August 4, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR DENISE HARBERT IN IL
Hi Katie,
I think the answer to this question might be "yes" or "no" depending on
what type of job you would be interested in at a TV or Radio
station. Likelihood is really a statistical question. The likelihood of
getting hired there if you know how to fix the equipment is sort of like
computing: ratio=(# of people who know how to fix equipment at a radio or TV
station)/(total # of people who work at the station)
This ratio assumes that all jobs are available at the same rate - that one
job is not filled more often than another.

I think that most station jobs have something to do with science,
engineering, or technology. Stations need people who know all kinds of SET
skills. Recording news and other broadcasts requires people who know how
to operate and repair video/radio equipment. Connecting reporters who are
working in the field with the newscasters who are at the station may
require knowledge of fiber optics and portable broadcasting
equipment. Playing movies or broadcasting television/radio shows may
require knowledge of audio/visual equipment. Stations that create their
own movies/news/shows may need people with film or audio tape editing
skills. Local stations need the technology to network with regional,
national, or even international stations. Broadcasting the signals so your
TVs or radios can pick them up may require people who know about bouncing
signals off of satellites. People who tell you the weather reports are
most often meteorologists with degrees in fields like atmospheric or space
science. They need to know about the mathematical models, Doppler radar,
and other technologies that are needed to predict weather. News programs
have teams of "experts" who know a lot of trivia about things needed for
background information on news stories. These experts may also be skilled
in the library science technologies needed to locate experts in various
fields ranging from law to forensic science to volcanic geologists so they
can be consulted for their opinions on various news stories. By the sheer
number of jobs in TV/radio that require SET expertise of some kind, I
believe that the likelihood of getting a job there would be higher if you
knew how to repair the SET-related equipment.

However, if what you want to do is be an actor, reporter, or news anchor on
television or radio, expertise in equipment repair is not going to make it
too much easier for you to get hired. Those jobs have skill requirements
that have much higher priorities, like the ability to speak clear and
grammatically correct English, read aloud well (from scripts or
teleprompters), work under constant pressure, present a professional and
well-groomed appearance (or voice), multitask (perform many tasks
simultaneously), say one thing while listening to something different in
your ear's radio piece, etc. If you can do all of those things but cannot
fix equipment and you are competing for a job with someone who cannot do
all of those things but can fix equipment, then you will probably get the
job. Someone who can fix equipment, but is disheveled, disorganized, or
speaks a lot of slang may get a job "behind the scenes", but will probably
never get the chance to work on the air on radio or in front of the camera.

On the other hand, knowing all the primary things that are required of
TV/radio actors/reporters/anchors will help you get hired, but also knowing
some technology/engineering may open the doors to new opportunities within
your career. For example, the embedded newscasters who filmed the war in
Iraq traveled in pairs: one reporter and one video camera operator. Both
people had to constantly work together to clean sand out of the equipment
and make any creative "Jerry-rigged" repairs necessary to keep the
equipment running. When news stations had asked their reporters if anyone
wanted to volunteer for the assignment, the volunteer reporters who knew
how to fix equipment were probably ranked higher on the list of capable
reporters. Eventually, the best reporters who had both journalism and
equipment skills got selected for the assignment.

I hope this gives you some different ideas about radio/tv stations.
********************
A: FROM MODERATOR SARAH SHIRK IN IL
Hi Katie-

Yes, I would say this is definately true. Engineers seem to have a natural inclination for patience to fix equipment that might break on the spot. I read some biographies of the radio engineers that worked on the top of the World Trade Center. There were stories of their dedication, not wanting to leave the building because they did not want the radio signal to go out. There were also stories of their ability to fix equipment with whatever was available. One engineer used his shoelace when the equipment went down during a bad storm. Their stories were inspiring. It was clear that these men truly had a passion for their jobs. They loved going to work everyday on top of one of the tallest buildings in the world and being part of an important service to the radio public. I encourage you to follow your passion, be it in radio or t.v.