Walter Ransom Gail Baker (November 30, 1892 – October 30, 1960) was an American electrical engineer. He was a vice president of General Electric, and was Director of Engineering for the Radio Manufacturers Association (now the Electronic Industries Alliance). At the urging of James Lawrence Fly, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Baker founded the National Television System Committee, or NTSC, in 1940. He served as president of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) in 1947.

Biography

He was born in Lockport, New York, in 1892. He graduated from Union College with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1916. He took a job with General Electric in 1916 and worked on radio for military applications during World War I. He received a M.S. in electrical engineering from Union College, in 1919. He died on October 30, 1960.

Awards and honors

Walter Baker received following awards and honors: The call sign of (then)-General Electric owned television station in Schenectady, WRGB (then an NBC station, it joined CBS in 1981), was chosen in his honor.