[BC] Staffing levels

[Jeff Johnson]

For all of the complaining done on this subject, and I've done my share, we 
engineers are doomed to tertiary status in radio, a mature and obsolescing 
technology. As technologies emerge, dynamic personalities drive them. Think 
of Isambard Kingdom Brunel of the steam age in England, Bill Gates or Steve 
Jobs of the cyber age of the present. Think of our own Bob Orban and Frank 
Foti in the broadcast industry.

As the technologies emerge and finances become more important than 
innovation, business people take over as their knowledge and resources are 
then more important. Many of those business people in the early stages of 
each industry are savvy and fascinated with the technological dream as 
well. Later on, however, the technologies become merely a matter of 
numbers, and businesses are sold and resold. It is at that point 
manufacturing is outsourced to the lowest cost labor market, support to the 
lowest cost environment and the product is homogenous, repetitive and 
merely a commodity.

Radio to a great extent has reached that level. Yes, it remains profitable 
and will be indefinitely, but the thrill is gone.

There are exceptions, of course. Commercial and religious radio can be 
inspiring still, and public radio and its people remain committed to 
service and a distinctive product.

Jeff.Johnson at rfproof, CSRE
RFPROOF.COM

At 11:42 AM 1/21/2008, RichardBJohnson wrote:

>Engineering job problems?
>
>It is everywhere. Look at what the accountants have done
>to the stock market. At the so-called hi-tech company where
>I am employed, we recently had a régime change from the
>top down. The first thing the HR VP did was change
>all the engineering levels and methods of determining those
>levels. So, most of the engineers will migrate out of the industry
>leaving only the incompetent few who don’t have the guts
>to contribute individually, needing the crutch of the “team”
>to help spread the blame for their failures.