ATSC president Richer to retire

Mark Richer, the long-time president of the US TV standards body the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) is to retire later this year.  Richer, who has led the standards development organization since 2000, previously served as ATSC Executive Director in 1996-97 in between senior technology leadership roles at PBS and Thomcast Communications.

Mark Richer

The ATSC Board of Directors has meanwhile elected Lynn Claudy of the National Association of Broadcasters as Board Chairman for 2019, succeeding Richard Friedel of Fox, who served as Chairman from 2016-18.

Claudy, who has been involved with the ATSC for three decades, is  the National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) SVP of technology.  He joined NAB in 1988 as a staff engineer and held positions of director of advanced engineering and technology and vice-president before assuming his present position in 1995. Claudy appointed Friedel to lead the search committee to identify the next ATSC President.

“t’s been an honour and a privilege to participate in the dynamic television industry over the years. I’m particularly proud of the ATSC’s role in redefining the future of television with ATSC 3.0, but our work isn’t done by any means. I look forward to assuring a smooth transition to new leadership in the months ahead,” said Richer.

“Mark is well known and respected for his leadership skills, deep industry knowledge, unwavering integrity, future-focused vision and wry sense of humour. With broadcaster deployments of ATSC 3.0 now underway, he’s going out on top. And while Mark will be missed, the ATSC is well positioned for the future,” said Claudy.