[SBE] Industry retirement situation

[Bill Barrow]

Small markets have keep me in business servicing TV transmitters.  I love
all of them. Hard working business people and usually not a qualified TV
transmitter engineer to be found anywhere. And, I can count on one hand the
"traveling" TV engineers like me who are still doing this line of work. We
are all in our late 50's to late 60's. And, the young engineers have no
interet in our dirty line of engineering.

Regards,

Bill Barrow
Transmitter Specialist
Pro Service, Inc.
117 Broad St.
Hatboro, PA.
19040-3103
proservice117 at comcast.net
Phone 215 499 9104
Fax   215 672 8225



-----Original Message-----
From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org]On Behalf Of Kent
Kramer
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 4:06 PM
To: 'sbe member discussion mail list'
Subject: Re: [SBE] Industry retirement situation


Small market stations are lucky to have an engineer at all. Dealing with 115
affiliates, about half of which are small market, I am always amazed how the
small stations survive. I have spoken to at least TWO engineers that service
at least two of our affiliates that are a minimum of 100 miles apart. I also
know that at least one of our smaller affiliates relies on "big brother" in
the nearby (again about 100 miles) large market for help at times.

The number of program director/engineers I've spoken with is astounding
also... Any glory that used to be left with the job has now gone since
engineers have been "touched" by the recent rounds of layoffs.

Just my take as a "lurker" on the list and now a first time contributor.

Kent Kramer
Director of Engineering
Reach Media
Dallas, TX
Home of "The Tom Joyner Morning Show"


-----Original Message-----
From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of Bill
Burckhard
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 2:38 PM
To: 'sbe member discussion mail list'
Subject: Re: [SBE] Industry retirement situation

In reply to Gary; No Stinking Way.

William R Burckhard
445 South 24th Street West
Billings, MT. 59102
(406)652-4743
billb at khmt.com
www.yourbigsky.com

-----Original Message-----
From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of Gary
Stewart
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 1:27 PM
To: sbe member discussion mail list
Subject: [SBE] Industry retirement situation

Maybe the SBE has our birth years in its records and can run a report on
what percentage of members will reach a certain age in each of the next
10 years.

I know we have been thinking about it here.  We have 6 traditional
technical employees of varying involvement and specializations within TV
engineering. (2 fewer than 2 years ago) (22 years ago we had 4 just
taking care of studio cameras) Our weak point, of course, is IT.

Our current ages are: 63, 62, 60, 57, 51, 50

The nice thing is that of the two youngest, one is RF and the other
isn't. With technology moving the way it is, maybe they are all we will
need in 6 years.  Maybe by the time they retire the receptionist can do
it.

The only area at our station where the number of engineers is the same
as it was 22 years ago is RF. I think our radio brothers can't say that,
at least at the city wide level.  Do very small market radio stations
still each have an RF engineer?

Gary Stewart
Cornerstone TV


-----Original Message-----
From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of k7cr
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:29 PM
To: sbe member discussion mail list
Subject: Re: [SBE] Discussion topics

Fred posed this question -


> Are there any figures on what percentage of current SBE members are

> within five years of retirement?  Ten years?  It goes by rather

> quickly...and then what?


This issue goes well beyond the matter of where SBE will find it's new
members.
I am within 5 years of retirement (my choice) and as I look over my
shoulder
I find no-one chomping at the bit to take my job...much less even apply
for
it.

No one wants to get dirty, put on chains on all 4 and head up the
mountain
in the middle of the night to work on something analog with 8kv on the
inside.

When I started in this business back in 1961 there were plenty of young
Hams that were eager to apply their skills to things in a broadcast
operation...
but today those folks are old too.

Largely broadcasting, Radio and TV, have become computer based
operations
with the bit of analog tossed in just to rattle the minds of those that
think that
15 volts is high-voltage and who are totally confused by schematics.
In
many
ways these folks are disconnected from the world that we knew and, in
some
cases, continue to operate within.

I could go on and on -

My $.02

Clay Freinwald, K7CR
Member of the Board
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