Personal experience...Re: [BC] KSDK

[Tom Bosscher]

Mike McCarthy wrote:
..  No matter what anyone says,
> that operator/driver IS at fault for not doing his job properly and the 
> station is at fault for not having the staff properly trained AND the 
> mast interlocked to the van's transmission of the van was being driven 
> at the time. (I disagree with the practice of locking out the engine 
> start/run switch.  There are times where the engine needs to run.  
> Especially if the remote van doesn't have a generator.)

	Back when we got a new remote vehicle for WCUZ in Grand Rapids, we 
debated the ignition lock out. We decided against it, as, what if that 
130 lb female is driving the vehicle, and as she is going around the 
corner, one of the sensors false trips, and kills the ignition? You will 
have an accident.

	I installed what is called a wide gap sensor, used on garage doors, on 
the mast to the roof. I then installed a micro switch with a long trip 
arm under the steering wheel, to indicate whether the vehicle was in 
park, or not.

	Those two sensors were tied to a box that had a $ 80 voice talker (I 
think from Hamtronics), to an amplified speaker. There was no volume 
control, no on-off switch. If the mast was up, and the vehicle was not 
in park, the box would talk.
	In the "Why I'm in engineering and not on air talent" department, I 
recorded my voice on the box:
	"Engineering to bridge. Sensors indicate the mast is up, and you are 
not in park. Please correct for continued employment at Federated 
Media." And it looped. It never stopped until the condition was 
corected. I even had a Gel Cel battery inside the box if anybody thought 
that they could pull fuses.

	Two or three times a year, someone would come up to me and tell me "I 
swear I followed the check list and took the mast down. But when I got 
in the truck to drive off, your voice was yelling at me". People mean 
the best. But even the best make mistakes.

	Anyone think that CC will be forced to adopt a strict corporate policy? 
I think the responsibility to make sure everyone gets trained properly 
falls to the GM. Make that person sign off to the CC boss's.

		tom bosscher