[SBE] Industry retirement situation

[dynotherm at earthlink.net]

The fundamentals of commercial broadcasting have changed little in 
the past 50 or 60 years. The basis of broadcast engineering is 
founded on constant physical laws, regardless of contrary, transient 
opinions of non-technical regulators and managers. 

Broadcasters employ engineers to put a signal on the air, they program 
it with something interesting or useful to listeners (or viewers), sell 
sponsorship, collect the sale, pay the staff and owners, and retain 
enough to repeat the cycle over and over. Thus, has it ever been and 
thus shall it ever be until the last of us pulls the switch that takes 
the last station dark.

The problem our industry confronts is, as you have rightly stated, 
one that confronts nearly all technically based industries. THE problem
is that technology has grown beyond the comprehension and understanding 
of most of our society, and that includes the managers driving the 
vessels on which our professional lives depend. IMHO the reason is our
educational system has evolved into one that stresses "soft" skills
and interpersonal relations at he expense of the "hard" core skills
that are the basis of technical education. We are educating politicians,
not future engineers. The result can be seen everywhere. Toyota is now 
the number two automotive marketer in the U.S. The leading countries 
for new engineering grads are China and India. Japanese inventors 
surpassed American filings with the U.S. Patent Office over a decade 
ago.

At the same time, the successful business manager's horizon has shrunk
from years to the end of the next quarter. Arthur C. Clarke's observation
that, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from 
magic," is virtual fact for most managers when they confront consequences
of shortsighted decisions. In this environment, engineering and technology
are seen as non-productive expenses, which they are from the present day 
quarterly perspective, rather than the investments they are called on
corporate balance sheets. While better managed companies tend toward a
somewhat more enlightened view of assets, they to be exceptions
to the more general case.

Chriss's NAB panel is a good beginning because engineers and managers
often communicate poorly at best. I can be said that they speak two
different languages. However, seminars for management focused on
return on engineering investment and differentiation of engineering
talent for non-technical managers, presented by the SBE, in cooperation 
with the NAB and the various state BA's could play a vital role in 
educating the management core of our industry to the business side 
of engineering and the contribution adherence to good engineering
practices can make indirectly to the bottom line of the balance sheet
of the organization. 

At the same time, the gap between studio operations and transmission 
operations becomes ever wider as studio operations become fully 
digitized and IP technology becomes more widespread.

We are rapidly approaching the day when the hardware side of studio
engineering will be reduced to simple network "plug-and-play" with
all serious work reduced to software configuration that can be
accomplished (right now in theory) by GUI's and expert systems, 
quickly, and with little if any "old fashioned" engineering. We are 
fast approaching the day where networking computer types will dominate 
studio technical operations. We should not allow the cultural and
generational differences to divide us from those who join our ranks
to cope with the digitization of studio operations. Education and
cross-fertilization could and should become a way of life. Perhaps
we might develop training programs introducing those already trained
in computer technology to broadcast practices such as ADC/DAC, codecs,
DSP, AES-3, etc. which are little known in traditional CS programs, 
but whose understanding is vital to good broadcast operations.

Transmission or RF engineering is a separate field and will likely
become more differentiated in radio as it has in TV. This is the area 
unique to broadcasting, and one where the SBE certification programs 
have made the SBE preeminent. We have led the way in recognizing these 
specialties at the entry level, however we might increase our value to 
our industry and our members by taking the transmission related 
specialist certifications to the advanced/senior level, going beyond 
simple operating concepts to the point of certifying those who 
demonstrate understanding of design and troubleshooting concepts. 

In doing these things it is MHO we might contribute value to our
industry while increasing the value of SBE membership, especially
of certification, while offering a migration path for those of the
next generation who will join us from the CS background.

Phil Alexander, CSRE, AMD 
Chairman, Chapter 25, Indianapolis



-----Original Message-----

>From: Barry Thomas, CPBE CBNT <barryt at sbe.org>

>Sent: Mar 15, 2008 1:58 AM

>To: Member Discussion List <SBE at sbe.org>

>Subject: Re: [SBE] Industry retirement situation

>

>Thanks Clay for some excellent points. 

>

>We need to understand the industry as it is today and understand what is required in order to succeed and retrain ourselves if necessary.  Tell me what industry has not faced this in the Past 30 years?  If we still enjoy what we do, work within it.