The NAB will start looking for a successor to David Rehr, who res...

is a summer project,” Jack Sander said in an interview. “It’s not a few days or a few weeks, but it’s also not going to be months and months.” The search committee may have eight to 12 members and include all those on the executive committees of the joint board and the TV and radio boards, said Sander, a senior adviser at Belo. But the boards’ membership will change with annual elections in June, so “we're kind of in a limbo state,” he said. “That’s going to slow the process down a little bit, but I can tell you we are going to move aggressively and quickly to get the search committee up and running.” Rehr said last week “it was a good time” for him to leave, after “a very good” annual show in April and a push for open mobile video standards, according to Sander. “I think he just looked at the calendar and said, ‘Is there ever a good time’ [to leave]? I think not,'” Sander said. “We supported that and, candidly, agreed with it.” The next president’s party affiliation won’t matter, and experience as a broadcaster would be an asset but not a requirement, Sander said. Some members want the NAB chief after Rehr, who had no broadcasting experience, to have worked in the industry or at least understand it from the start (CD May 8 p5). “I think there will be some good candidates” who lack radio or TV experience “but are smart enough to get up to speed” and do so “fast,” said Sander. “We've got broadcasters who can educate someone, but they have to be able to really understand our industry and the stresses our industry is going through.”