The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced today the recipients of the Digital Leadership Award, NAB Engineering Achievement Awards for Radio and Television and the Service to Broadcast Engineering Award. The winners were honored during “The Future of Media and NAB Technology Awards”, a special event hosted exclusively on NAB Amplify.
NAB Digital Leadership Award
Established in 2015, the Digital Leadership Award honors an individual at a broadcast station, group or network who has played a role in significantly transforming a traditional broadcast business to succeed in the digital sphere. The 2021 Digital Leadership Award was presented to Adam Wiener, executive vice president and general manager, CBS Local Digital Media.
Wiener leads all aspects of digital for owned-and-operated CBS Television Stations, including the roll-out of CBSN Local OTT. He began his career at CBS News and previously served as senior producer of “Up To The Minute,” the first news broadcast of any network with a dedicated website, and was tapped to help launch CBSNews.com. He held senior digital business and operational management roles at web start-ups and traditional media companies before returning to CBS in 2010 to launch CBS Local Digital Media. He is a member of NAB’s Digital Officers Committee and is an Affiliate Board Member of Digital Content Next.
The 2021 NAB Engineering Achievement Awards
Established in 1959, the Engineering Achievement Awards are given to individuals who are nominated by their peers for significant contributions to advancing broadcast engineering. Awards are given separately for radio and television.
David L. Hershberger is the recipient of the 2021 Engineering Achievement Award for Radio. Having retired as Continental Electronics’ senior scientist, Hershberger worked for Harris Broadcast, Grass Valley Group and Axcera, focusing primarily on exciters and modulators for transmitters, and low-level signal processing. Hershberger co-developed the world’s first digital FM exciter as an experimental prototype and holds 21 U.S. patents.
David A. Folsom is the recipient of the 2021 Engineering Achievement Award for Television. He is the technology lead for Pearl TV specializing in the advancement of Next Gen TV through operational and technical education. Formerly, he was the chief technology officer of Raycom Media Inc, now part of Gray Television. Folsom has worked in broadcast and engineering management for more than forty years and holds two television equipment design patents
Service to Broadcast Engineering Award
The Service to Broadcast Engineering Award is presented periodically to individuals who have provided extraordinary service to the industry. This year’s recipient is Brady Dreasler, corporate director of engineering and technology at Quincy Media, Inc.
A native of Quincy, Illinois, Dreasler began his career almost 50 years ago with Quincy Media, Inc. at WGEM-TV. He held various positions, including operations manager, local television sales manager and account representative. Throughout his career, he has gained experience in virtually every department of a television and radio station. Dreasler also serves as vice chairman of the NAB TV Technology Committee.
“The Future of Media and NAB Technology Awards” is available on demand on NAB Amplify and features a keynote discussion on developing trends and the future of media with Mike Chapman, a partner and Americas Media Lead at Kearney, and Sam Matheny, executive vice president and chief technology officer of NAB
About NAB Amplify
Designed by the creators of NAB Show, NAB Amplify is the new digital hub for the media and entertainment community. With curated content, trusted insights and new product launches, NAB Amplify is the year-round destination to connect and interact with the global NAB Show community. Learn more at www.nabamplify.com.
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.