First chair of the DVB Project recognized with fellowship

At the recent 2023 General Assembly, DVB’s chair Peter MacAvock announced that the person who first held that position has been made an Honorary Fellow of the DVB Project. Peter Kahl was sadly unable to be present in person for the ceremony, but sent his warm regards from his home near Bonn, Germany.

Working for Deutsche Telekom at the time, Peter Kahl was a member of the European Launching Group, which was a precursor to the DVB Project. When the project was being set up in 1993, it required a chair who could understand the perspectives, views, and needs of all stakeholders. Peter Kahl was put forward and universally supported as the historic first chair of the DVB Project. He was replaced in 1996 by Theo Peek.

The montage above shows him as he appeared in a promotional video at the time of DVB’s launch, along with a more recent photograph.

Peter MacAvock said: “As the first DVB chair, Peter Kahl was among the visionaries that saw what impact a European industry-led initiative could have in uniting the industry behind a common goal: the digitization of analogue TV.”

Honorary Fellows

Honorary Fellowship of the DVB Project aims to recognize significant individuals who have made sustained and substantial contributions to DVB over the years. The award was created by the DVB Steering Board in 2006 and represents the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a participant in the work of the DVB Project.

The previous recipients of the award are: Ian Childs, Theo Peek, Daniel Sauvet-Goichon, Ulrich Reimers, John Bigeni, Nick Wells, Phil Laven, Helmut Stein, Graham Mills and Alberto Morello. More information here.