They make TV work

Leadership is not a spectatorsport, as James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, the authors of best-selling management books, like to say in their lectures. You have to be involved.

This is certainly true of BROADCASTING & CABLE's 2002 Technology Leadership Award winners. Each of the four has improved television through his innovative use of technology.

The foursome joining the list of technology's brightest lights honored by the magazine:

  • Kelly Alford, vice president of engineering for the Ackerley Media Group and a prime mover in broadcasting's centralcasting evolution.
  • David Mazza, vice president of engineering for NBC's Olympics coverage, whose job it is it to uncomplicate the technological feat of presenting so much programming from so many sites, with no time to spare.
  • Tim Thorsteinson, who as CEO for Grass Valley Group must now concentrate on building the company, recently acquired by Thomson Multimedia, by shrewd research and development.
  • Bob Zitter, senior vice president, technology operations, for HBO, who has helped make sure the pay giant leads in every technological advance from surround sound several years ago to HDTV today.

In the pages that follow, Ken Kerschbaumer, B&C assistant managing editor and technology expert, profiles our 2002 winners.