Does your station offer tours to schools, clubs, and college groups?

[AMradiofan]

Look online at the AM or FM self-inspection checklists. There are NO regulations about restricting studio access, locking doors, or anything of the like. The 2009 self inspection checklists are the latest available, and considered to be the same rules under which you would be liable for violations. You can be as liberral in being public-available as you are comfortable-with, and as conservative as you want, given access is somehow available to a public file during REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS which you also can set within reason of available staff.

 

[KFodor]

Our stations offer tours to school groups, Scout groups, Church groups and civic groups all the time.

Yes, access to the stations (Radio/TV/and a Newspaper) is restricted by means of electronic locks. But access to the lobby is available during normal business hours. And, if you have an appointment, you can see anyone you need to see during that time. Public files are also available as required by law.

Our AM/FM Newstalk stations studios are visable by large windows which can be seen from the street day or night. We only shut the blinds when the sun is shining too brightly causing our computer monitors to wipe out, visually speaking.

 

[ProducerGuy]

I've never seen a studio that was locked. I don't think the knob on my studio door even has a lock. Hell, it gets so hot sometimes, we we didn't have 4 other stations and tons of people walking around, I'd leave the studio door wide open to get some fresh air.

 

[secondchoice]

IMHO your station(s) should be secure enough to prevent someone from stealing copper and equipment at the transmitter site and or PC's and sound equipment at the studio. The public files could be are at the local library. A live person should answer the phone line that sponsors call, and read fax / emails with in a half hour during business hours. This "receptionist" does not have to be at the studio, but of course somehow someone has be able to let the FCC in to check your EAS.

I have had tours visit at a couple of stations I have worked at. One tour (20 years ago) was a local community tech college. These guys and one girl actually were not disappointment by the satellite programming we ran mid-days. They understood tones and closures from the satellite receiver. We were still using a Harris 9000 and cart carousels so there wasn't any PC yet.

Back in day the "store window" studios with announcers were cool I doubt anything like that exists in a non rated market.

 

[firepoint525]

Tried to stop by and visit a radio station that I formerly worked for (the first station that I ever worked for, no less!) during regular business hours, mind you, and found the doors LOCKED!

Downtown radio stations are advised to keep their front doors locked. I ran an inner city station for a few years, and all kinds of vagrants walked in the front door, especially during the winter. Also, FCC rules require access to the studio area to be restricted

This was a very small station in a small town. (My house is probably larger than that station!) There was no one there at the time. I could see the front desk through the window, and no one was there. However, I wish that they had kept it locked (back door, too, for that matter) because they had this one "groupie" (for lack of a better term) who came in there almost every day, and the (then) PD actually wondered what I had against the guy! : They were under different ownership and management by the time I attempted to visit them.

 

[firepoint525]

Tried to stop by and visit a radio station that I formerly worked for (the first station that I ever worked for, no less!) during regular business hours, mind you, and found the doors LOCKED!

If it was during business hours, I presume someone would have let you in if you pushed the button. How else would a visitor be able to inspect the public file? I remember when radio stations used to be unlocked but that's been a long time. At some point, almost every station became locked during business hours no matter the location.

Again, this was at a very small station. I don't recall seeing a button to push, but then again, this has been years ago. They had a much better front door when I attempted that visit, from the one that they had while I was working there. The original door could have easily been kicked in, and you could have broken the window in that door just by putting your fist through it (if you didn't mind possibly bleeding a bit!). The replacement door had much thicker glass, and was like an entrance door to almost any business.

The back door was as thin as my bedroom door, and could have also been kicked in. I believe that it was eventually replaced, as well.

Don't know how a visitor would get in to check those files. Not really my issue, since I no longer worked there, and never owned the station, anyway.

 

[andydallas]

Ok, I have to tell this story, about 30 years ago I sold production libraries, station ID's and music services,,one day I had an appointment at WGCI-AM/FM in Chicago (owned by Gannett at the time).

It turned out my appointment was at the same time as they gave out prizes (they had all contest winners show up on one morning),,I got there, the receptionist was behind glass,,,I am not joking when I say there were nearly 100 young black men and women, all young,,crowding the lobby,,,I was the only white person, and the one person in a suit,,,the receptionist saw me and motioned for me to go to a door where she 'buzzed me in",,,she didn't know who I was there to see, but figured I wasn't a "prize winner",,,the PD, Richard Pigue (sp) got a kick out of it,,he had forgotten it was 'prize morning" when he set the appointment.

 

[dmargalotti]

Who would stand out in the yard and shoot an automation machine?

Probably the same people who used to at least once per year shoot out the tower lights of a station I worked at a long time ago. The tower was on top of a mountain in a pretty remote area that was popular with hunters. Apparently "tower light season" came right after deer season.