an avid amateur musician. Mr. Jacobs has been in public broadcasting for over 20 years, beginning his career at Prairie Public Television in Fargo, North Dakota; for the past five years he has been with Twin Cities Public Television, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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