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Central Minnesota Chapter 17
Society of Broadcast Engineers
​Photo atop the IDS Building in downtown Minneapolis, 792 feet above street level.  
We are a non-profit professional organization of radio and television engineers who build, repair and update radio and television broadcast facilities.  All broadcast engineers are welcome to join our group.  ​Chapter 17 has 83 members, of which 27 are SBE certified.  Most live and work in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  We meet monthly to exchange ideas and increase skill level.  There is also an annual summer picnic and holiday party in December.  Many meetings are being held online during COVID.
There are no strangers, only engineers you haven't met.
​Engineer is spoken here
​Think Positive  and  Test negative
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Taylor Robert Barker
June 12, 2023, SBE Chapter 17 will be getting a quick tour of the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network facility, located at 550 Vandalia Street, Suite 170. It's a little tucked away, but as long as you avoid the freight tracks, you should find plenty of parking, either on-street, or next to Lake Monster Brewing. Otherwise, the building is about midway between the Fairview and Raymond Avenue light rail stations.

We will also hear from Jill Walters, Director of Key Accounts for Digital Broadcast Inc https://www.digitalbcast.com/, about OTT services. Lunch will be provided, and *the doors will open at 11:30 a.m.*, assuming I get the food up there on-schedule. If you can't attend in-person, we're aiming to have a virtual option ready. Let's try to get your RSVPs in by June 10, including which way you'll be attending.

Program Chairman Taylor Robert Barker ​tbarker@sbe.org 
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Minneapolis, Minnesota, skyline.
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St. Paul, Minnesota skyline.
News:
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January 12, 2023:  Vintage 1000 watt Raytheon RA-1000 AM Transmitter available.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TluEZ5SFgIRJ2hmhMIbIsHBt-jzKIG2q/view
Contact Taylor Robert Barker tbarker@sbe.org
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Shane Finch
May 21, 2023:  Shane Finch has passed away. You might remember him from the Next Best Thing Tour. Shane spent time with MusicMaster and ENCO as well as doing air work at WTRS in Savanna, Georgia, and WFMQ Radio in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was just one year ago that he was promoted to the Sales Director position at Broadcasters General Store. See the Radio World story at: https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/people-news/shane-finch-dies 
December 28, 2022:  Don Egert passed away at the age of 89.  Egert, a familiar and engaging voice on radio & TV for over 70 years in west central Minnesota and northeast South Dakota, passed away Wednesday December 28, 2022, at the age 89 in Watertown, South Dakota. Beginning in 1949 on KWAT, Watertown, on KSOO in Sioux Falls, KYNT in Yankton, and for 41 years at KDIO, Ortonville where he was cofounder, and then sole owner of KDIO and KAHF-FM, he continued in broadcasting after selling those stations in 1997 by returning to KWAT and then KXLG, Watertown, until he semi-retired just 4 years ago. He was also the Pioneer Public Television personality for over 40 years.  https://www.crawfordosthus.com/obituary/Donald-Egert
December 11, 2022:  Dewey "Duke" Wright Jr. died at the age 83.  His career in broadcasting started as a teenager when he successfully talked his parents into buying a radio station in 1958.  That was just the beginning of his life as a broadcast owner, with more than 80 stations in 18 markets including Duluth and Hibbing in Minnesota along with Wausau and Green Bay in Wisconsin.
Radio World Story
More history at: https://mwcradio.com/about-us/  
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December 2, 2022:
Joe Conlon
Recognized
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June 15, 2022:
Mike Davison
Engineer of
the Year
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Father Bernie Ness 1938 - 2022
Find his obituary at: ​https://www.sctimes.com/obituaries/sct071442
 August 26, 2022:  Father Bernie Ness passed away at age 84. Father Bernie was affectionately referred to as "The Robin Hood Priest of Guatemala."

He was known in the Twin Cities broadcast engineering community for his yearly visits to us to beg, borrow or steal surplus broadcast equipment from TV and radio stations and then have that gear shipped to his mission in Coban, Guatemala where he built shortwave and FM radio stations that served the indigenous Mayan communities in the northern part of Guatemala.  Among his 'rescues' were a 5kW AM transmitter from a defunct station in Minneapolis, as well as a surplus 5kW FM transmitter.  George Werl, Mike Gorniak and Steve Brown made trips to Guatemala to help troubleshoot those transmitters. 

Bernie was an active ham operator, and early on in the days of satellite delivery of TV programming.  He hand constructed a 3 meter dish to receive programming.

When his  mission project closed in Guatemala he retired from active scrounging and returned to the U.S.  Bernie spent his last days at St John's University in Collegeville, MN.  Because of his command of Spanish, he served Mass at area Hispanic churches.

I'm quite sure that he's resting well in the afterlife, and is still successfully trying to 'obtain' surplus equipment from the angels in his neighborhood to use in missionary projects.  Radio Ranger Steve Brown.
August 28, 2022:  Gary Smith passed away last week, formerly of Cumulus Media’s Twin Cities office and iHeartRadio (Rochester).  More details when we get them.
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Robb Daly 07/24/1952 - 08/22/2022
August 22, 2022:  Well-known engineer Robert (Robb) Daly passed away from congestive heart failure at age 69.  He worked for MPR and KQRS in Minneapolis before hiring on at Enco Systems. 

Find his complete obituary at: ​https://www.klecatskys.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=25717449&fbclid=IwAR2ex-VEHfFo9Rf3pi0dnumHYcB76VzdvsLOykgpJeVtMD1CDooG9S3xwWA
​February 4, 2022: Neil Swanson passed away at age 69. He was a broadcast engineer for KSTP AM/FM, WCCO-AM and 93.7 KLXK (at the time he worked there). Neil had been in poor health for some time.  His last gig was with Verizon Wireless. Neil retired from there a few years ago. He was a long time ham radio operator with the callsign WW0NS. Obituary at https://www.kozlakradulovich.com/memorials/neil-swanson/4850006/index.php
Job Openings:

​Engineering position opening at WCCO-TV.  On line application available at https://careers.paramount.com/
Also have an opening for IT Support.  Questions, contact Gary Kroger at WCCO, GKROGER@wcco.cbs.com

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An LPTV station with a transmitter on the IDS is looking for options for a LPTV contract engineer.  If you have any suggestions, please contact  Joe Conlon, Engineering Manager, Townsquare TV.  651-352-6112.
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Twin Cities PBS is looking for people.  If interested, please apply by visiting our Career Center at http://www.tpt.org/careers/job-openings/

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K-LOVE and Air 1 Radio Networks are looking for people.  See: https://careers-kloveair1.icims.com/jobs/search?hashed=-435656068

​SBE is an organization with 114 chapters and 4500 members world-wide.