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February 2, 2012 / TORONTO, Canada - The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) is pleased to announce that Sirius XM Radio Inc.’s Technical Executive, Robert D. Briskman, has been elected unanimously to serve as NABA’s new President, succeeding Leonardo Ramos of Televisa. His two-year term will begin at the NABA Annual General Meeting on February 29, 2012.

NABA’s Board of Directors is confident that Mr. Briskman’s passion, vision and guidance will provide the Association with leadership at this time of industry change. As a longstanding member of the NABA Board of Directors and Executive, Mr. Briskman has developed a great appreciation for the rapid pace of innovation and commitment in this collaborative forum.

Robert Briskman has been with SiriusXM since the founding in 1991 as Satellite CD Radio Inc. As the technical innovator of mobile satellite radio services, he was responsible for the original development, implementation and operation of the SiriusXM broadcast distribution system. He previously was a founding member of COMSAT and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Mr. Briskman is also a Fellow of both the IEEE and AIAA and has been inducted into three Halls of Fame.

Re-elected as NABA Vice-Presidents were Michael Starling, Executive Director & CTO, National Public Radio (NPR) Labs and Robert Winteringham, Deputy General Counsel, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Michael Starling is responsible for spearheading new public service technology initiatives on behalf of NPR and has worked in both private and public service broadcasting. Mr. Starling also serves as Chair of NABA’s Technical Committee. Robert Winteringham joined CPB in 1997 and has previously held positions at a variety of communications, law and advertising firms. Mr. Winteringham also serves as Chair of NABA’s Legal Committee.

ABOUT NABA

NABA is a non-profit association of the most influential broadcasting organizations throughout North America committed to advancing the interests of broadcasters at home and internationally. Network broadcasters, both public and private, in the United States, Mexico and Canada, work together to provide a common voice for the North American broadcast community. As a member of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), NABA creates the opportunity for North American broadcasters to share information, identify common interests and reach consensus on issues of an international nature. NABA provides representation for North American broadcasters in global forums on topics including journalism issues, protection of content, spectrum related concerns, the territorial integrity of broadcasters’ signals, and digital transmission issues.

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For more information, contact Jason Paris (+1-416-598-9877 / jparis@nabanet.com)

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September 6, 2011 / TORONTO, Canada - The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) is pleased to announce that Vassilios Mimis, the association’s Director of Technology, will serve as NABA’s Head of Delegation, leading its international activities at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland. This follows a recent NABA Board of Directors’ decision.

The ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). Its responsibilities include global radio spectrum and satellite orbit allocation, the development of technical standards that ensure networks and technologies interconnect seamlessly, and improving access to ICTs by underserved communities worldwide.

Mr. Mimis’ depth of ITU experience and technology knowledge will serve the association well at this time of great international industry change.

NABA is a member of ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R).

ABOUT NABA

NABA is a non-profit association of the most influential broadcasting organizations throughout North America committed to advancing the interests of broadcasters at home and internationally. Network broadcasters, both public and private, in the United States, Mexico and Canada, work together to provide a common voice for the North American broadcast community. As a member of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), NABA creates the opportunity for North American broadcasters to share information, identify common interests and reach consensus on issues of an international nature. NABA provides representation for North American broadcasters in global forums on topics including journalism issues, protection of content, spectrum related concerns, the territorial integrity of broadcasters’ signals, and digital transmission issues.

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For more information, contact Jason Paris (+1-416-598-9877 / jparis@nabanet.com)

Download Press Release

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June 10, 2010 / TORONTO, Canada - The North American Broadcasters Association’s (NABA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Vassilios Mimis as its Director of Technology. Mr. Mimis’ depth of technology knowledge and the international issues facing broadcasting will serve the association well at a time of great industry change.

Speaking on the new appointment, Leonardo Ramos, Director of Technology Televisa and President of NABA said “Broadcast technology developments present unique opportunities and challenges to our business models. In this rapidly changing environment, Vassilios is uniquely qualified to serve the needs of broadcasters and assist NABA members in the introduction of new radio and television services, and in protecting existing facilities and broadcasting spectrum.”

Recently, Mr. Mimis served as Director of Broadcast Technical Policy and Planning with the Canadian Department of Industry. During his 30 year career, Mr. Mimis has acquired in-depth experience in broadcasting and satellite technology and international regulatory and spectrum issues while consistently exceeding goals. Mr. Mimis lives in Ottawa with his family and he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

ABOUT NABA

NABA is a non-profit association of the most influential broadcasting organizations throughout North America committed to advancing the interests of broadcasters at home and internationally. Network broadcasters, both public and private, in the United States, Mexico and Canada, work together to provide a common voice for the North American broadcast community. As a member of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), NABA creates the opportunity for North American broadcasters to share information, identify common interests and reach consensus on issues of an international nature. NABA provides representation for North American broadcasters in global forums on topics including journalism issues, protection of content, spectrum related concerns, the territorial integrity of broadcasters’ signals, and digital transmission issues.

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For more information, contact Jason Paris (+1-416-598-9877 / jparis@nabanet.com)

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March 1, 2010 / TORONTO, Canada - The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) is pleased to announce that Grupo Televisa’s Director of High Technology Projects, Leonardo Ramos Mateos has been elected to serve a second term as NABA’s President. NABA’s Board of Directors is confident that Mr. Ramos’ passion, vision and leadership will provide the Association with stable leadership at this time of industry change. As a longstanding member of the NABA Board of Directors and Executive, Mr. Ramos has developed a great appreciation for the rapid pace of innovation and commitment at work in this collaborative forum.

Also elected as Vice Presidents were Michael Starling, Executive Director & CTO, National Public Radio (NPR) Labs and Robert Winteringham, Deputy General Counsel, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

In addition to the Executive above NABA also elected the following members to the Board of Directors at their Annual General Meeting held at HBO in New York City on February 25th.

Those additional Board members include:

• Dany Harrison, General Manger, Technical Production, CBC/Radio Canada
• Joe Flaherty, Sr. VP, Technology, CBS
• Hanno Basse, Vice President, Broadcast Systems Engineering, DIRECTV Inc.
• Andy Setos, President, Engineering, Fox Entertainment Group, Inc.
• Bob Zitter, Executive VP & CTO, Technology & Operations, HBO
• Glenn Reitmeier, VP, Technology Standards, Policy & Strategy, NBC Universal
• Robert Briskman, Technical Executive, Sirius XM Radio Inc.
• Sergio Sarmiento, VP, Editorial Committee / Editor-in-Chief, TV Azteca
• John Harding, Secretary General, NABA (ex officio)

ABOUT NABA

NABA is a non-profit association of the most influential broadcasting organizations throughout North America committed to advancing the interests of broadcasters at home and internationally. Network broadcasters, both public and private, in the United States, Mexico and Canada, work together to provide a common voice for the North American broadcast community. As a member of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), NABA creates the opportunity for North American broadcasters to share information, identify common interests and reach consensus on issues of an international nature. NABA provides representation for North American broadcasters in global forums on topics including journalism issues, protection of content, spectrum related concerns, the territorial integrity of broadcasters’ signals, and digital transmission issues.

# # #

For more information, contact Jason Paris (+1-416-598-9877 / jparis@nabanet.com)

Download Press Release

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March 1, 2010 / TORONTO, Canada - At the recent North American Broadcasters Association’s (NABA) Annual General Meeting, John Harding was appointed the new Secretary General of the organization. Mr. Harding has been serving as NABA’s Executive Director since August 2008 where he has applied a unique set of skills, depth of knowledge and organizational leadership that has served the Association well during a time of great industry change.

Speaking on the new appointment, Leonardo Ramos, Director of High Technology Televisa and President of NABA said "the NABA Board of Directors is very pleased with this appointment of Mr. Harding as Secretary General. It recognizes the many contributions he has made over the past 18 months to the Association, and our confidence that he will continue to make an impact in his new and important position.” Mr. Ramos continued "Mr. Harding is a respected thoughtful leader recognized for driving consensus, building relationships and managing change in rapidly shifting environments."

Prior to his involvement with NABA, Mr. Harding served in the broadcast industry as President of the Radio Marketing Bureau and before that as Executive Vice President of the Institute of Communications & Advertising.

Mr. Harding will continue to work out of NABA’s headquarters in Toronto.

ABOUT NABA

NABA is a non-profit association of the most influential broadcasting organizations throughout North America committed to advancing the interests of broadcasters at home and internationally. Network broadcasters, both public and private, in the United States, Mexico and Canada, work together to provide a common voice for the North American broadcast community. As a member of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), NABA creates the opportunity for North American broadcasters to share information, identify common interests and reach consensus on issues of an international nature. NABA provides representation for North American broadcasters in global forums on topics including journalism issues, protection of content, spectrum related concerns, the territorial integrity of broadcasters’ signals, and digital transmission issues.

# # #

For more information, contact Jason Paris (+1-416-598-9877 / jparis@nabanet.com)

Download Press Release

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