News

Running a successful LPTV station demands more than managing transmitters—it requires vision, resilience, and leadership. ATBA Executive Director Lee Allen Miller shares timeless principles of entrepreneurial leadership adapted from his book, Entrepreneurship God’s Way, in a secular context:

Lead with Purpose: Know your “why” and align your station’s mission with real community value.

Stay Adaptable: In a rapidly changing tech environment, adaptability is a superpower.

Build Strong Teams: Success grows through collaboration—hire people who share your values.

Think Long-Term: Build systems, relationships, and strategies that are sustainable.

Maintain Integrity: In both business and broadcasting, trust is your strongest currency.

These principles are relevant whether you’re launching your first LPTV venture or navigating the next phase of digital expansion. ATBA will continue offering leadership insights in future issues and events.

The Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (ATBA) is proud to announce the election of Kristina Bruni as the incoming Chair of the organization. She will be formally installed at the Annual ATBA Board Meeting on April 5, 2025, during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas.

Kristina Bruni is a seasoned leader in communications network development, with over 20 years of experience spanning digital out-of-home and broadcast television networks. From 2011 to 2017, she spearheaded the ground-up construction of more than 55 Low Power Television (LPTV) stations, overseeing every aspect of the projects—from engineering and equipment sourcing to deployment management, FCC compliance, and reporting. Recognized as one of the industry’s most accomplished LPTV construction managers, Bruni brings unparalleled expertise in building and managing broadcast infrastructure.

She currently serves as the Managing Member of Fair Play Broadcasting LLC, a company that has made significant strides in acquiring and operating LPTV stations across the United States. Under her leadership, Fair Play Broadcasting has expanded its portfolio with notable acquisitions in key markets such as Santa Barbara, Miami, and throughout the southern U.S.

As the new Chair of ATBA, Bruni brings a bold vision and deep commitment to advancing the future of LPTV and over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting. She takes the helm from Robert Folliard, who will continue to support the organization in his role as Immediate Past Chair. Also continuing in their leadership roles are Heidi Steffen of TitanTV as Vice Chair and Irwin Podhajser as Secretary/Treasurer.

Additionally, the ATBA board welcomes Alessandro Annoni of Rohde & Schwarz, who joins as a newly appointed board member. His global perspective and technical leadership further strengthen the Alliance’s strategic direction.

ATBA is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to advocating for and supporting the Low Power Television and OTT industries. With Kristina Bruni’s leadership, the Alliance is poised to accelerate its mission of promoting localism, technological innovation, and expanded access to broadcasting opportunities.

Please join us in congratulating Kristina Bruni and welcoming her into this pivotal role as ATBA continues to shape the future of broadcast and streaming media.

As the National Association of Broadcasters prepares to open the show floor in Las Vegas for NAB 2025, one thing is clear: artificial intelligence isn’t a futuristic buzzword anymore—it’s front and center in broadcast, from production trucks to the living room couch. And for Low Power Television (LPTV) stations operating on thinner margins and leaner teams, AI might just be the technological equalizer they’ve been waiting for.

While the industry giants tout 8K displays and cloud-driven virtual sets, LPTV operators attending this year’s show will want to pay close attention to the growing lineup of AI-powered tools tailored for streamlined content production, smarter signal optimization, and enhanced viewer engagement.

From Pixellot to Prime Time

On the production side, AI-powered camera systems like those from Pixellot are disrupting the need for full crews. These autonomous camera setups—capable of tracking sports and live events in real-time—have the potential to bring professional-quality coverage to high school football games, local rodeos, and regional political forums. For LPTVs covering community events with limited staff, it’s a plug-and-play game changer.

Virtual Anchors and Real Opportunity

In the realm of AI-generated talent, broadcasters in Asia and Europe have already rolled out virtual news anchors. While this may seem a novelty, the real value for LPTV stations lies in localization. AI-driven avatars could soon deliver daily news briefs in multiple languages or dialects without the need for a full-time studio team—perfect for multicultural and bilingual markets.

Expect vendors on the NAB floor to demo voice cloning, avatar rendering, and script-to-video software that could slash production costs while maintaining a polished on-air look.

Augmented Broadcasts: NFL Sets the Tone

Major networks like NBC are leaning into AI-enhanced viewing. Their recent Madden NFL simulcast, integrating video game-style visuals with real-time player data, points to a new era of immersive sports broadcasting. While LPTVs might not simulcast the Super Bowl anytime soon, the underlying tech—data overlays, automated replay tagging, and audience analytics—will trickle down and become accessible for regional sports and community programming.

Sound, Picture, and the AI-Optimized Home Viewer

TV manufacturers like Samsung are embedding AI into displays, adjusting sound and picture based on ambient noise and lighting conditions. For LPTV stations, this means ensuring signal quality and broadcast content remain adaptable and optimized for next-gen devices. Ask vendors about AI-enhanced upscaling and how your station's signal will perform on AI-boosted hardware.

The Editorial Edge: Content Classification and Compliance

Behind the scenes, AI is helping stations organize and tag footage automatically. The BBC’s deep learning initiative, for instance, classifies shows based on audio and visual patterns. Smaller stations can benefit from similar tools to meet FCC compliance, streamline ad insertion, or even automate closed captioning and accessibility services.

Also, don’t overlook how AI is being used for personalization algorithms in OTT environments. As more LPTVs explore streaming via ATSC 3.0’s hybrid capabilities, these engines will become vital to keeping viewers engaged—and advertisers interested.

A Personal Touch: Accessibility and Ethics

One of the most compelling uses of AI has been in accessibility. Israeli journalist Moshe Nussbaum, battling ALS, returned to TV using AI to replicate his voice. For LPTV operators committed to serving aging or disabled audiences, these advances may soon provide new ways to feature talent and tell stories that would otherwise be lost.

But with new technology comes new responsibility. Stations need to weigh the ethical and legal implications of AI-generated content, especially in news environments.

What to Watch for at NAB 2025

Here are a few booths and demos that LPTV operators shouldn’t miss:

Black Box: Showcasing real-time AI media routing and KVM switching that could streamline station control rooms.

Pixellot: Autonomous sports production—ideal for small-market or regional stations covering live events.

AI News Anchors & Voice Tools: Multiple vendors will unveil tools allowing creation of synthetic newscasts, voiceovers, and language localization.

Augmented Reality Broadcast Toolkits: See how sports broadcasters are using AR overlays—and how that might adapt to local event coverage.

Cloud-Based Editing and Captioning Suites: Leveraging AI to auto-generate subtitles, simplify compliance, and cut turnaround time.

The Bottom Line for LPTV

Artificial intelligence isn’t just for the networks with Super Bowl rights and Hollywood budgets. In 2025, it’s shaping up to be the most accessible game-changing technology since digital transition. Whether your LPTV station is looking to automate production, improve monetization, or simply stay competitive, NAB 2025 offers a front-row seat to AI’s future—and perhaps your own.

Create, monetize, distribute, control and monitor ATSC or DVB/ISDB-T content from a single facility. Distribute to multiple transmitters using SRT

Princeton NJ, March 1, 2025

In the rapidly evolving broadcast landscape, operators face unique challenges—limited channel capacity, rising operational costs, and the need to monetize assets in a competitive market.

The iBeam Platform is designed to help broadcast operators maximize the value of their licensed spectrum while minimizing operational costs. Key benefits include:

• Double channel count with better video quality using H.264 and MPEG-2
• Increase revenue through server-side dynamic ad insertion
• Streamline operations with centralized management and SRT-based transport.
• Enhance QoS with cost-effective and reliable centralized monitoring

Already successfully delivered to Bridge Media Networks, which has centralized the operation of 80+ facilities nationwide with iBeam technology. Using H.264/MPEG-4 compression, they have increased their channel count and enhanced picture quality while maintaining compliance with ATSC 1.0 standards. Using SRT transport instead of fiber or satellite to distribute ATSC programming has proven highly reliable and cost-effective.

According to Kumar Ramaswamy, President of igolgi, “iBeam allows any organization with multiple stations to easily manage the distribution and monitoring of content to any transmitter in any location with internet capabilities. This streamlines operations and enables quick additions or changes.”

Ramaswamy continued, “A key feature of the iBeam platform is its ability to utilize server-side commercial insertion. This feature allows each location to directly insert commercial or interstitial material from the NOC, significantly streamlining network operations and reducing costs. iBeam has demonstrated itself as a comprehensive solution for remote operations across multiple sites.”

igolgi will be at booth 3852 West Hall at NAB 2025 in Las Vegas, April 6-9, 2025

About igolgi:
igolgi engineers are experts in all forms of compression technologies. The igolgi development team has been issued over 250 compression-related pa

PLYMOUTH, Wis. — March 14, 2025 — Heartland Video Systems, Inc. (HVS), a leader in video systems integration and ATSC 3.0 solutions, collaborated with the FOX Television Stations in Los  Angeles to configure and deploy a custom Statistical Multiplexing (StatMux) solution for KTTV (Los Angeles). Designed to optimize bandwidth allocation without impacting ATSC 3.0 tuners, this advanced configuration ensured a superior broadcast experience for The Big Game that aired on  February 9th. 

Leveraging its state-of-the-art ATSC 3.0 lab in Plymouth, WI, HVS pre-qualified multiple StatMux scenarios before implementing the final configuration at KTTV’s ATSC 3.0 Lighthouse station.  This deployment significantly increased the FOX program feed’s bitrate from an average of 4 Mb/s  per service to a dynamic range of 6-10 Mb/s, optimizing video quality without compromising other program streams. 

For the Los Angeles ATSC 3.0 market, HVS integrated a Synamedia virtual Digital Content  Manager (vDCM) encoding platform and a Triveni Digital ATSC 3.0 air chain to form an intelligent  StatMux system. This approach allowed FOX’s primary feed to dynamically allocate bandwidth based on content complexity while simultaneously improving bitrates for other services. HVS also enabled Dolby® Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos mixing, elevating both the visual and audio experience for viewers. 

"Heartland Video Systems was the ideal partner to bring our ATSC 3.0 StatMux vision to life at  KTTV in Los Angeles,” said Tim Joyce, SVP of Engineering, Operations, and Technology, FOX  Television Stations. “Their expertise helped us not only enhance bandwidth efficiency but also introduce Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, delivering a next-level experience for our viewers. We  look forward to extending this innovation across our ATSC 3.0 Lighthouse markets." 

Anne Schelle, Managing Director, Pearl TV, agrees: "The success of this project underscores the  power of ATSC 3.0 in delivering next-gen broadcast experiences. Through collaborations with  FOX, Synamedia, and Heartland, we’re showcasing how custom StatMux solutions and cutting edge features like Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos redefine broadcast quality." 

"HVS continues to lead ATSC 3.0 innovation, driving real-world solutions that enhance both broadcaster efficiency and viewer experience. The deployment at KTTV highlights the power of collaboration in advancing NEXTGEN TV technologies," commented Madeleine Noland,  President, of ATSC. 

HVS remains committed to pushing the boundaries of ATSC 3.0 through strategic partnerships and technical excellence.

Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories  Licensing Corporation. 

About Heartland Video Systems 

Heartland Video Systems (HVS) has been supplying the U.S. with quality communication equipment, professional installation services, and ongoing technical support for 20+ years. HVS  is a proud member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), an honored recipient of a 2010  Engineering Excellence Award, and a voting member of ATSC. 

HVS has partnered with a multitude of major communication equipment manufacturers to provide technologies for all links in the broadcast chain. HVS offers a wide selection of manufacturers,  enabling customers to easily choose the products they need while enjoying excellent customer service. HVS caters to many multimedia production platforms, including television stations,  broadcasting stations, colleges and universities, and postproduction facilities. We look forward to the opportunity to assist you in the audio and video equipment supply field. 

Contact:
For further information: Heartland Video Systems, Inc. Website: www.hvs-inc.com
Joseph Turbolski
Marketing Manager & Sales Tel: +1 413 896 4859
Email: [email protected]