[BC] Radio engineering not a profession - 50 kW Vs. 2

[Xmitters at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/2/08 5:01:52 AM Central Daylight Time, 
broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

> >  I don't buy this logic.  A station owner/licensee isn't required to 
>  > pass any exam showing he is knowledgeable and competent to operate a 
>  > radio station.  He only has to have the money to hire consultants to 
>  > do the paperwork.
>  >
>  >  True there were some license mill graduates that didn't know which 
>  > end of a xmtr the RF came out, but they were DJs who did nothing 
>  > more than filling in the meter log.  On the other hand there were a 
>  > lot more competent guys in the business than there is now and there 
>  > was a lot better compliance with the rules and regs than there is 
>  > now.
>  >
>  >   - Nat Kayle


Nat:

It neither matters, nor is it relevant whether you buy the logic or not. 

The fact remains that this is where the FCC has decided to place the ultimate 
responsibility; The licensee and not the engineer, is responsible for the 
technical operation of the station. Furthermore, it is up to the licensee to be
 
smart enough to find a competent technical person. 

There is no reason that the station owner should take a technical test. 
That's almost like saying that the FCC should require that I zip up my pants. T
he 
licensee *does* take a test, of sorts, in that an application for construction 
permit has to be submitted. Competing applications are evaluated for 
"competency" in a sense. Given that radio properties cost several millions nowa
days, I 
cannot imagine someone investing that kind of money and not doing the required 
homework to assess the risks and responsibilities. 

Most people, in my opinion, do risk calculations; the FCC fine can likely be 
this much money. The cost of fixing the problem is that much money. The 
chances that we actually get caught are such and such. Then they decide if the 
problem is worth fixing or not. The station technical operations would probably
 be 
given more respect if the FCC had more money in its budget for enforcement. 
Thanks to congress, it does not. 

I have as many years in commercial radio as I have in noncomm radio. 
Regarding the commercial operations being more willing to cut corners, It depen
ds on 
for whom you work. 

Noncoms do not have to show a profit, of course. Commercial stations do. The 
dedicated commercial station manager will do everything possible to maximize 
profit, whether those actions are good or bad. Anyone here that has money 
invested in anything, probably is doing so with the expectation of getting a 
reasonable return.  There is a "manager" somewhere, that is cutting corners, so
 to 
speak, to maximize your return. The basic fact is, people with money invested 
expect to make even more money by investing. 

It's up to us engineers to know where to place our efforts such that the most 
money will be made by our station. This is true in noncomm as well as 
commercial operations. Even though my noncomm revenue comes from listener 
contributions rather than commercials, the pressure is still there; it' s merel
y in a 
different form :-)

Jeff Glass, BSEE CSRE
Chief Engineer
WNIU WNIJ
NPR Affiliate
Northern Illinois University
DEC 6180 Win NT 4.0 SP6A AOL 5.0
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