Mark Cuban Heads List of Industry Leaders Speaking on DTV at NAB2002

The line-up of sessions at the Television Management and BroadcastEngineering Conferences at NAB2002, to be held in Las Vegas April 6-11,will include a major focus on digital television (DTV).

Beginning on Sunday, April 7, a two-part program, "Solving the DTVTransition Puzzle," will offer station managers a comprehensive look atthe critical components of the digital transition such as set-top boxinteroperability, copyright, zoning and equipment delays,high-definition program announcements and interactive television. Thesession will open with remarks from Richard E. Wiley, senior partner,Wiley Rein & Fielding.

Speakers will include Michael Fiorile, president & CEO, DispatchBroadcast Group; Rick Chessen, chair, DTV Task Force, FCC; PaulKarpowicz, vice president of television, LIN Television; Gary Shapiro,president & CEO, Consumer Electronics Association; Gary Arlen,president, Arlen Communications; Mark Cuban, chairman & president,HDNet; Joe Macione, executive vice president & general manager,WCYB-TV; David J. Workman, president and COO, Ultimate Electronics; andJohn I. Taylor, vice president, Public Affairs & Communications,Zenith Electronics Corporation.

On Wednesday, April 10, group executives and general managers willhave the opportunity to exchange practical information on how they havehandled the hurdles and achieved the successes of their station'sdigital implementation plans during two offerings of the session "RoadAssistance: A Digital Operations Exchange and Tour."

The non-technical sessions, which require a special registration,will cover three stages of the digital transition: "Transmission," "Inthe Studio" and "Advanced Services." They will commence with a roundtable discussion highlighting the efforts of broadcasters in leadingthe DTV transition and suggestions on how government can assist withaction that will spur consumer purchases of DTV sets.

Following each roundtable, there will be guided tours of the NAB2002exhibit floor featuring companies involved in DTV technologies. Vendorproducts and price ranges will be discussed during each of the tours.Attendees interested in attending the "Road Assistance" sessions maycontact Jake Geissinger at (202) 429-5425 or download a registrationform on the NAB2002 Web site.

For engineers and technicians, the Broadcast Engineering Conferencewill offer information essential for those in charge of DTV build-outsand upgrades. Expert presentations will cover details on centralcastingand signal optimization. There will be extensive discussion of the8-VSB enhancement project and information on the latest developments inTV data broadcasting. The conference sessions are designed to updateengineering professionals on the state of broadcast technology fromboth domestic and worldwide perspectives.