Next year should see broadcasters making advances in the continuing move to IP, greater use of cloud platforms and significant progress for two new wireless technologies: ATSC 3.0 and the various 5G services being rolled out by wireless carriers. Above, a Sony camcorder and prototype 5G transmitter were used to test camera backhauls over Verizon’s 5G network during a recent NBC NFL broadcast.

TV manufacturer Vizio has debuted Vizio Ads, a new business unit that will let brands, agencies and advertisers purchase TV ad inventory across the Vizio SmartCast platform. Ad inventory will be available within the launch and discovery environment, partner OTT apps and throughout Vizio’s WatchFree service.

A “very sophisticated” cyber attack on the software running KHQ’s news broadcasts has journalists at the Cowles Spokane, Wash., NBC affiliate reading off paper scripts and resorting to technical workarounds for video. “It’s very late ’90s all of a sudden in here,” said Traci Zeravica, director of content and communications for the station.

Currently in Phase 7 of its broadcast incentive auction repack, the FCC said that as of Dec. 6, 697 of 987 stations being repacked (71%) have moved off their pre-auction channels, with 79% of those having fully transitioned to permanent facilities.

America’s Public Television Stations is turning to an FCC rulemaking in an attempt to aid its five-year quest to involve public TV stations in a new national emergency communications system. “To leave public television stations … on the sidelines of the FirstNet infrastructure is to ignore a robust, reliable and ubiquitous partner whose public safety capabilities have proven effective in a variety of critical use cases,” APTS told the FCC in comments.

New Jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include openings for news producers at various Scripps stations acros the country, including an assistant news director for KUSI in San Diego and an IT network administrator for WINK in Fort Myers, Fla.

New jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include openings at Hearst’s KCCI Des Moines, Iowa, for a sales manager, broadcast IT manager and a research director.

Broadcasters are asking the FCC to make sure it protects incumbent newsgathering operations in the 6 GHz midband spectrum it is eyeing for unlicensed use.

Louis Libin, chairman of Election Wireless 2020, coordinates wireless requirements for broadcasters at the upcoming conventions, debates and election night. He says the repack has made assigning spectrum more challenging than ever, and that broadcasters must temper their expectations relative to past years.

Fox and AWS will collaborate on the construction of a “transformative 8K capable media platform on AWS to create, produce, and deliver live and on-demand content across traditional and digital platforms.”

The FCC’s Media Bureau is seeking comment on whether analog LPTV stations should be able to continue to program an analog radio service after the deadline to switch to digital.

He takes on responsibility for overseeing Sinclair’s participation in the global ecosystem development of NextGen broadcasting’s direct-to-mobile broadcast-5G convergence. He will also support the company’s international strategic vision for spectrum utilization.

Dalet’s Galaxy five platform uses the cloud to create a borderless newsroom with state-of-the-art remote production capabilities, while AI-enriched archives enable more diverse news stories for audiences across all viewing platforms.

OTT executives from CBS Local, Sinclair,  NBC News Digital and TownNews will share the latest insights on OTT news content, technological challenges and monetization potential for the platform at the seventh annual NewsTECHForum this month.

The new broadcast transmission facilities atop One World Trade Center are just the most visible of his numerous accomplishments. He was 71.

He will wrap up more than 45 years at the commission on Jan. 3, 2020. Chairman Ajit Pai praised him, saying: “If you have a device that uses the airwaves, the chances are that you’re benefiting from Julie’s efforts.”