Walk into a broadcast control room anywhere in Eastern Europe or Central Asia from the hillsides of Tbilisi to the city buzz of Yerevan, from the production studios of Chisinau to the rapidly transforming media hubs of Uzbekistan and you’ll find a silent, reliable connection threading through the equipment. That thread, more often than not, leads back to Davit Robakidze, a broadcast engineer whose work has brought an unprecedented flow of American technical standards into a region undergoing fast, digital modernization.
His influence stretches across continents, across technologies, and across generations of engineers. Yet the story of how he came to occupy this position as a trainer, auditor, systems designer, standards advocate, and bridge-builder is a story of structure, vision, and a deliberate push to bring the world’s most established broadcast engineering methodology to new environments.
This is the story behind the work.
BUILDING A FRAMEWORK WHERE NONE EXISTED
When Davit Robakidze founded the Incorporation of Eastern European Broadcast Engineers (IEEBE), he was not merely starting another professional group. He was constructing the first organized and sustainable channel through which the entire region could access American broadcast education and certification. IEEBE’s recognition as SBE Chapter 148 formalized this role. The Society of Broadcast Engineers accepts only organizations that demonstrate structural rigor, a clear educational mission, and a commitment to upholding professional standards, all of which were embedded in IEEBE’s foundation.
For engineers in countries where American broadcast methodology had long been admired but was rarely accessible, the creation of this chapter shifted the landscape. No longer did professionals need to rely on solitary study or prohibitively expensive travel; they now had a regionally embedded institution aligned with the very organizations shaping global broadcast engineering.
THE ROLE OF A FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN, AND HONORARY MEMBER
As Founder, Chairman, and eventually Honorary Member of IEEBE, Robakidze crafted a structure that blended U.S. engineering principles with local realities. Under his leadership, the chapter developed standardized training paths, American-style project evaluations, multilingual support, and continuing-education systems that mirrored those used within the United States. These components created the first cohesive ecosystem in the region capable of preparing engineers for certification and for the practical demands of modern facilities.
What Robakidze built was not simply a training center; it was access itself.
A DOUBLE HONOR IN 2024 AND 2025
Peer judgment carries a special significance in the engineering world, where mastery is proven through systems that work, standards that endure, and innovations that withstand time and scrutiny. In 2024 and again in 2025, an international evaluation board, which included senior representatives from the Society of Broadcast Engineers (USA), named Robakidze the “Best Broadcast Engineer in Eastern Europe.” Within the profession, this distinction is regarded as one of the most serious forms of recognition, because it acknowledges both technical excellence and the ability to raise the standard of engineering beyond one’s own work.
An SBE Board member described the depth of Robakidze’s impact by noting that his work “represents the continuation of American broadcast engineering values in new markets,” emphasizing that he is not simply applying U.S. standards, but building the local capacity to use them at scale. This kind of recognition, repeated across two years, underscores the trust placed in his expertise, and in his leadership.
THE SIGNAL
One of the defining indicators of Robakidze’s influence is his continued presence in The Signal, the official nationwide publication of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. As the only U.S. magazine dedicated exclusively to broadcast engineering, The Signal does not publish general-interest profiles or promotional content. It publishes the work of engineers whose contributions are relevant to the American technical community.
The fact that multiple articles about Robakidze’s work have appeared in this publication places him among a small number of international professionals whose achievements are considered significant enough to be showcased within the authoritative voice of American broadcast engineering.
SYSTEM DESIGN THAT CHANGES HOW STATIONS WORK
As Chief Technical Officer of Innovator LLC, Robakidze has been at the helm of the region’s most ambitious broadcast modernization initiatives. His leadership has brought fully IP-based radio and television infrastructures into environments that previously relied on analog routing or early-generation digital systems. He has guided broadcasters through the transition to AI-supported production workflows and helped them adopt 4K-ready processing pipelines compatible with current and future standards.
Perhaps most notably, he led the creation of Georgia’s first fully IP-based radio broadcast infrastructure, a milestone that demonstrated how traditional broadcast operations could be reimagined using modern, network-driven architecture. His expertise in SMPTE ST 2110 a standard originating in the United States has helped numerous broadcasters migrate away from SDI systems and into IP-native production environments that are more flexible, scalable, and technically aligned with international best practices.
In every modernization project he leads, Robakidze ensures compatibility with globally recognized American manufacturers such as Ross Video, Sony, Vizrt, and Nautel. This alignment ensures that broadcasters across Eastern Europe operate at a technical level consistent with U.S. counterparts, making future upgrades seamless and integrating regional facilities into global workflows.
A DISTINCTIVE ROLE: AUDITOR AND EDUCATOR
Robakidze’s work as a technical auditor has had a profound influence on engineering culture throughout Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and neighboring countries. His audits follow the professional guidelines of the SBE and NAB, applying the same rigor used within American broadcast institutions. These evaluations examine workflow consistency, engineering accuracy, system efficiency, and overall compliance with international standards.
What distinguishes Robakidze’s audits, however, is what happens afterward. Every evaluation results in detailed recommendations, followed by targeted training sessions designed specifically to address the weaknesses uncovered during the audit process. In this way, Robakidze is not only assessing technical environments, he is actively raising their standard. Stations gain improved workflows; engineers gain new skills; and entire organizations gain a deeper understanding of the methodologies that govern U.S. broadcast practices.
This dual role- part auditor, part educator -is rare in the industry, and it has positioned Robakidze as a central figure in professional development across multiple countries.
A TEACHER WITH THREE ADVANCED U.S. CERTIFICATIONS
Robakidze’s work as an educator is grounded in the three advanced certifications he holds from the Society of Broadcast Engineers: Certified Broadcast Television Engineer (CBTE), Certified Broadcast Networking Engineer (CBNE), and Certified Television Operator (CTO). Together, these credentials form a comprehensive foundation that spans television engineering, networking principles, and operational broadcasting.
Through the IEEBE training center, he has taught hundreds of engineers, many of whom now hold essential positions across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His courses adopt the same structured approach used within American engineering education, emphasizing practical application, rigorous evaluation, and long-term mastery of broadcast fundamentals.
In addition to classroom instruction, Robakidze maintains a large multilingual online education platform across YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. His free tutorials in Georgian, English, and Russian have become some of the most widely followed educational resources in the region, providing engineers of all levels with access to American-standard training without cost barriers.
PRESENCE AT THE WORLD’S LARGEST INDUSTRY SHOWS
Robakidze’s commitment to global engagement extends to the world’s two most important broadcast engineering exhibitions: IBC Amsterdam and NAB Las Vegas. These events provide unparalleled access to emerging technologies, international standards, and cutting-edge product development. His consistent participation ensures that he remains deeply connected to the global broadcast engineering community.
At NAB 2025, Robakidze achieved a particularly notable milestone when he delivered a technical seminar to American engineers on advanced IP architectures and AI-based production workflows. Considering how selective NAB is in choosing presenters, especially from outside the United States, this moment underscored his status as a respected international authority. It also completed a full circle: the engineer who brought American standards to Eastern Europe was now sharing regional insights back with American professionals.
A SHARED LANGUAGE FOR ENGINEERING
Across all his roles, Robakidze maintains a clear philosophical approach. As he puts it, “When we educate engineers to use the same standards from Tbilisi to New York, we create a shared language for broadcast innovation.” This belief drives his work as a systems designer, an auditor, an educator, and a mentor. Standards, in his view, are not just technical frameworks: they are a common language that enables engineers from different countries, backgrounds, and infrastructures to work together effectively.
THE IMPACT OF ONE ENGINEER
In the rapidly evolving broadcast landscape of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Davit Robakidze’s work represents a rare convergence of technical expertise, educational leadership, and cultural bridge-building. His influence is visible in the systems that power regional broadcasters, in the training programs that prepare engineers for modern workflows, in the audits that elevate industry practice, and in the international recognition that validates his contributions.
By aligning local engineering culture with American standards, Robakidze has played a central role in bringing the region into the global broadcast conversation. His work demonstrates how one individual, equipped with structure, certification, and vision, can transform not only organizations, but the professional identity of an entire region.
His systems improve how broadcasters operate.
His mentorship improves how engineers think.
And his leadership ensures that the technical language spoken across continents remains shared, precise, and forward-looking.
By Kesaria Katcharava
