A Conversation with Christian Siebeneck, Chief Technology and Operations Officer
What sets TPT apart in public media?
Christian Siebeneck joined Twin Cities PBS (TPT) as Chief Technology Officer in December of 2021 and was promoted in 2022 to also serve as the Chief Operations Officer. This is an abridged version of our conversation. You can read the full interview at tpt.org/MeetChristian.
As a community licensee we're able to support the community without being controlled by a university or state entity like many stations are. This gives TPT more flexibility to innovate and change what we do as an organization.
What excites you about public media?
What innovation are you working on now?
What really motivated me to work in public media is that I was able to go from serving shareholders to being able to support a mission. It is very rewarding to know that people depend on the work you do. I have had members share with me that PBS was their only connection to the outside world, and they relied on that connection. Some of my favorite moments in public media have been when I get to talk with members, work through their issues, and make sure they are getting the programming they rely on.
A lot of the work we've been doing has been inward facing to increase security and responsiveness to viewers. This summer, we are replacing our antenna due to age so that we can continue to serve our broadcast audience. We are also transitioning to a new system to support our viewer services so that we can provide faster and more personalized service to our viewers, members, and donors. We are also working to update and enhance our digital platforms, to increase the number and quality of digital offerings. The most exciting upcoming effort is ATSC 3.0, the next generation of broadcast technology. We're hopeful we'll be able to launch a signal within the next year. ATSC 3.0 will give us the opportunities to enhance audio and video, and will give us the potential to add more channels to our broadcast lineup, giving viewers even more options than they have today. ATSC 3.0 also gives us the opportunity to provide greater support for public health and safety initiatives through datacasting, a capability that allows us to send secure messages to public health and safety officials over our antenna.
What is your TPT fun fact?
TPT has one of the largest production studios in the Midwest.
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AUGUST 2023
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