[BC] NFL pleading poverty

[Mario Hieb, P.E.]

Event frequency coordination is different than local frequency 
coordination. The local stations are known by the FCC as "incumbents." When 
an event comes to town and uses a large number of frequencies, the event is 
liable for any interference. By the way, most local coordinators are paid 
appropriately by their employer, the local stations.

So let's say the Super Bowl comes to your city. Does the local station 
(incumbent) pay for coordination (no)? Does the TV rightsholding network 
pay (no)? Does the NFL pay (no)? In my opinion, the NFL and the TV 
rightsholder should pay; they are the ones using the spectrum and causing 
the interference. This is how we do it in the Olympics with great success.

I can't say yes or no about my doing frequency coordination for the NFL; 
it's sort of impractical because I live far from an NFL team. I have heard 
of individuals who were paid by NFL, until SBE squeezed them out. The 
point, however, is moot because the NFL would never pay me for something 
they get for free.

It's really a matter of principle. As professionals, we should stand up for 
each other when it comes to appropriate compensation. If your boss called 
me up and said, "Ron Castro is making too much money. I'd like to fire him 
and hire you," my reply (as a professional) should and would be: "I'm sure 
that Ron is worth far more than you what you pay him. You should be lucky 
you have him"

SBE claims that, although NFL values what SBE does for it, it can't afford 
to pay them appropriately. If I were SBE, I would say, "Sorry, but we are 
professionals, and we don't give away our services."

By the way, the NFL-network TV deal for the years 1998 to 2005 was $17.6 
billion (L.A. Times), that's about $2.5 billion a year. And SBE president 
Ray Benedict says they don't have any money for frequency coordination.

My beef with the NFL is they have the nerve to ask SBE to subsidize their 
multi-billion dollar empire. My beef with SBE is that they believe that 
"NFL is poor" and that engineers should volunteer their professional services.

Mario



At 11:02 PM 5/21/2005, you wrote:
>Message: 5
>Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 10:36:49 -0700
>From: "Ron Castro" <ronc at sonic.net>
>Subject: Re: [BC] GDC's
>To: "Broadcast Radio Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <026a01c55e2b$ab59f050$1f02a8c0 at Ronlap>
>Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>         reply-type=response
>
>How is this any different than when the SBE did frequency coordination for
>individual "for-profit" radio and TV stations?  And what's your beef with
>the NFL?  It seems you have a real hot-button about that.  Is it because
>you're trying to sell those same services to the NFL?
>
>Ron Castro
>Chief Technical Officer
>Results Radio, LLC

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mario Hieb, P.E.
Consulting Engineer

36 H St. #2
Salt Lake City, UT 84103

e-mail: mario at xmission.com
text: 8015546069 at mmode.com
cell: 801-554-6069

NSPE ~ AFCCE ~ SBE