Legends Behind the Lens: Deb Honkus The iconic CEO crafted NEP Broadcasting into a global remote production superpower By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Monday, June 29, 2020 - 12:00 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The story of American sports television is engrained in the history of this nation, rising on the achievements of countless incredible men and women who never once appeared on our screens. During this pause in live sports, SVG is proud to present a celebration of this great industry. Legends Behind the Lens is a look at how we got here seen through the people who willed it to be. Each weekday, we will share with you the story of a person whose impact on the sports-television industry is indelible.
Legends Behind the Lens is presented in association with the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund. In these trying times - with so many video-production professionals out of work - we hope that you will consider (if you are able) donating to the Sports Broadcasting Fund. Do so by visiting sportsbroadcastfund.org.
___________________________
By Karen Hogan Ketchum
Former NEP Broadcasting CEO Deb Honkus has grown up alongside her remote-production trucks. In more than 30 years, she has built compelling client relationships that make her more a friend than a service provider. Her mobile units have supported every major sports event in the country, and her influence is felt among clients, colleagues, and friends around the world.
Deb has steered NEP to its position as the gold standard in the remote-facility business, says Howard Katz, SVP of broadcasting and media operations for the NFL. She has been a pioneer both as a woman in the field and in the field itself. As the television networks made the decision to get out of the truck business because of the capital-intensive nature of it, she and her colleagues had a vision to fill that void and the fortitude to step into it. Her success has been remarkable.
She Wore Many Hats
A native of Pittsburgh, Honkus began her career with Total Communications Systems (TCS) in 1978. With just one truck in the company's arsenal, Honkus's first job was covering Penn State football games, but a single title could not define her role.
She grew up with the remote business, says John Roch , senior technical manager for NEP. At TCS, she was running the business, taking orders, doing sales. She knew the remote television industry from its inception. Between her, Tommy Shelburne, and George Wensel, they are the reason why this industry succeeded.
In 1986, TCS merged with NEP, and Honkus became the general manager of the newly formed NEP. Renowned for being tough but fair and transparent in all of her interactions, she rose to vice president, president, and now CEO.
She was one of the original employees, and she's worn many hats, from owner to CEO, to operations manager, to visionary, says Dave Mazza, SVP of engineering for NBC Olympics. With all of her clients, she's considered a good friend to the people to whom she delivers services, and she is compassionate with her employees such that they always feel they have a shoulder to cry on. Her relationships in this industry are unique.
At the Helm
As she manages the day-to-day operations of the nation's largest television-production-services company, Honkus prioritizes the human capital of her company. For her, communication and teamwork have been as important to NEP's success as engineering and operations.
Debbie is concerned about people, first and foremost, says Eric Thomas, technical manager for NEP. She can be tough in a negotiation session, but she's concerned about the people involved in this business. She works us hard but always makes sure that we have time to see our mothers on Mother's Day.
With a communicate, communicate, follow up, follow up mantra and a philosophy of treating everyone at NEP like family, it is no surprise that Honkus's relationships run deep not only within her company but throughout the sports-broadcasting industry.
Deb is a brilliant strategist ,and she knows exactly what our clients want, explains NEP CTO George Hoover. She has the pulse of the industry. She knows everybody, talks to everybody, has relationships with everybody. From a camera guy on Monday Night Football to top executives at networks and leagues, Deb knows them all.
Taking NEP to a New Level
Those relationships have helped NEP obtain some of the biggest jobs in sports production, broadcast over every major sports network, including Super Bowls, Olympic Games, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, PGA Tours, NASCAR, and U.S. golf and tennis opens.
Especially after her partner George Wensel died in 1995, Deb took NEP and moved it to a different level, explains Ken Aagaard, EVP of Operations, Production, and Engineering for CBS Sports. She's been able to do that because she has such a dynamic personality. She's a good listener, and you know that she's going to put you in a win-win situation as it relates to facilities and people. At almost every big event, you'll find some piece of NEP, and that says a lot.
Adds Tom McCracken, director of corporate development for NEP, A lot of the reason the company took off after George passed was her hard work and her dedication to the company and to the families of the employees. She always wants to move the company forward, but she is a very giving person.
People Are Her Priority
Among Honkus's accomplishments are serving as host broadcaster for the 1987 Pan Am Games, delivering support for multiple Olympic Games, and supporting back-to-back America's Cup events in 1993-94. Despite the multiple awards and accolades she has earned, she defers her success to the people with whom she works.
My priority
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
Legends Behind the Lens: Deb Honkus The iconic CEO crafted NEP Broadcasting into a global remote production superpower By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
