Publications
Skip Pizzi is a media consultant specializing in broadcast technology applications, with a distinguished career spanning broadcasting, publishing, communications policy, and emerging media systems.
Industry Experience
NAB
Skip Pizzi held several high-level technology leadership roles at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) across a decade with the organization, most notably serving as the Vice President of Technology Education and Outreach from 2016 until 2020 where he directed all of the company’s physical and virtual technical education efforts. Previously, from 2010 to 2016 he served as the Senior Director, New Media Technologies advising NAB and its members on digital strategies, as well as representing member interests and serving in leadership positions at standards organizations including the ATSC, UltraHD Forum, and RadioDNS.
His work at NAB focused on development of the ATSC 3.0 standards suite; managing the technical program for the annual Broadcast Engineering and IT (BEIT) Conference and NAB Futures events; organizing Futures Park exhibitions at the annual NAB Show, which showcased global media R&D projects; presenting technology webcasts for NAB members; directing NAB technology-education scholarship, internship and grant projects; and participating in various NAB training and publication programs.
Microsoft
Skip’s background includes 11 years at Microsoft Corporation, where he served as Senior Policy Analyst in the company’s Entertainment and Devices Division, advising its legal staff and outside counsel on technical issues, informing product developers about pertinent regulatory requirements, and developing the company’s media-related public and business policies. He also represented Microsoft in digital broadcast regulatory and standards organizations worldwide, and provided corporate liaison to the broadcast technology industry.
NPR
Earlier in his career, Skip spent 13 years at National Public Radio (NPR) as an Audio Engineer, Engineering Supervisor, and Technical Director for numerous award-winning programs. During this time, he also founded NPR’s technical training program.
Technology Publication Editor
Skip was Technology Editor of Radio Ink magazine, where he produced the monthly Tech Ink section and writes the long-running “Cliff Effect” column. Previously, he was a Contributing Editor at Radio World, authoring the “Big Picture” column in every issue, and Editor-in-Chief at Intertec Publishing Corporation, publisher of Broadcast Engineering and BE Radio (now Radio) magazines.
Media Technology Author
He is the author of Digital Radio Basics (1992), the world’s first book on DAB, and co-author of Audio Over IP (Focal Press, 2009) with Steve Church. He has contributed to several leading reference works, including the NAB Engineering Handbook, McGraw Hill’s Digital Consumer Electronics Handbook, and the CRC/IEEE Press Electronics Handbook.
Skip has advised broadcasters worldwide in both the commercial and public sectors. He is currently working on a NAB FASTROAD–funded project to develop an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for digital radio in the United States, as well as a forthcoming book on IP-based audio systems for Focal Press.
Publications
Media Event Speaker
A frequent speaker at international conferences on broadcasting, audio, and music, Skip has co-chaired the Surround Sound Audio Task Group of the U.S. National Radio Systems Committee and served as a judge for the National Television Academy’s Technical Emmy® Awards.
Education
He holds a B.A. from Georgetown University, with studies in Fine Arts, International Economics, and Electrical Engineering.