Longtime ATSC 3.0 Champion Mark Aitken to be Honored with 2026 ATSC Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal
This article was first published by Dave Arland
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 20, 2026 — ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, today announced that Mark Aitken, President of ONE Media and Senior VP of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group, will be honored on June 2 as the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal.
This annual award honors individuals or teams who demonstrate exemplary leadership in advancing ATSC’s mission and embody the vision, tenacity, and commitment that defined the legacy of former longtime ATSC President Mark Richer. He led the organization through two decades of transformative innovation, from the original ATSC 1.0 standard to the launch of ATSC 3.0 next-generation standards.
The 2026 Richer Medal will be presented to Aitken during the ATSC’s 2026 NextGen Broadcast Conference during the first week of June in Washington. Registration is now open for the event.
Aitken was selected for the honor by the ATSC Board of Directors because of his longtime work to advance next-generation broadcasting both in the U.S. and throughout the world. Promoting ATSC 3.0 as the most flexible IP-based broadcasting option available to broadcasters, Aitken has invested significant energy and time to develop new avenues for ATSC 3.0 — particularly in India.
“From the beginning, as ATSC members began discussing how broadcasting should evolve to meet the changing needs of the industry and consumers, Mark Aitken has played a pivotal role in helping to build support for next-generation broadcasting as both an obvious upgrade for viewers but also for the new business opportunities that emerge with ATSC 3.0. With Mark’s leadership and personal engagement, the ATSC 3.0 standards have rapidly advanced to meet the needs of stakeholders and consumers throughout the world,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland. “Mark has also been instrumental as we sought to reimagine ATSC itself, not just as a television standards body but as THE Broadcast Standards Association. He exemplifies the very qualities that Mark Richer himself embodied during his leadership of ATSC.”
“I am deeply honored to receive the ATSC Mark Richer Medal, an award that carries special meaning because of Mark’s extraordinary legacy of technical leadership, collaboration, and service to the broadcasting community. This recognition belongs as much to the colleagues and partners who have worked alongside me to advance the future of broadcasting as it does to me,” Aitken said.
Aitken has spent more than four decades shaping the evolution of modern broadcasting technologies and standards, joining Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1999 after accumulating more than 25 years of industry experience with companies including CCA Electronics and COMARK, where he specialized in advanced RF and transmission technologies. Since joining Sinclair, he has led the company’s efforts in emerging broadcast technologies, spectrum innovation, advanced networking systems, and digital television deployment. As President of ONE Media Technologies, Aitken helped establish Sinclair’s technology innovation platform focused on developing advanced broadcast systems capable of integrating broadband, mobile connectivity, datacasting, and enhanced video delivery. Aitken currently serves on the boards of the ATSC and the Advanced Television Broadcast Alliance (ATBA), and previously served as a board member of Saankhya Labs, a semiconductor and software-defined networking company specializing in broadcast and wireless technologies. He is also an active member of professional organizations including IEEE, SMPTE, and the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE).
An accomplished inventor and author, Aitken holds multiple patents related to RF devices, broadcast architectures, and next-generation communication systems. He has written numerous technical papers focused on digital broadcasting strategies, advanced transmission systems, and emerging media technologies. His contributions to the industry have earned him several prestigious honors, including the NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award, the ATSC Bernard Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award, the Broadcasting & Cable Technology Leadership Award, and recognition as a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.