Indianapolis - Jun 15, 2011 - The Society of Broadcast Engineers annual membership drive concluded May 31, 2011, with a total of 202 new members. This is an increase of 34 percent compared to the 2010 membership drive.

Fifty-five members recruited 72 new members during the three-month drive. Of the 72 new members, three were sustaining members; companies that provide products and services to the broadcasting industry. An additional 130 members joined the SBE during the membership drive without indicating a sponsor's name.

Each member who recruited a new member was entered into a drawing to win prizes donated by the SBE sustaining members and the SBE. The grand prize winner, who receives an expense-paid trip to the SBE National Meeting in Columbus, OH, this September, was Eddie Durham of Chapter 72, the Blue Ridge Chapter, in southwestern Virginia.

Other prizes awarded included logo shirts, books, tools and other logoed items.

The SBE Golden Recruiter Award recognizes a chapter in each size division with the highest percentage of current SBE members participating in the member drive.
Class A (chapters with fewer members than the national medium): Chapter 118 in Montgomery, AL.
Class B (chapters with more members than the national medium): Chapter 7 in Jacksonville, FL.