National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Handbook, 10th Edition

CHAPTER 2.1 Engineering Management

DR. SAM SWAN

School of Journalism and Electronic Media University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee

INTRODUCTION

Most broadcast station engineering staff plan a career in which they will work in studio or remote opera-tions, maintenance, or transmitters. Few think about or plan for a career in management. What happens in many stations is that engineers are promoted from within to become managers, in positions such as chief engineer or director of engineering. However, while engineers may be excellent at the technical aspects of their work, they may not be at all prepared to handle the challenges of managing an engineering department. Very few broadcast station engineers have had specialized courses or training ...