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Best Engineers

F

frdeaconjosephz

Who is the best engineer that you have EVER worked with?

My vote is Johnny Bridges. I first worked with Johnny when I was with WDUN and he was across the hall at Y106FM, then we worked together at Y106FM. Over the years Johnny has been a great friend and a mentor to me.
 
One of my favorites posts on here quite often. Taylorengineer. He was the engineer at a little daytimer only way back when. WACX. WOW time flies, I was 17 and green in the radio biz. I also had a head full of hair. Now bald, and greying beard.. Yuk.. but those were fun times, and Tom, you are the greatest.
 
The best engineer I've ever known and worked with not only was CE for the 5000 Watt AM I worked at in Florida, but he was CE for a 5000 Watt A in Valdosta, Georgia.

Unfortunately, he's no longer with us anymore.
 
I vote for Tom too. Not sure if Tom wants to be loved by "sweetdick", but hey, engineers take the love where they find it.
 
My vote goes to Tom Taylor. The man never sleeps! He eats, breathes, and lives his job. He's also one of the funniest guys I've met. Kudos to you, bro.
 
Congratulations, gentlemen, on the single nerdiest thread in the history of radio-info.com.



At least it's better that talking about Jerry Del Core and the bunch from WGST?
Why , Why, YES! it is..
 
Split it up... Locally, Helbush for sure. Tom Giglio. Victor Jester. Taylor. Randy Mulinax. Robert LaFore - the new guy in town. C.J. Whatsisname at Salem gets a LOT done without a lot to do it with. All these know which end of the microphone the noise goes into.
What about the nationally known folks? Good ones I've had the privlege of working with: Jack Sellmeyer... Mr. Bob Silliman (now gone unfortunately) and Tom. Bill Ruck. Dom Bordunaro. 'Little' Tommy Cox. Troy Pennington. Conrad Trautman. Ken Branton and David 'the wiz' Chenoweth, both of Collins/Continental fame. Whom else?
 
lilburncommunityradio said:
At least it's better that talking about Jerry Del Core and the bunch from WGST?
Why , Why, YES! it is..
Click to expand...

Speaking of WGST and engineers, Mike Lawing and his staff were always islands of sanity in the sea of chaos when I was there. I trust the same is true today.
 
Robert LaFore is tops! Knows programming and engineering and how to make technical stuff work for programmers. Creative - good at pulling things out of dark places when necessary!
 
This goes back to around 1998, but I was having lunch with Jeff Davis when he was at WGST. He brought Mike Lawing along because Jeff (correctly) thought I'd enjoy speaking with him.

Things were going great until Lawing asked me what I thought of WGST's air sound (processing). I thought he must want an honest answer so I said, "Slightly distorted." Lawing did not take too well to that. He said, "I consider that a challenge." He added that WSB sounded too "boomy," and that "there was a competition for sounding the loudest." Despite things going downhill, I thought Mike was a nice and knowledgeable guy.
 
Engi-nerds:
I have never met a finer group of men and women.....intelligence, character, and discipline all rolled up into a great big flabby ball....and the GM gets them real cheap!
Some folks in radio don't like the engineers....they claim it's the potatoe shaped bodies and lack of bathing.....but we all know it's because it's the one area of radio that they feel they can't master.
But, for the most part, you'll never find a better friend than good ol' "Sparky!" Who do you call when "things go POOF in the middle of the night?" When your car won't start in the station parking lot at 4AM....WHOYDA GONNA CALL? When you deleted the entire spot library on a Thursday morning......who saves the day??
Who else in the building can make that miserable 50 year old transmitter make songs fly through the air??
Adding to the list above:
Dick Bryd, 20 year chief at Z93....now at WSB/Cox.
Sidney Daniel, chief at V103 for 1,000,000,000,000,000 years
Skipper Marshall, long time engineering slave (has a degree in Physics from Ga Tech....smart guy!)- WRFG,The Fish, WYZE
Jim Gantner and Charlie Harrell at ClearChannel Atlanta
Scott Trask and Mike Auran at Star.
All great guys! How could you ever pick "the best?"
 
Tom,
This is easier said than done. When I hung out with you in the days Of am 1600
when you did a bluegrass show on WRFG, I always was amazed at watching you fix the stuff around the old studios. I was 17 and hungry for radio.. Now Im still hungry for electronics and lights that go flash, and switches and such. I will admit I dont remember the engineer that was there before you, although I had a run in with him from time to time, but he was one old GROUCHY BASTARD. I will always remember him showing up when I was signing off and him telling me to go on the get da hell outta dat station, not to hang out and mess with him. He was jerk NO #1. But you were cool.. again one day you have to got to hit me up so we can grab some grub.
adios, REX! you remember now?
 
Ok.... I have worked with Lord knows how many engineers in my life... From Gene at WFOM in my teens to Lawing and his Atlanta crew in the past few years. Let me tell you how I look at engineers from the point of view of an owner/GM.

1. Can he keep me on the Air?
2. Does he do good maintenance on my equipment so I will stay on the air?
3. Can he keep me on the Air?
4. And for Heavens sake... if I do go off the air... does he get there FAST and get me back on the air?

I would cast a vote for Tom Taylor and for Mike Lawler and his entire staff in Atlanta. Tom kept us maintained and on the air even before CC came along... ok maybe he has a love affair with aligator clips... but they worked! Then when I was introduced to Mike, Charlie, and Jim at CC Atlanta our lives really became better! They suggested strongly to CC that we keep Tom and let them all work together to keep "those small South Atlanta stations" on the air. A few years later when it became possible to build the new building and studios in Newnan, Mike took the reigns and built what CC called "the finest small market studios in the company". I can honestly say that I could never have built those studios if I had not had Mike, Tom, Charlie, and Jim working on it almost daily. The whole time we were going thru the building pains... Tom kept us on the air (and there were times it was a real challange!) He spent many nights out in the woods in Hogansville trying to nurse some peice of equipment back to life. And yes, Mike, Charlie, or Jim joined him on some of those nights!

A bad enginner can KILL a small market radio station... a good engineer can make life bearable... a GREAT engineer can let you sleep at night! I thank God that I got to work with some GREAT engineers like these guys in my life.
Joe
 
The last name is Jackson :) I'll have to throw in a vote for Ted Ronneburger at Cox (who recently to Long Island). Then there's Skipper and Bob Lipscomb (former local Moody chief) both who put in a LOT of overtime hours keeping the hamster wheel here spinning. And, I've always heard the name Tom Taylor said in a good way from everyone I've talked to in this market. They lub ya, Tom (grin) ...The 6-ish years I've been in Atlanta, the level of talent in the broadcast engineering field has amazed me compared to other markets I've been in. A lot of you guys keep the bar raised way up there, in spite of tight or no budgets, no help, air staff crashing the automation, and the usual things that make 21st century radio go bump in the night.
 
I don't know where he is now but Steve Westbrook was right up there with Tom Taylor for me. Yep, I've worked with Tom, too - you rock Tom! Steve used to be the engineer for Fox 97 and he kept WMLB when it was on 1170 and Americana format, on the air as a labor of love. You could call Steve in the middle of the night when the transmitter croaked and he wouldn't scream at you. Love that guy.
 
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