Curriculum Vitae

This page provides a curriculum vitae for Jerry Whitaker, the principal individual of WhitakerAudio.

Summary

Jerry C. Whitaker is a broadcast engineering consultant. In 2025 he retired from ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, after 25 years of service. Mr. Whitaker supported the work of various ATSC Technology and Specialist Groups and assisted in the development of ATSC Standards and related documents. He served as Secretary for all ATSC Technology Group since 2000. He was also closely involved in work relating to educational programs.

Prior to joining ATSC, Mr. Whitaker headed the publishing company Technical Press, based in Morgan Hill, Calif. Mr. Whitaker is the author and editor of more than 35 books on technical topics, including: The SBE Broadcast Engineering Handbook; The Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering, 4th ed.; NAB Engineering Handbook, 9th ed.; DTV Handbook, 3rd ed.; and The Electronics Handbook, 2nd ed.

Mr. Whitaker is a Life Fellow the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and a Fellow of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). He has served as a Board member and Vice President of the SBE. He served as Chair of the SMPTE Fall Technical Conference Program Committee from 2007 until 2013, and as Chair of the SMPTE Journal Award Committee from 2005 until 2016.

Mr. Whitaker was previously Editor, Editorial Director, and Associate Publisher of Broadcast Engineering magazine and Video Systems magazine.

Mr. Whitaker was Chief Engineer for radio stations KRED-AM and KPDJ-FM in Eureka, CA. He also worked in radio and television news in Sacramento, CA, at KCRA-AM and KCRA-TV. His first experience in broadcast engineering came at KERS-FM, the campus radio station at California State University, Sacramento.

Mr. Whitaker twice received the Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Award from the Association of Business Publishers (ABP). He was also named “Educator of the Year” by the Society of Broadcast Engineers in 2002.

Employment History

• 2025 to present: Industry consultant (mostly retired…)
• 2000 to 2025: Vice President, Standards Development, Advanced Television Systems Committee, Washington, DC
• 1991 to 2000: Owner of publishing company Technical Press, Morgan Hill, CA
• 1983 to 1991: Editor, Editorial Director, Associate Publisher, Intertec Publishing (Broadcast Engineering magazine, Video Systems magazine), Overland Park, KS
• 1976 to 1983: Chief Engineer, Hoff Broadcasting (KRED-AM / KPDJ-FM), Eureka, CA
• 1974 to 1976: Television news producer, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA
• 1972 to 1974: Radio news editor, KCRA-AM, Sacramento, CA

Professional Societies and Organizations

• Society of Broadcast Engineers, Fellow
• Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Life Fellow

Conference Management Roles

• 2004 to 2007: Conference Chair, SMPTE Fall Technology Conference, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
• 1992 to 2000: Conference Chair, Broadcast Engineering Conference, National Association of Broadcasters
• 1989 to 1992: Conference Chair, World Media Expo, Society of Broadcast Engineers

Published Books

• AC Power Systems Handbook, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1991
• AC Power Systems Handbook, Second Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1999
• AC Power Systems Handbook, Third Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2006
• Audio/Video Professional’s Field Manual, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2002
• Audio/Video Protocol Handbook, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2002
• Communications Receivers, Second Edition, Co-author, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1996
• Communications Receivers, Third Edition, Co-author, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2001
• Communications Receivers, Fourth Edition, Co-author, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2017 (also Chinese edition)
• Digital Aural Studio-to-Transmitter Links: Fundamentals, Applications, Installation, Editor, TFT, Santa Clara, CA, 1994
• DTV: The Revolution in Electronic Imaging, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1998 (also Sony edition)
• DTV: The Revolution in Digital Video, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1999 (also Sony edition)
• DTV Handbook, Third Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2001
• Electronic Displays, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1994
• Electronic Systems Maintenance Handbook, Second Edition, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2001
• Interactive Television Demystified, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2001
• Interconnecting Electronic Systems, Co-author, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1992
• Maintaining Electronic Systems, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1991
• Master Handbook of Audio Production, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2003
• Master Handbook of Video Production, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2002
• Mastering Digital Television: The Complete Guide to the DTV Conversion, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2006
• Microelectronics, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1999
• Microelectronics, Second Edition, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2006
• Microwave and Wireless Synthesizers: Theory and Design, Second Edition, Co-author, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2021
• NAB Broadcast Engineering Handbook, Ninth Edition, Editor, National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, DC, 1999
• Power Vacuum Tubes Handbook, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1994
• Power Vacuum Tubes Handbook, Second Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1999
• Power Vacuum Tubes Handbook, Third Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2012
• Radio Frequency Transmission Systems: Design and Operation, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1990
• SBE Broadcast Engineering Handbook: Hands-on Guide to Station Design and Maintenance, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2016
• Semiconductor Devices and Circuits, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1999
• Signal Measurement, Analysis, and Testing, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 1999
• Standard Handbook of Audio and Radio Engineering, Second Edition, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2002
• Standard Handbook of Broadcast Engineering, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2005
• Technical Documentation and Process, Co-author, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2012
• Television and Audio Handbook for Technicians and Engineers, Co-editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1990 (also international edition)
• Television Engineering Handbook, Revised Edition, Co-editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1992
• Television Receivers: Digital Video for DTV, Cable, and Satellite, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2001
• The Communications Facility Design Handbook, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2000
• The Electronics Handbook, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1996
• The Electronics Handbook, Second Edition, Editor, Boca Raton, FL, 2005
• The Information Age Dictionary, Co-Editor, Intertec Publishing, Overland Park, KS, 1992
• The Resource Handbook of Electronics, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2001
• The RF Transmission Systems Handbook, Editor, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2002
• The TAB Guide to Vacuum Tube Audio, TAB Books, San Francisco, CA, 2011
• Video and Television Engineer’s Field Manual, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2000
• Video and Television Engineering Handbook, Third Edition, Co-editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2000
• Video and Television Engineering Handbook, Fourth Edition, Co-editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2003
• Video Display Engineering, Editor, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2001
• VM700A Configuration Guidebook, Editor, Tektronix, Beaverton, OR, 1994

Consulting Projects

• Radio Technician, TV series set at a 1970s radio station, season 1, 2025/2026, IMDB listing

Industry Awards and Recognition

• Educator of the Year, Society of Broadcast Engineers, 2002
• Jesse H Neal Certificate of Merit, Association of Business Publishers, 1984
• Jesse H Neal Certificate of Merit, Association of Business Publishers, 1986