Luncheon Address: Isn't This Where We Came In?

Joseph A. Flaherty received a degree in physics from the University of Rockhurst, Kansas City, Missouri, in 1952 and began his television career at WDAF-TV in that city. From 1953–1954 he served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps and in 1955 joined NBC-TV in New York City as a television engineer. In 1957, he joined CBS as a television design engineer. In 1959, he became the network's director of technical facilities planning, and in 1967 was promoted to general manager, and subsequently appointed vice president and general manager, engineering and development. He is responsible for all television and radio engineering and development activities for the CBS Broadcast Group, including planning and coordinating the development of new equipment and installation of technical facilities. He is a Fellow of the SMPTE and has been the SMPTE Vice President for Television Affairs and the SMPTE Executive Vice President. Mr. Flaherty is a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), United Kingdom, a Fellow of the Royal Television Society (RTS), United Kingdom, a member of the Society Fernseh-und Kinotechnischen Gasellschaft (FKTG), F. R. Germany, a member of the Societe des Electriciens, des Radiolectriciens (SEE), France, and an honorary member of the Institute of Television Engineers of Japan. Mr. Flaherty is chairman of the Planning Subcommittee of the FCC's Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service, a member of the Executive Committee of the Montreux International Television Symposium, a member of the Executive Committee of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), and a member of the USIA Advisory Committee on Television Telecommunications. Mr. Flaherty was a recipient of an Emmy Award citation for the CBS Minicam color camera in 1969 and was the 1974 recipient of the David Sarnoff Gold Medal for progress in television engineering. Mr. Flaherty received for CBS the 1975 technical Emmy Award for electronic news gathering, and in 1979 received the Montreux Achievement Gold Medal for the development of the concept and the operational implementation of electronic news gathering. In 1983, Mr. Flaherty was the recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Award. In 1984 he received the SMPTE Progress Medal Award. In February 1985 Mr. Flaherty was nominated to the rank of Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur by President Mitterand of the Republic of France. In September 1986 Mr. Flaherty received for CBS the Emmy Award for the electronic editing system for programs produced on film.