[BC] NFL pleading poverty

[Robert Meuser]

Mario Hieb, P.E. wrote:
> Event frequency coordination is different than local frequency 
> coordination. The local stations are known by the FCC as "incumbents." 
> When an event comes to town and uses a large number of frequencies, the 
> event is liable for any interference. By the way, most local 
> coordinators are paid appropriately by their employer, the local stations.
> 
> So let's say the Super Bowl comes to your city. Does the local station 
> (incumbent) pay for coordination (no)? Does the TV rightsholding network 
> pay (no)? Does the NFL pay (no)? In my opinion, the NFL and the TV 
> rightsholder should pay; they are the ones using the spectrum and 
> causing the interference. This is how we do it in the Olympics with 
> great success.

I deal with a lot of sporting events. For major events, we have our own paid on 
site co-odinator who does internal co-ordination and is a double check to the 
main event coordinator. Plus that gives us our own spectrum analyzers, scanners 
to locate problems quickly.

> It's really a matter of principle. As professionals, we should stand up 
> for each other when it comes to appropriate compensation. If your boss 
> called me up and said, "Ron Castro is making too much money. I'd like to 
> fire him and hire you," my reply (as a professional) should and would 
> be: "I'm sure that Ron is worth far more than you what you pay him. You 
> should be lucky you have him"

Broadcast engineering is not always a professional endeavor and certainly there 
is no canon of ethics binding those in the field.

As for professional ethics, I have seen more than one PE, Lawyer and even doctor 
use their professional standing to commit outrageous ethical violations. They 
usually get away with them thanks to both their standing and the professional 
society that backs them up. In one specific case, I had a consultant grossly 
misrepresent the specifics of an array being submitted for approval. He knew the 
real values would flag the application so this was in effect fraud. His reason: 
"This is my estimate of the impedance and my stamp makes it so" I quietly got 
several other "professional" opinions and we built an array that worked the 
first time rather than the one that would have required considerable ongoing 
professional fees. That particular consultant took his real talent (fraud) and 
moved on to Wall Street (this was the 80s).

Mario  you seem to want to put the techs who do the day to day dirty work on the 
same level as Professional Engineers, lawyers, doctors, etc. This is far from 
the case. First there is no particular set of qualifications for entry into the 
field. Second,day to day broadcast engineers have different priorities. Take 
game day co-ordination. There is a big element of self defense going here. When 
the super bowl comes to town, the is still the supermarket remote to get on air 
locally. CEs for the most part have the "get it done make it work no matter how" 
ethic. PDs and sales don't accept excuses for failed results. It is a much 
better defensive move to take control than swing in the wind at someone else's 
hand. Look at the co-ordination mess at the DNC at the hand of a highly paid 
professional. In broadcast PEs are good for a stamp and the occasional  opinion, 
the rest is better left to those with the practical experience. Don't get me 
wrong, I value a lot of professional opinion and probably consult with PEs from 
various field more than many, but at the end of the day practical experience is 
the glue that holds everything together.

R