Walter Byron Emery was born September 28, 1907 in Howell, Ohio. Emery was involved in broadcasting and education for much of his career, serving on the Federal Communications Commission's legal staff in 1935, 1936, and from 1943 to 1953. Around 1955, Emery worked as a consultant for the Joint Committee on Educational Television (later the Joint Council on Educational Television). Emery served on the editorial board of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters Journal from 1957-1958, and editor of the same journal from 1961-1963. During this time, Emery worked as a professor at Michigan State University.
At other points in his career, Emery worked as the station director at WNAD, the University of Oklahoma's radio station, as a professor at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Wisconsin, Ohio State University, and Washington University. He died May 9, 1973, and is buried in Columbus, Ohio.
From the combined records of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB), held by the University of Maryland and the Wisconsin Historical Society, and compiled as part of the Unlocking the Airwaves project (unlockingtheairwaves.org).