Indianapolis, IN - Apr 10, 2008 - The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) and the National Football League (NFL) have signed a new agreement for the SBE/NFL Game Day Coordination (GDC) program during the 2008 NFL Football Season. For the past nine NFL football seasons, the SBE and the NFL have worked together to jointly administer a frequency coordination and database management program for football games, to promote an interference-free and harmonious environment for wireless operations, including broadcast radio and television, emergency, game operations, food service and other communications prior to and during NFL football games.

Like preceding agreements, the new SBE/NFL GDC agreement commits the SBE to provide Game Day Coordinators at NFL games and to administer the GDC program during the 2008/09 NFL season. The program operates as an adjunct to SBE's Frequency Coordination program.

The new agreement also begins a transition. Because of the maturation of the GDC program and the increased value that the NFL places on the program as an integral part of game operations within NFL stadiums, the NFL and SBE have decided that after the 2008 season, the GDC program will be administered directly by the NFL. Game Day Coordinators will at that time be retained directly by the NFL.

As part of the transition, the SBE will initiate an educational training program for broadcast engineers in the growing area of event frequency coordination, which will allow the SBE to continue to support the GDC program and other similar programs through training, education and referrals of competent event frequency coordinators to the NFL and other organizations. SBE President Barry Thomas said, "The SBE looks forward to helping the NFL with the natural transition in our successful alliance. We expect that our new educational efforts will offer additional contributions and professional opportunities for broadcast engineers."