John Hane To Lead 3.0 Datacasting Company

Veteran television broadcaster John Hane today was named president of Spectrum Co., the ATSC 3.0 spectrum consortium founded by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group and for which Univision Local Media has signed a memorandum of understanding to join.

Hane most recently served as a partner in the Washington office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, a global law firm with a major technology practice, where he primarily focused on counseling clients in telecom, broadcast and technology sectors and was deeply involved in matters related to the development and regulatory approval of ATSC 3.0.

An adviser on spectrum matters, before joining Pillsbury Hane led a large satellite and wireless network development group. He is the inventor or co-inventor of four patents related to wireless and satellite spectrum.

Spectrum Co. said Hane’s appointment “reflects the consortium’s shared goal of promoting spectrum utilization, innovation and monetization by advancing the adoption of the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard across the broadcast industry.”

As president, he will oversee the development of the newly formed entity as it pursues advanced nationwide business opportunities made available by the new standard and aggregation of spectrum bandwidth.

Hane said in a statement: “The consortium’s strong commitment to innovation and the advancement of the local broadcast television industry through future digital technology capabilities, were strong factors in attracting me to this position. The trial in Dallas is a prime example of this leadership and is a priority for me.

“As president, I will utilize expertise and relationships built over my career to help broadcasters and station groups deliver new innovations and greater public service to local communities and businesses across the United States. Nationwide deployment of the NextGen network is a necessary first step in what is expected to be the most revolutionary development in broadcasting since the launch of television more than 75 years ago.

“For the first time, television stations’ technical infrastructure will be as important to companies and consumers that rely on wireless communications as it is to advertisers, brand managers and political campaigns.

“The unparalleled viewership and engagement of broadcasters’ local content offerings will become far better with NextGen broadcasting. I look forward to working with Spectrum Co. members to develop new sources of revenue and identify opportunities where we can best leverage the capacity of ATSC 3.0 networks to bring transformative new consumer and business-to-business services to market.”

Chris Ripley, Sinclair president-CEO, said: “John brings a wealth of experience across multiple industries with relevance for NextGen broadcasting. His leadership will be invaluable in opening doors and shaping new businesses through Spectrum Co. John’s background and knowledge of spectrum policy and solutions will add new dimensions to fuel the business of spectrum capacity optimization.”

Perry A. Sook, Nexstar chairman, president and CEO, said: “John’s wide-range of expertise in the technology, media and communications sectors, combined with his deep understanding of the complexities and dynamics related to NextGen broadcasting, make him ideally suited to lead Spectrum Co.

“He brings outstanding leadership and entrepreneurial skills to his new role at the consortium and a proven record of developing successful strategies that addressed a broad range of legal, regulatory, business development and transactional matters in our industry.

“We are energized by the many opportunities resulting from the transition to ATSC 3.0 and look forward to working with John as we execute our cohesive strategy to drive the next phase of innovation and growth in local broadcasting.”

Hane earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of Charleston and a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Prior to Pillsbury, he led satellite, wireless and digital video development projects at Pegasus Communications. He has also served as in-house counsel and a government affairs executive at NBC, New World Communications and Lockheed Martin.