Sobering Realities for Engineers
 The
New Year is a good time to look back and ponder what we've accomplished
over the past year, no matter if it was good, bad or ugly.
Life's most valuable lessons often are learned through making mistakes.
2003 witnessed the removal of a number of chief engineers from
their jobs in this business, from large and not so large markets
alike. We all know one if not several such individuals. It's never
pretty. These are perfectly capable and knowledgeable career engineers
with solid experience who know their craft, who get things done,
and yet who get fired because of any number of reasons.
When the axe falls, these folks usually turn to contracting on
their own or depart the industry altogether. Some eventually find
employment with other stations. Working in today's consolidated
world for mostly public companies driven by EBIDTA, free cash flow
and stock price is not for everybody. But the quality of the work
experience for most employees remains primarily a function of the
local general manager. Most still make it fun to come to work everyday.
Task-oriented
I remember getting the "We've decided to make a change"
surprise some years ago when a new GM arrived with his own slate
of friends he wanted to bring in from a former gig. It doesn't happen
to engineers often; but if management wants to replace somebody,
they will usually find a way if they can do it with defensible justification.
It's harder to do this nowadays without documented cause in the
face of government EEO and corporate HR protections.
There is no such thing as a perfect employee. We all have our strengths
and areas of expertise as well as our weaknesses and blind spots.
The challenge is to find an employment opportunity where we can
showcase and maximize our strong points and minimize but improve
on our weak points.
For radio station engineers, management's expectations usually
are simple and straightforward: Keep the station on the air, legal
and always sounding good, with all equipment running smoothly. Do
all of that within budget and as a team player supporting the needs
of the front-line players in programming and sales.
The first part usually is fairly easy, provided you have adequate
help and support. The second is more challenging for many.
Engineers tend to be task- and object-oriented. We focus most of
our talent and effort on solving problems involving electro-mechanical
and programmable devices. That tends to foster one-dimensional awareness.
Inanimate objects are easier to coax into cooperating than human
beings.
We often forget that other people usually are adversely affected
by the failure or malfunction of these devices. Most are not technically
inclined nor do they have the patience or interest in dealing with
things technical. All they need is an understanding, friendly human
who can resolve their problem quickly. Managers in particular appreciate
an engineer who can deliver such customer service.
Different roles
In multi-station clusters and large markets, engineering departments
usually comprise several staff members and a chief engineer. With
consolidation, the role of CE in this environment has evolved into
more of an administrative or engineering management position.
The battle-scarred chief who once spent most of his or her time
fixing hardware now delegates many of the old tasks to others, and
deals mostly with meetings, paperwork, phone calls and e-mail. To
be an effective team leader and department head, he or she must
earn the respect and support of the staff by supporting them. It's
a transition some have found difficult and not fulfilling.
The CE who succeeds and excels in this role typically views the
job much the same as the general manager views his or her own. The
GM is charged with keeping the station successful by achieving set
goals through managing the needs of staff members as well as the
needs of his infrastructure, all within the limits of the financial
resources he is given.
To keep on top of this challenge, both must exercise good judgment,
good time management, good communication and follow-through, plus
good people skills. If the CE does not share the GM's vision and
goals for the station and does not fully buy into the big-picture
plan to achieve them, the station is saddled with a handicap that
management will usually not tolerate for long.
CEs should also be mindful of the technical needs of other department
heads, especially the program directors. Programming is the lifeblood
of any successful station. Staying competitive and innovative with
new problem-solving tools is equally important to engineering and
programming. With good ratings, good revenue follows and everybody
wins.
Chain of command
In some stations, management views this relationship so important
that the CE is made accountable first to a PD and then the GM. CEs
who take a proactive interest in the programming affairs of their
stations become valuable assets to the PDs and almost guarantee
their own job security and success.
On the other hand, engineers who view and treat jocks and other
programming staffers with little or no attention and respect will
get little in return and are usually not long for the payroll.
A common mistake that general managers sometimes make in appointing
or hiring a chief engineer is placing too much importance on technical
skills as opposed to management skills. They regard technical proficiency
gained through experience as the key ingredient of a good CE and
assume management ability is learned easily or somehow absorbed
by osmosis.
Many engineers who excel in dealing with studio, RF or IT systems
and who are people-friendly may not be suited for or prepared to
be an effective department manager. GMs do no favors to an aspiring
staff engineer by promoting him to a vacant CE position without
affording him an opportunity to learn about the business and the
art of managing. Ideally, that should include participation in outside
professional seminars and courses in addition to the wise mentoring
of inside senior managers.
One other mistake too many stations make is understaffing their
engineering and IT departments. Supporting the technical needs of
a cluster of stations can be a daunting 24/7 commitment. Engineers
who want to properly serve those needs all too often end up working
entirely too many hours. Burnout and family or personal problems
are common.
Most all other station staffers can work eight hours a day and
then go home without worrying about or being bothered by after-hours
call-outs. Too many engineers don't have that luxury and very much
need additional staff support so on-call schedules can be rotated.
Worth pondering
If you aspire to become a CE, or just to become a better CE and
more secure in your position, take a close look at the management
style and expectations of those above you. Then take a close look
at yourself and how you've performed over the past year through
the eyes of your supervisors.
Think about your own perceived strengths and weaknesses and how
can you better leverage your best skills and shore up those still
being developed to contribute to the station's success as well as
your own. If you're lucky to work for a company that does annual
employee performance reviews and facilitates extension training
and education, you'll have a head start on the answers.
Making and keeping New Years resolutions, especially involving
your job is never much fun, but those who succeed in doing so will
always become a better person and a better employee.
Happy New Year and may you have a prosperous 2004.
Guy Wire is the pseudonym for a veteran broadcast engineer with major-market radio credentials. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Radio World. RW welcomes other points of view.
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